Railroad ghost town
When the evening breeze whispers, Rhyolite, a railroad ghost town in Nevada, almost seems to come alive. One can imagine people strolling the concrete sidewalks under electric streetlights while strains of music float from the air-conditioned opera house. Children and their parents are enjoying locally prepared ice cream, the telegraph office is sending and receiving messages, and for those who can afford one, telephones connect them with the outside world. You might even imagine the echo of a long-ago whistle; another of the many freight and passenger trains either leaving or approaching the city’s two major stations.
A nationwide financial panic in 1907 was the beginning of the end for this once up-to-date city of 8,000 in the middle of the Nevada desert. By 1911, the gold rush had played out, the mine was shutting down and everything and everyone that made Rhyolite great was fading into the dusty wind. By 1920, the population was just a few souls above zero, the railroads were torn up, and if it wasn’t for the National Park Service, the town, like dozens of other ghost towns, would be nothing but a memory.
Today the site is protected, and visitors are welcome to wander — but not take souvenirs — through Rhyolite. A number of the town’s businesses, housed in concrete structures, are still standing, hollow ghosts of what once was.
Modern-day desert railroad explorers like you and me can still find traces of the rights-of-way of both the Las Vegas & Tonopah, and the Bullfrog Goldfield railroads along with the stations they once served. A few grounded freight cars, and other odds and ends of railroad origin are easy to spot, as well. With everything kept in a state of sustained decline, it’s not that hard to imagine 2-8-0s, passenger cars, and freight cars all shuttling in and out of the city heading to or coming from interchanges with other railroads both north and south of Rhyolite.
Exploring today
The ghost town of Rhyolite is about 35 miles from the Furnace Creek Visitor Center on the way to Beatty, Nevada, a small but active oasis in the desert which has everything you need. A map will show you it’s at the junction of State 95 and Highway 374. From Beatty head west on 374 about six miles west.
There are no services in Rhyolite, so make sure you are well equipped with whatever you need before leaving Beatty, including a hat, sunscreen, and drinking water. The average high during summer months is well into the upper 90s.
When wandering around the area, please remember that while Rhyolite is considered a “ghost town,” people occasionally legally occupy some of the still-privately-owned buildings, including the former Las Vegas & Tonopah Railroad station. Observe no trespassing signs.
Oh… there’s something so melancholic about towns like these.
Rhyolite was served by the Las Vegas & Tonopah Railroad which connected in Las Vegas with the (San Pedro), Los Angeles & Salt Lake Railroad (LA&SL). The LA&SL was owned by the Union Pacific Railroad (UP), and UP still operates on that line. Consequently, it’s not surprising to find a UP caboose in Rhyolite. Rolling stock, then as now, often is shared or leased between railroads.
I visited Rhyolite in the early ’70s and was thoroughly amazed by the structures and the strange beauty of the city.
By the way, the temp was 115º or more that July day.
I Wish there was a way to post some of my pictures.
Thirty years ago I stumbled upon Rhyolite while leaving Death Valley. It is a fascinating place. Thanks for sharing the railroad history.