Ghost Towns

Building walls, stone foundations, deserted wooden buildings, rubble, ruins are what's left of once prosperous towns in Nevada, some of them reaching at times populations of 10,000 to 15,000. Many Nevada towns were started during the second half of the 19th century or at the beginning of the 20th century and, after everyone left, they became ghost towns. A few names are Aurora, Berlin, Bristol Wells, Como, Delamar, Gold Point, Osceola, Rawhide, Reveille, Rockland, Treasure City, and Unionville, all with zero residents.

A few ghost towns, as considered by some, are still inhabited. Closest to Las Vegas are Eldorado Canyon (population: 50), Goodsprings (184), Pioche (750), Sandy and Sandy Valley (1,315), and Searchlight (752).

Rhyolite (population: 0, 130 miles northeast of Las Vegas) started in 1905, after rich gold and silver deposits were discovered, and it reached a population of 10,000, making it, at the time, the third largest city in Nevada. By 1919, the town was deserted. Many stone walls and foundations, along with an old train depot, can still be seen. One peculiar relic is the Bottle House . In 1905, Tom Kelly, a 76-year-old Australian engineer, collected free beer, wine, and water bottles from the local saloons and built a house with them. 30,000 bottles were used, and the house is still standing (after being restored in 1925).

Three ghost towns (Rioville, Bonelli, and Fort Callville) are covered by Lake Mead. They can be seen when the waters are low.