 
She was called the "Queen City of Death
Valley" and certainly Rhyolite was the most ambitious and
permanent of the boomtowns in Death Valley's mining era. Estimates
are that 8,000-10,000 people lived in Rhyolite between 1905-1909.
In 1904 Shorty Harris and E.L.Cross discovered the Bullfrog strike
which launched the towns of Rhyolite and Bullfrog. Rhyolite had
electricity, banks, churches, hotels, stores, saloons, an ultra
modern school completed in 1909, train depot, a bottle house that
is still standing, jail and citizens from all walks of life. Today
you can stroll down the streets and imagine the activity that
took place here during the town's heyday. The Cook bank building
is one of the country's most photographed ghost town ruins. In
the 1980's Belgian sculptor Albert Szukalski came here and created
the Last Supper, twelve ghostly figures in a ghost town. In subsequent
years he invited other artists to create their artwork launching
the Goldwell Open Air Museum and making Rhyolite a town with an
engrossing history even after it was deserted. Most of the town
is on BLM land and the removal of artifacts is strictly prohibited.
Rhyolite is on a paved road, easily accessible by any type of
vehicle.
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