Tag Archives: mining

Sunrise – Telescope Peak, Amargosa Range, Bank Ruins of Rhyolite

Sunrise - Telescope Peak, Amargosa Range, Bank Ruins of Rhyolite

Sunrise – Telescope Peak, Amargosa Range, Bank Ruins of Rhyolite. Rhyolite, Nevada. April 1, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Sunrise on Telescope Peak and the Amargosa Range of Death Valley with the ruins of the Rhyollite Nevada bank building in the foreground.

This photograph attempts to pull together three iconic elements of the Rhyolite ghost town experience: the ruins of the old bank building, the view across the Amargosa Valley to the Amargosa Range (just inside Death Valley National Park), and the snow-capped summit of Death Valley’s Telescope Peak in the first light of dawn. This photograph was made just a moment before one that I earlier posted that showed the first direct light hitting the front of the bank, and in this one I was trying to nestle the distant mountains in the curve created by the top of the old wall of the weathered bank building.

This photograph is not in the public domain. It may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

keywords: rhyollite, ghost, town, mining, abandoned, ruins, nevada, california, usa, death valley, national park, telescope, peak, amargosa, range, mountains, valley, desert, wall, brick, sage, sky, pink, firsts light, sunrise, dawn, stock, landscape, scenic, travel

Schoolhouse Windows and Sky

Schoolhouse Windows and Sky

Schoolhouse Windows and Sky. Rhyolite, Nevada. April 2, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Schoolhouse windows and sky – Rhyolite, Nevada.

Back in April 2008 my brother and I spent several days photographing in and around Death Valley National Park. (I try to visit DV every April, and I’m hoping to be there again this year.) On this morning we got up early and drove to the historic ghost town of Rhyolite before dawn and spent a few hours photographing the old ruins, starting with pre-dawn light and continuing well into the morning. (When we finished we headed over to nearby Beatty, Nevada to get breakfast and gas, the latter at a much lower price than back in DV.) The old school house is one of the buildings that has withstood the ravages of the desert better than others. Despite losing windows, roof, and much else the building still stands – among the destroyed ruins of many other buildings. This photograph, made very close to actual dawn, looks through the interior of the building by lining up windows on a couple walls, with the nearby hills and high morning clouds seen beyond.

This photograph is not in the public domain. It may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

keywords: ghost town, abandoned, school, rhyolite, mine, mining, nevada, death valley, national, park, structure, wall, window, sky, cloud, blue, light, morning, crack, stucco, wood, weathered, pattern, hill, mountain, ridge, shadow, travel, historic, history, scenic, architecture, frame, sill, stock

Windows, Rhyolite School

Windows, Rhyolite School

Windows, Rhyolite School. Rhyolite, Nevada. April 2, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Windows of the abandoned school in the ghost town of Rhyolite, Nevada look out over the Amargosa Desert. Students in the school who gazed out the western windows of the building were looking across a high sagebrush-filled valley at the range running along the eastern boundary of what is now Death Valley National Park.

keywords: ghost town, rhyolite, nevada, school, abandoned, ruins, mines, mining, historic, scenic, building, travel, death valley, national park, walls, windows, frame, stock

Rhyolite School Interior

Rhyolite School Interior

Rhyolite School Interior. Rhyolite, Nevada. April 2, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Photograph of the interior of the Rhyolite School in the ghost town of Rhyolite, Nevada.

Since it has been a little while since I posted the previous photo from this location, a little background. Rhyolite is a Nevada ghost town located near Beatty and just east of Death Valley National Park. The school building is one of the better preserved structures, although the roof and all interior fittings are long gone.

keywords: rhyolite, ghost town, abandoned, ruins, school, walls, windows, floor, wood, debris, sky, hillside, nevada, death valley, national park, desert, mines, mining, structure, scenic, historic, travel, grafitti, broken, stock