Day Tripping to Ghostly Rhyolite
- janaleveritt
- Sep 17, 2020
- 4 min read
Updated: Sep 27, 2020
A couple hours north of the posh casino resorts of Las Vegas sits Rhyolite, a ghostly boom town gone bust. Not only is Rhyolite a historic ghost town with it's own unique pedigree, but very nearby sits the Goldwell Open Air Museum. A ghost town AND art in the middle of desert? I'm all in!
getting there
We started the drive early on a Sunday morning after hitting up Starbucks for coffee and breakfast. It was August, after all, and the forecasted temperatures were to rise to 115. We made our way up US-95 passing the exits to Mt. Charleston. A drive through the desert is good for my soul and this day was much needed. With each mile the stress of the COVID pandemic and it's effects on Las Vegas receded further and further into the rearview mirror.
After passing Nevada's Spring Mountain Range, a spectacular view of the Amargosa Mountain Range opens up just to the west. This range runs up the eastern edge of California's Death Valley and dramatically meets the Amargosa desert in Nevada. Eventually, your gaze will land upon Amargosa Big Dune covering about 5 square miles with dunes towering 300-500 feet. I make a mental note that this is a destination worthy of a trip for the future.
beatty
Once you arrive in Beatty take a left on State Route 374 and head west towards Death Valley National Park. Beatty, NV also would be worth another look one day after COVID has left us. I did see this "Desert Inn Motel" that I had to stop and photograph. I'm a sucker for signage, the older and more beat up the better. I love the shadows cast by neon gone dark. Am I the only one?
the approach
As you near the turn off, if you are looking at Google maps, it appears that there is a road you can take just before you reach Rhyolite Rd. and approach Rhyolite from the back. Both the roads LOOK the same on Google. I'm always game for adventure so I advised that we take the back road. We were in a Jeep so the road was not much of a problem. HOWEVER, It's definitely not a route I'd advise in a Honda Civic. I think my husband feared that perhaps I was taking him deep into the desert for nefarious purposes at this point.
Once we rounded the corner and the ghost town came into view he was back at ease. My husband would live another day. The town of Rhyolite, unfortunately, succumbed to an entirely different fate. Once a bustling mining town, the skeletons of once grand structures loomed, towering out of the desert, bleached and worn down by a century of harsh desert sun and blowing winds.
the boom
The rise of Rhyolite was born of a gold strike by Frank "Shorty" Harris in 1904. Prospectors flocked to the mining district hoping to cash in on the excitement. Several townships were established in the area but eventually, Rhyolite won out and seemed destined to become a premier destination in a wild and vast desert. After a serious investment by steel magnate, Charles M. Schwab, Rhyolite was catapulted into modernity. By 1907, the West's explosive boom town enjoyed electricity, concrete sidewalks, water mains, telephone lines, three newspapers, three swimming pools, a stock exchange, an opera house, a symphony, a hospital, a school, and 50 saloons. The population exploded to up to 10,000 residents.
the bust
The dramatic rise of Rhyolite eventually gave way to an equally spectacular bust. The 1906 San Francsisco earthquake disrupted rail service and the economic collapse of 1907 tightened investment into the region. The ore in the mines began to diminish and by 1910 the population was less than 10% of it's peak numbers at only 675 residents. In 1916 the power companies shut Rhyolite down, literally turning off the lights on the once bustling town. Remaining businesses and residents were forced to relocate and all of the modern infrastructure began to crumble.
the art
In true pioneer fashion the town of Rhyolite has morphed into a ghostly impression of sun bleached grandeur amid the beauty and desolation. While the decaying structures stand as a monument to the past, a more recent but equally haunting addition to the evocative landscape greets visitors. The Last Supper by Polish-Belgian artist, Albert Szukalski's was the genesis of The Goldwell Outdoor Museum, established in 1984.
Additional pieces have been added to the collection including Szukalski's Ghost Rider, Lady Desert: The Venus of Nevada, by Hugo Heyrman, Tribute to Shorty Harris, by Fred Bervoets and Sit Here by Sofie Siegmann among others not pictured. The Goldwell hosts a yearly arts fair on the grounds and also offers artist residencies and workspace programs. The museum accepts donations for a self-guided walking tour pamphlet.
the return
After exploring the Goldwell, it was time to head back to Las Vegas. I was really intrigued by the prospect of driving through Death Valley NP to return to sin city. We had plans at 2:30pm so there wasn't much time for further exploration...sad face. It looked like it would take about 4 hours not taking stops into account. I'll be making the trek through Death Valley in the future and if you decide to visit Rhyolite, I'd recommend an early start and a drive through Death Valley to return. It's definitely achievable, although it would be a very full day. We rolled back into Las Vegas around 1:00pm a little gritty and wind blown but with some new memories and adventures. Hopefully, the ghosts stayed behind in Rhyolite but if one of them tagged along I'll be happy to go back and return them to their home.