Beatty, NV Road Trips

Before the arrival of Euro-Americans in the 19th century, the region was home to groups of Shoshone. Established in 1905, the town was named after Montillus (Montillion), Murray "Old Man" Beatty, who settled on a ranch in the Oasis Valley in 1896 and became the town's first postmaster. With the arrival of the Las Vegas and Tonopah Railroad in 1905, Beatty became a railway center for the Bullfrog Mining District, including mining towns such as nearby Rhyolite. Starting in the 1940s, Nellis Air Force Base and other federal installations contributed to the town's economy as did tourism related to Death Valley National Park and the rise of Las Vegas as an entertainment center. Beatty is home to the Beatty Museum and Historical Society, a casino, and hundreds of motel rooms and recreational vehicle spaces. The ghost town of Rhyolite and the Goldwell Open Air Museum (a sculpture park), are about 4 mi (6.4 km) to the west, and Yucca Mountain and the Nevada Test Site are about 18 mi (29 km) to the east.

1 Beatty Museum & Historical Society, 417 Main S, ☏ +1 775-553-2303. 10AM-3PM. Free. (updated Oct 2017) 2 Rhyolite (10 miles west of Beatty, off of Hwy 374). Probably one of the most iconic sites of Nevada, this classic Western "ghost town" is often featured on the covers of Nevada tourism publications. Rhyolite was founded in 1905 after gold was discovered in the area, and within a few years its population had grown to 8,000 people. Rhyolite reached its heyday about 1908, when it was the third largest city in Nevada. At this time it had 3 railroads, 3 newspapers, 3 hospitals, 19 hotels, 18 stores, an opera house, a symphony, about 50 mines and most importantly, 53 saloons. By 1914 the gold mines were exhausted and the decline of the city was as fast as its growth. In 1919 the post office was officially closed and the last inhabitants moved out. Rhyolite quickly became a ghost town as the disintegration of the buildings started and the desert took back its territory. Today all the wooden houses are gone, and just a few stone buildings are still standing. The Bureau of Land Management has volunteers during the daytime hours. Rhyolite is the home of the World Famous Bottle House made of 30,000 bottles. The most photographed ruin in Nevada is the Cook Bank further up Golden Street. Known as the "Golden Horseshoe", Rhyolite was the mining center for the Bullfrog Mining District. Classic ruins, interesting history and a day of exploring awaits you. Free.

Art exhibits on the way to ghost town: drive Stove Pipe Wells on a 35 mi (56 km) dirt road up and over a pass at about 4,000 ft (1,200 m) through a deserted silver mine town that existed for 2 years. Finally drive through Titus canyon, ending in Stove Pipe Wells. It takes at least 3 hours with stops. The road is one way very narrow and quite drivable if dry. Opportunities to gamble are found at the Stagecoach Hotel. It is state law that all gamblers must be at least 21 years of age. Even if you are at least 21 years old, you are required to bring to the casino a valid ID that shows your current age or complete date of birth (e.g. driver's license, passport) as proof of your age. Photocopies of valid IDs are usually not considered valid. In-house security makes rounds of inspections to check compliance. If you are under age or without a valid ID to prove your age and found in the gambling premises, hotel staff will ask you to leave, and could ask the metro police to issue you a citation. Moreover, underage gamblers cannot collect any jackpot; such bets are void and the casino will at best return your wager before asking you to leave the premises. There is a curfew for anyone under the age of 18 and police are comfortable transporting violators to a juvenile center.

Stagecoach Hotel (Rte.95), ☏ +1 553-9090. Offers a steakhouse and a cafe.

1 Atomic Inn, 350 South First St, ☏ +1 775-553-2250. 2 Death Valley Inn & RV, Rte. 95. 3 Exchange Club Motel, 119 Main St, ☏ +1 775-553-2333. 4 Motel 6, Rte. 95, ☏ +1 775 553-9090. 5 Stagecoach Hotel, Rte.95, ☏ +1-800-424-4946. 6 El Portal Motel, 420 Main St, ☏ +1 775-553-2912. Amenities include an outdoor pool, and fridge and microwave in every room.

Beatty is located at the intersection of US Highway 95 and Nevada State Route 374. The nearest airport is in Las Vegas, Harry Reid International Airport (LAS IATA). Greyhound (+1 208 656-8824) operates from Las Vegas, North Las Vegas and Pahrump to Death Valley Nut & Candy Co at 900 U.S. 95 in Beatty.