Image Courtesy of Representative for Rhyolite (Filming Location Listing)
Founded in 1904, Rhyolite is one of the largest ghost towns in Nevada. With relatively cool summers and mild winters making it a pleasant place to film at, Rhyolite is no stranger to the big screen. It has been used as a filming location in many movies, such as The Air Mail, The Arrogant, Cherry 2000, Delusion; Ramona!, The Reward, Rough Riders Round Up, Six String Samurai, Ultraviolet, Wanderer of the Wasteland, The Island and more.
The Island – Rhyolite, NV Scene (YouTube)
Located just 4 miles west of Beatty, NV on Hwy 374, Rhyolite sits near the eastern edge of Death Valley in the Bullfrog Hills. At its peak, Rhyolite had electric lights, piped water, railroad transportation, an opera house, telephones, newspapers, a hospital, a school, a stock exchange, dance halls, public swimming pools, and many other buildings as thousands of people took up residence in the town near the Bullfrog Mining District’s biggest producer, the Montgomery Shoshone Mine. However, the financial panic of 1907 and the disappointing results of a 1908 study of the Montgomery Shoshone Mine that showed it was overvalued caused the town’s investors to withdraw their funding and all of the mines closed.
By 1920, the population of Rhyolite was nearly zero but its ruins became a tourist attraction as well as a popular backdrop for movies. Today, there are guided tours of the town and its buildings.
Watch this video below by Philip Bloom and Joseph Stunzi to see more of the town of Rhyolite:
Rhyolite Ghost Town by Philip Bloom and Joseph Stunzi (Vimeo)
If you are looking for a quiet outdoor setting for your next photo shoot or film production, be sure to take your own tour of Rhyolite and see what makes it a special place to film at!
For more pictures, you can view the full Rhyolite filming location details here and don’t forget to register your project!