Another Stop in Goldfield NV

It is hard to believe there were some geocaches in this small community we did NOT have as it was our 3rd trip. Our ET Highway geo-companion wanted to stop because a friend of hers had placed a cache. It just so happened we did not have it either. I won't repeat any of the history of this once populated mining community; you can find it yourself or go to my 2013 blog post,  Goldfield, an Almost Ghost Town.

After looking at my photos, I have decided to split this into 2 posts, making the second one about the cars of Goldfield. There is a reason for that. I also have an update on the blog post from our trip last spring. But more about that at the end of the post. I have bolded the changes in Goldfield since our visit last April.

So Janice said her friend has an interest in historical towns, trains/railroads and other unrelated topics.

found the cache & signed the log

Janice knew about the caboose added to the property

(their home is on the far right with huge antenna,

another hobby)

remains of the old railroad yard

the roundhouse foundation is still visible

Bullfrog Goldfield Railroad Maintenance and Repair Yard: "construction started in May 1906 at Mill Town, in the Goldfield Mining District and completed southward to Beatty in April 1907, and then reached Rhyolite by June 1907. The BGRR stopped running January 1928, and had a life span of twenty-one years." It had five management changes in its short life.

According to the info below, Goldfield had 5 railroad lines: Las Vegas and Tonopah line operating until 1910 when highway 95 was built; Tonopah and Tidewater line which operated until 1940; the Goldfield Construction Mining Company RR; and the Tonopah and Goldfield RR which ran until October 1947. All the railroad lines would necessitate the round house and maintenance repair yard. A cool place for a railroad enthusiast's retreat.

There is a new Visitor's Center next to the Bottle House. The signage was in place as were new sidewalks and a very large parking lot. On each stop I see community improvements and things/places I did not notice on a previous trip.

Of course, no community is complete with a trip to the cemetery. It appears this location housed at least 3 cemeteries and maybe more based or the wire fence boundaries.

there was a Knights of Pythias Cemetery in Central City CO, 

also a mining community

notice the Joshua trees in the background

interesting to have Joshua trees in a cemetery

an interesting grave site for Mary

The soon-to-open new Visitor's Center is next to the Bottle House. I couldn't resist more photos as I find it is rare as well as unusual. 

Janice found the nearby geocache

this is an inside wall, about 12 inches thick

also made with bottles

Then to my surprise, I noticed another bottle house across from the Court House. This one is still intact. Some of the plaster has been removed so the bottle walls are visible.

From Wikipedia: "It is believed that the first bottle house was constructed in 1902 by William F. Peck in Tonopah, Nevada. The house was built using 10,000 bottles of J. Hostetter's Stomach Bitters which consisted of various herbs in a solution of 47% alcohol. The Peck house was demolished in the early 1980s.

Around 1905, Tom Kelly built his house in Rhyolite, Nevada, using 51,000 beer bottles masoned with adobe. Kelly chose bottles because trees were scarce in the desert. Most of the bottles were Busch beer bottles collected from the 50 bars in this Gold Rush town. Rhyolite became a ghost town by 1920. In 1925, Paramount Pictures discovered the Bottle House and had it restored for use in a movie. It then became a museum, but tourism was slow, causing it to close. From 1936-1954, Lewis Murphy took care of the house and hosted tourists. From 1954-1969, Tommy Thompson occupied the house. He tried to make repairs to the house with concrete which, when mixed with the desert heat, caused many bottles to crack (Kelly had used adobe mud)."

the Main Street (Hwy. 95) side

"At one time it was convenient -- even fashionable -- to construct your desert dwelling with walls of discarded bottles glued together with a mixture of adobe and straw. This bottle house dates from 1905." -according to research I found online

the west side of the house

it is a private residence

even the walkway is lined with bottles

Hubby took the time to drive around the block of the hotel. I didn't notice any changes since our last visit. I did notice tiles on the porch leading to the main doors of the hotel; didn't see them before. Built in 1907 it operated through the 1940s and is still the most prominent building in the community. It is 80% renovated is awaiting a buyer.

This photo is from last year's blog. It is here because when we drove past the saloon/tavern looking for the old car with the Joshua tree growing out of it, the car was gone and a new outdoor patio was in its place.

the tavern is also updated, established in 1926

The Hoist House Tavern

This isn't the oldest saloon in town. The oldest is the Santa Fe Saloon, built in 1905. Supposedly it has 8 motel rooms and a laundromat. In its earlier history, the Santa Fe Saloon "served the miners more than drinks, as the small 'cribs' out back still attest." I will certainly look for The Santa Fe on my next trip through town.

blossoming trees next to the current Visitor's Center

 When we drove through the main part of town, two large tour busses were parked and people were walking about, checking on some of the buildings and businesses. There were no names on the busses which left town about 30 minutes later.

no change here, but there is next door

whatever building was here is gone

a new small sign-covered building is next door

just a little creative art along a rather boring

highway from Tonopah to Las Vegas

Goldfield & Beatty are the only interesting

spots to break the monotony

And this isn't the only creativity on display in Goldfield! The next post about cars will continue the theme.

Oh and the other update: The Shady Lady. Read last year's blog to get the story. (It is at the end of the post.) The update is as I was driving to Beatty, I noticed a nice smaller billboard along Hwy. 95: The Shady Lady B & B. Someone else changing with the times...