Walking through the town of Rhyolite, Nevada, it’s easy to imagine what the wild west frontier mining town used to be like. You see, Rhyolite is a ghost town, and there are several of them to explore across the Nevada desert and hills.
About 150 years ago, Nevada was a much different travel destination than the glitz and glamor of Las Vegas and Reno today. It was a place travelers came to seek fortune and glory, way before Indiana Jones coined the phrase.
Travelers came to the Nevada desert either to mine for silver and gold or provide products and services to those miners and muckers. Yes, mucker is the right term for those early Nevada travelers. Today the only muckers you see are the sports teams from the Tonopah, Nevada high school.
Towns like Rhyolite swelled with visitors looking for their fortunes once the announcement of a gold or silver strike was announced. Once the ore was gone, so were they, seeking fortune and glory somewhere else.
The towns boomed and then were abandoned. Today they sit quietly in the Nevada desert waiting for tourists to connect with these frontier ghost towns.
By the way, if you are heading out to visit some of these relics of the wild wild west, be sure to download your free Paranormal Passport and earn some cool free swag!
The Jewel of the Bullfrog Mining District
Most ghost town aficionados, and Las Vegas locals, have heard of the town of Rhyolite. Located near Death Valley, and not too far from Sin City, Rhyolite was the center of action in 1905 as the heart of the Bullfrog Mining District.
With 50 saloons, 19 lodging houses and 16 different restaurants it even attracted steel magnate Charles M. Schwab who bought the entire mining district in 1906. The town continued to boom until the mines closed in 1910 and by 1920 there were only 14 residents in Rhyolite.
Today, Rhyolite is one of the many ghost towns to explore in Nevada.
Eldorado Canyon and the Techatticup Mine
Located about 45 minutes outside Las Vegas is Eldorado Canyon and the Techatticup Mine. This is a ghost town photographer’s dream.
According to Travel Nevada, these ghost towns were “debaucherous, bustling, rough-and-tumble townships, [where] shootouts and murders were so frequent during the 1880s.”
Today, the scenery is more likely to be a set for a wild west movie. It’s a picture perfect setting where visitors to the two ghost town areas can connect with the past, as well as today.
Former United States Army Fort
Located about an hour east of Carson City, in Northern Nevada, lies the ghost town that used to be a former United States Army frontier fort. Today it is better known as Fort Churchill State Historic Park.
A place on the frontier that was used to protect the country, today Fort Churchill is a place to connect with early military history before Nevada even became a state. Visitors can wander the ruins and even enjoy some spectacular stargazing after dark.
The Ghost Metropolis
For a more rural destination, check out the strangely named Metropolis, a ghost town located about 15 miles from Wells, Nevada.
Back in 1909, Pacific Reclamation Company decided to build a utopian town for their 7,500 employees that was self sufficient including an ambitious 40,000 acres of farms. Planning started in 1911 and unfortunately by 1913 the company was headed towards bankruptcy.
By 1947 nothing was left in the ghost town except about seven ranches. Now visitors can check out this ghost town that was planned as an ideal community for working Nevada families.
What Visitors Need to Know
Visiting a ghost town can be a fun way to explore history, the desert and the old wild wild west all at the same time.
Nevada has some cool places to check out all across the Silver State. Be sure to explore the eerie history of the state and get some cool Paranormal Passport gear at the same time!