Located in Nye County, Nevada this is a ghost town that rose rapidly and came down as fast as it had come up. This town was close to one of the biggest producers of gold at the time; the Montgomery Shoshone Mine and most service providers, gold seekers, miners and developers settled here after the prospecting discovery.

Founded in 1904, Rhyolite was part of a number of mining camps that came up after gold had been discovered in the surrounding hills. Montgomery Shoshone Mine was later bought out by an industrialist by the name Charles M. Schwab who did a lot in terms of investments in railroad transportation for the mine and town as well, piped water and electric lines.

By 1907, this town was already booming with many establishments within it including a stock exchange, water mains, a school, electric lights, an opera house, telephones, a hospital and newspapers. Compared to other towns that were established at the time, this was rather a short time to have experienced such rapid development.

Soon the richest ore was ripped off of all its wealth leading to a decline in production, which signified the start of the collapse of Rhyolite town. Other factors that led to the collapse of the once vibrant city were the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 and financial panic of 1907, which meant that raising development capital was a challenge.

Thereafter, investors in the biggest mine in the region ordered an independent study which later revealed that the business environment was unfavorable. This report brought down the stock value causing the mine to operate at a loss by late 1910 since funding had been restricted further.

These challenges forced the mine to close down in 1911, most inhabitants of this area sought settlements elsewhere and by 1920 this town was at the verge of being deserted. However, between 1988 and 1998, a successful open-pit-mine was running at the base of Ladd Mountain, which is a mile to the south of Rhyolite town.

Most of what remained of the rubbles when the town came down was taken to the nearby town of Beatty or salvaged for building materials. Today, the once famous town of Rhyolite is a setting for motion pictures and a tourist attraction. To the south of Rhyolite, you will find the Goldwell Open Air Museum, which lies on property that is overseen by the Bureau of Land Management.

The railway depot that had been established in this town was repaired and has been preserved this far. One highlight of this town that you cannot afford to miss is the house that was constructed of empty beer bottles entirely. The precise number of bottles used is said to be 10,000 and this house has been repaired and still stands strong to date.

Obviously, most of the tourist thronging this ghost town will make a stop here and they cannot hide the amazement on their faces as they behold the sight of this house. This could be a reflection of the party life or numerous occasions held in the city in the past, that went down with a drink but all in all it is an amazing sight to behold.