Rhyolite

TIMELINE: 1905-1911

POPULATION: 5,000-10,000

LOCATION: 4 miles West of Beatty, 35 miles from the Furnace Creek Visitor Center

RUINS: The Bottle House, train depot, remains of a 3 story bank building, and the jail remain.

HISTORY: Rhyolite was the biggest town in Death Valley. During its heyday, it contained 2 churches, 50 saloons, 18 stores, 2 undertakers, 19 lodging houses, 8 doctors, 2 dentists, a stock exchange, and an opera.

Ballarat

TIMELINE: 1897-1903

POPULATION: 400

LOCATION: off the Panamint Valley road West of Death Valley

RUINS: several adobe ruins

HISTORY: Radcliffe Mine, the main mine in Ballarat, produced 15,000 tons of gold ore from 1898-1903. Several legendary Death Valley figures lived here, including Frank ”Shorty” Harris.

Stay tuned! More information coming soon!