Rhyolite : Las Vegas 360

GPS: N36° 53.884′ W116° 49.781′ (WGS 84)

Rhyolite was born in 1905 and was once the third largest city in Nevada. The town reached a population of over 10,000 by 1908. Gold was discovered in the hills surrounding the town which was part of one mining stampede after another in Nevada. There are numerous ruins and relics scattered throught the area including a bank, school house, jail and railroad depot. There are also a few intact structures used by a small number of present day residents. There is also present day gold mine located near Rhyolite which ceased operations in 1998. The tailings from the mine just about overshadow the town. For more information about Rhyolite, please refer to http://www.ghosttowns.com/states/nv/rhyolite.html

To get to Rhyolite from Las Vegas, travel Northwest on US 95 for 116 miles (2 hours, 45 minutes) to Beatty, Nevada and turn West on SR 374. Rhyolite is located about 4 miles west of the town of Beatty, Nevada on HWY 374. Signs will guide your way. The trip time is about 3 hours.

Rhyolite Cook Bank

This is the Cook Bank, which was eventually absorbed by the First Rhyolite National Bank. A United States Post Office was also located in the basement and operated there until 1919. It was the last business to close in Rhyolite. And that was quite a task for the Post Office, because they were selling parts of the Cook Bank Building in 1910!

Rhyolite

A full view of the bank. It’s one of the largest buildings still standing in Rhyolite.

Bottle House

One of the first buildings you will see is the Bottle House. There is register, free information and a tour guide booklet of the town. Be prepared to spend about 15 or 30 minutes with the caretaker, he is a BLM Volunteer who loves to give tours around the Bottle House.