 |
| Rhyolite Ghost town with Cook Bank building, school house and Overbury Building. |
 |
| Roadside signage for Rhyolite |
Upon leaving Death Valley, we stopped just over the border in Nevada at a deserted gold-mining town for a rather hot picnic lunch. There are a couple of picnic tables by an old train car and a nearby pit toilet but no shade anywhere or we would have perhaps stayed a bit longer to explore.
 |
| Train Car in Rhyolite Ghost town |
Then again, maybe not. If your conscience isn't affected by the "protect your heritage" sign, fear will compel your compliance with the second "warning" sign - yikes!
 |
| Bureau of Land Management signage at Rhyolite |
 |
| Cook Bank building |
We did enter the chain link fence to check out the house made of bottles. I thought the fence was there to protect the glass from those who would do it harm and that it was probably built recently as a way to draw in tourists. When I read the information on the brochure I was shocked to discover that it was over 100 years old and part of the original town. Apparently it was built as a raffle prize and was subsequently used as a residence by the winning family for many years.
 |
| Tom Kelley Bottle House in Ryolite |
 |
| Tom Kelley Bottle House Built 1906 |
 |
| Close-up of Tom Kelley Bottle House construction |
The old train station has a fence around it and the roof looks new. So some effort has been made to at preservation. I would think there is lots of potential for further development as a tourist destination - picnic shelters would be a good start.
 |
| Train Station Depot in Rhyolite |
 |
| Rhyolite Train Station |
Overall, Rhyolite made for an interesting diversion if not the best picnic venue on a blazing June day. Considering it was our very first visit to a "ghost town," I thought it well worth a short stop even in the heat.
No comments:
Post a Comment