Transportation in Rhyolite, Nevada
Stages & Automobile Service
Stages were the first transportation into the Bullfrog District. Four stage lines operated
between Goldfield and the Bullfrog Mining District. Kitchens stage made the 80 mile trip in ten hours at a cost of
$18 each way. In May 1905 the Tonopah and Goldfield Auto Company offered the first horse-less service. Their fleet
consisted of two Winton automobiles and a scouting car. Later in 1905 the Nevada Trading and Transportation Company
started offering to take passengers from Las Vegas to Rhyolite for $40.
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Automobile stage between Rhyolite and Beatty.
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Stage loaded with passengers for Rhyolite.
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Las Vegas & Tonopah Railroad
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In February 1905 Senator Clark surveyed for a railroad route from Las Vegas to
Tonopah. The road was a private venture of Senator W A Clark of Montana, which was incorporated
September 22, 1905, and was not a part of the Salt Lake and Los Angeles route. Construction began
on the road in October 1905 and reached Indian Springs by March 1906. The first train from Las
Vegas arrived in Beatty, Nevada October 22; and Rhyolite Nevada December 14, 1906. The Las Vegas
& Tonopah Railroad tracks reached Goldfield in October 1907.
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Las Vegas & Tonopah Railroad Depot.
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The Las Vegas & Tonopah Railroad build two depots in the Bullfrog District.
A wooden structure was built in Beatty and served Las Vegas & Tonopah its entire life. It later
served the Tonopah & Tidewater Railroad. Work began on the mission-style depot located on
Nevada between Golden and Main Streets in Rhyolite September 30, 1907 under the direction of F B
Clark, a prominent Kansas City builder. The depot was in full operation in June 1908.
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From 1914 to 1918 the operation was combined with the Bullfrog-Goldfield
Railroad. The last train from Rhyolite, Nevada departed in August 1918. Operation of the Las Vegas
& Tonopah Railroad ceased October 30, 1918. The rails were pulled up to support World War I
efforts. US Highway 95 between Beatty and Las Vegas is built largely on the abandoned Las Vegas
& Tonopah railroad bed.
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Bullfrog-Goldfield Railroad
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John Brock was president of the Bullfrog-Goldfield Railroad. Grading from
Goldfield to Beatty commenced in May 1906. The first train arrived in Beatty, Nevada on April 25,
1907. Regular service into Rhyolite started June 18, 1907.
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The Bullfrog-Goldfield route went south from Beatty through the narrows along
side the Amargosa River then swung west near today's Beatty airport. The line eventually turned
north into Rhyolite with a wye installed south of town so the trains could turn and back into
Rhyolite. Rhyolite was the end of the line for the Beatty-Goldfield Railroad.
Frame depots were built in both Beatty and Rhyolite, Nevada to serve the
Bullfrog-Goldfield Railroad. The Bullfrog-Goldfield depot in Rhyolite was located between Nevada
and Esmeralda a few blocks east of Amargosa Street.
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Bullfrog-Goldfield Railroad Depot in Rhyolite, Nevada.
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| The last train between Goldfield and Beatty ran January 1928. Operation ceased in 1928
and the tracks were removed soon thereafter. |
Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad
Borax Smith's Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad was the last railroad to enter the Bullfrog
District, as well as the longest lasting. The first train arrived at Gold Center on October 30, 1907. From Gold
Center it entered Rhyolite via the Bullfrog-Goldfield tracks. The Tonopah & Tidewater Railroad did not have any
depots in Rhyolite or Beatty, but used the Bullfrog-Goldfield and Las Vegas & Tonopah facilities between 1908
and 1940. Operation of the Tonopah & Tidewater Railroad ceased in 1940. Tracks remained in place for two years
after the operation ceased.
The LV&T station was located between Golden and Main Streets above Nevada Street. Stone
block "imported" from Las Vegas were used for this impressive LV&T station on the south side of the tracks at
the head of Golden Street in Rhyolite. Although work started on September 30, 1907, the building was not completed
until June of the following year. The men's waiting room and baggage room were to the left of the entrance and the
ladies' waiting room to the right. The agent's quarters were upstairs over the ticket office. In 1936, N C
Westmoreland purchased the railroad station and converted it into a casino and museum. His sister, Mrs. H H Heisler
inherited the depot and lived there many years, maintaining a museum and curio shop. December 28, 1906. The first
LV&T eastbound train had left town but 12 days before.
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