James is obsessed with old abandoned things.

Me, I think they’re pretty cool, too, but James? When we come across a crumbling structure, an old abandoned road to nowhere, or anything deserted and in disrepair; I can guarantee we won’t be going anywhere for awhile.

This guy right here can stare for days…

Since we were hanging at Death Valley National Park, we happily added a detour to Rhyolite Ghost Town in our Binder of Fun. Sure, biking in Death Valley to the lowest point in the US was a cool experience, but seeing the ghost town?! Even cooler.

Rhyolite Ghost Town in Nevada, 120 miles northwest of Las Vegas, has been on our radar for years. It’s one of the best preserved ghost towns in the US, so there are tons of dilapidated things to investigate.

 

 

The town was started around 1905 as gold was discovered in the area, and exploded to around 5,000-8,000 people in just a year or two. Not all that old if you think about it.

 

Rhyolite circa 1908: SOURCE

That especially struck me, because back when I was 20 (you know, 9 years ago) and living in a small town in southeastern Minnesota, I bought a house that was built in the 1890’s. Don’t be too impressed; it was all of $30,000 and was cheaper than renting. I slowly remodeled it, and it’s still lived in today and as cute as ever. So, when I learned the crumbling structures around me at Rhyolite were YOUNGER than my first house, I became equally as fascinated with the quick rise and fall of this town as James was.

 

 

A nutshell history of Rhyolite:

It started as a two-man camp in January 1905. After the gold discovery, Rhyolite had 1,200 people in two weeks! The town boomed over the next two years, and just like that Rhyolite had 50 saloons, 35 gambling tables, cribs for prostitution, 19 lodging houses, 16 restaurants, half a dozen barbers, a public bath house, and a weekly newspaper, the Rhyolite Herald. Four daily stage coaches ran in and out of Rhyolite.

 

By 1907 there were concrete sidewalks, electric lights, water mains, telephone and telegraph lines, police and fire departments, a hospital, school, a railway depot, multiple banks, a stock exchange, an opera house, a public swimming pool and two formal church buildings.The three-story John S. Cook and Co. Bank cost more than $90,000 to build, equivalent to $2,450,000 in 2017. They went all out with Italian marble stairs and imported stained-glass windows.

 

 

Apparently the financial panic of 1907 was the catalyst that led to the town’s demise. Mines started closing, banks failed, and by 1910 there were only 611 people living there. Lights and power were turned off forever in 1911 and that was that for Rhyolite. All of that was pretty much just over a five year stretch, from start to heyday to fizzle. Amazing.

 

More epic staring…

If you go visit, don’t be put off by the odd sculptures at the entrance to the town. At first when we saw those we worried it was going to be one big tourist trap. But just continue on by the sculptures, and park at the end of the road where the ruins are. You’ll forget all about the out-of-place sculptures and can explore the ruins freely.

 

 

HOT TIP! While there’s no camping on site, if you want to stay close to Rhyolite check out Bombo’s Pond. It’s a free boondocking site just 10 minutes away at a beautiful pond you can fish or swim, and there are wild donkeys around, too. We had it scheduled in the Binder of Fun but in the end decided to roll on to make time. See! We can be flexible!

 

If you find yourself visiting Death Valley, definitely add Rhyolite to your own Binders of Fun, four thumbs up from us. Before you go though, do your research and check out the old photos and stories of the town. Makes for a much more interesting visit when you know what you’re looking at.

 

Here’s James in full-on nerd mode giving me the whole spiel on these old mining ruins…

If you’ve got suggestions for other ghost towns or interesting ruins or old things we should visit, let us know down in the comments! As far as ghost towns go, it’ll be hard to top Rhyolite. But we’re totally game to try!
xoxo, Stef