| Rhyolite
is located 4 miles west of the town of Beatty, Nevada on Hwy 374...
the entrance to Death Valley.
In 1904 Frank "Shorty" Harrison & Earnest
L. Cross discovered gold that launched a "Gold Rush".
Cross later sold his share of the claim in 1906 for $25,000 and
bought a ranch near SanDiego. He later died in 1958. Samples were
taken to nearby Goldfeild, Nv. and were assessed at $665 a ton.
Hundreds of men flooded Rhyolite ( Named for the
Ore that Gold was found in. ) By 1905 Rhyolite was a bustling tent
city with 1,500 people.Rhyloite was made to last out of concrete
and stone.
By 1907, Rhyloite had 3 railroads providing service
to the town.At It's height in 1908, Rhyolite had a post office,
opera house, hospital,restaurants,hotels,a 2 story school, 3 story
banks, 8 Doctors, 2 Dentists, 3 newspapers and 31 Saloons.
Bob Montgomery owned the biggest claim in Rhyolite
and was later bought out by Charles M. Schwab. The 1906 San Francisco
quake made investors skiddish, Rhyolite began to die. By 1915 it
had 20 people. Some places are gated but there are tours of Rhyloite
and site maps available. |
