Rhyolite grew as long as the gold held out, from 1905 through 1910. By 1914, Rhyolite was well on its way to becoming a ghost town, but in its heyday, Rhyolite had 3 train lines, 3 newspapers, 3 swimming pools, 3 hospitals, 2 undertakers, an opera and symphony and 53 saloons. By 1919, Rhyolite was a deserted ghost town.
Unique among mining towns, Rhyolite had many buildings made from permanent materials rather than canvas and wood, so there's more to see in this ghost town than in many of the other gold rush spots in this part of the country. Highlights of Rhyolite include:
- Tom Kelly's Bottle House: Built in 1906, this house sports exterior decoration made from the round ends of glass bottles, one of the few materials available at the time.
- Las Vegas and Tonapah Railroad Depot: This well-preserved, Spanish-style building was where three railroads came into Rhyolite.
- Cook Bank: Only the skeleton of this three-story, concrete building remains. It was once the tallest building in Rhyolite.
- Other buildings still standing in Rhyolite include the Porter Brothers Store, jail and a few residences.
