Where the scorching sun sets: Exploring Death Valley pt. 2

The story of Rhyolite, just west of the Nevada Test Site, is little more than a flash in the pan in gold rush history.

But it's brief existance left behind a few crumbling bones which look spectacular backdropped by the Funeral Mountains, the mine scarred hills and the iconic Joshua trees.

When gold was discovered in the area, people flocked to the town at an exponential rate. The growing pains of such an influx of citizens meant shortages of materials and supplies. There was a lot of creative improvising when it came tobuilding infrastructure.

One house, which still remains, was built entirely out of some 50,000 discarded beer and liquor bottles.

In just two years the city was fully kitted with necessary amenities like telephones, water mains, electricity, a newspaper, a hospital, and a school. And, the huge population drew enough attention to install an opera house and a stock exchange.

At it's peak, the town boasted more than 10,000 residents, 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.

A few years later, the mine was found to be overvalued and the people dropped their lives and moved on in droves.

By 1922 the population dwindled to one lone man and the town was pillaged and stripped of anything valuable. The embryonic town was stunted in it's development and condemned to sitting alone in the howling desert winds.

The remote location and harsh climate inspired an early age of independent women, like Panamint Annie, who banded together and prospected.
These women lived as men did, and for a brief time, were able to shirk the confines of womanhood and blazed a path for early feminists.

Now the town is a historic spot for tourists off the beaten paths and, now and again, the backdrop for film sets.

Welcoming travellers as they turn onto the main road is the Goldwell Open Air Museum which stands on private property just south of the ghost town.

The strange and sometimes eerie art project is overseen by the Bureau of Land Management and has a handful of sculptures, like the ghostly apostles, that sit sun-bleached for confused tourists to wander around.

Mostly the best part of Rhyolite is the spectacular view from the town on higher ground that allows you an almost complete panorama of the surrounding desert and mountains.

Take a look at my photo album.