Rhyolite Ghost Town, NV - 2007

Continuing my trip down memory lane brings me to an unusual place, a ghost town.

In 2007, I was visiting a friend that lived in Las Vegas. We tired of the strip and wanted to see what other types places Nevada had to offer. Nevada has more than a few ghost towns, but we settled on Rhyolite as it was a day trip - about 120 miles north of Las Vegas near the town of Beatty, NV.

Now you may be asking, why include this? Because it's a town that has been reclaimed by the elements. With a few other surprises :).

Rhyolite is literally in the middle of nowhere. There was a lot of nowhere on the drive to it, around it, and on the way back. But Nevada's desert is really interesting to view through a car window. So different from what I'm used to in the midwest. Ok. Maybe not 4 hours interesting (two there and two on the way back) but you get the idea.

This was my first bonafide ghost town I'd ever visited (that I can remember anyway). And it was desolate, inhospitable, and quiet. Wandering around the town, I had to wonder what it looked like and sounded like at its height in 1905. It was like many of the small mining towns that popped up all over the west: rose fast and declined just as quickly.

But these ghost towns are a part of our history, and I find them facinating. It was a truly cool experience to wander around these buildings and look out over the landscape and wonder what it was like.

And the ghosts, can't forget them!

This was the "You are Here" map outside one of the buildings that showed the walking/auto tour around the town. 

Outside the bank, with an image of the original building

...and inside the bank

Pretty sure this was the train station. I think at one time is was opened to tourists, as it is the most refurbished building - but as you can see it was also closed to the public back in 2007. Maybe it has reopened?

This building was also used recently, but the mercantile was closed and for sale? Hmmm...

So this is the brothel. 

And the jail. Got to say, the jail looks more hospitable...even without a wall and a roof.

Looking back at the main part of town from the brothel.

Love the distance shot, as the feeling isolation really sinks in.

The brothel is the little building on the left...not sure about the other building.

This was a landscape shot of the surrounding mountains or hills depending on your definition (a hill to me is something I can easily climb w/o packing water and supplies ...ergo I am calling this a mountain :) ) Notice the mine shaft opening in the lower right of the photo.

Now remember when I said ghosts and surprises? Here they are!

The following are sculptures made by an artist that exist in the Rhiolyte open air museum that is located just as you are driving in to the town. There were other abstract sculptures. But the following are what caught my eye!


Creep right? I loved it! :)

This is actually of The Last Supper. Apologies for not getting a good full front shot so you could really see it.