Porter Brothers Store

The Porter Brothers store is a ruined storefront on the main street in the ghost town of Rhyolite, Nye County, Nevada. The Porter Brothers were like many other merchants, following and chasing the latest news of gold strikes and boom towns. The Porter Brothers built their building in 1906 at a cost of $10,000 and it close four years later, in 1910.

Porter Brothers store front in Phyolite, Nevada - Photo by James L Rathbun
Porter Brothers store front in Rhyolite, Nevada – Photo by James L Rathbun

Like many merchants of the time, the Porter Brothers, Hiram and Lyman, moved from mining camp to mining camp, following reports of booms and strikes.

In 1902, the opened a painting business in San Francisco. Following the rich gold strikes in southern California, they opened mercantiles in Johannesburg, Ballarat (near Death Valley), Beatty, and, or course, Rhyolite.

Originally, the brothers bought lot on Main Street in 1905 and operated out of a canvas tent, but they soon ran out of room. They then bought a second lot on Golden Street, next of many of Rhyolites important commercial buildings.

Construction of their new building began in 1906. It used local stone and took four months at a cost of $10,000.

Before moving their operations from Main to Golden, they threw a huge three-day sale and held a public date, complete with an orchestra, in the new finished Golden Street building.

The Porter Brothers Store was very popular. In 1906, it was the go-to destination for Christmas shopping. This was due to its amazing displays that rivalled those of the major cities. In fact, the store was the largest employer in Rhyolite aside from the mines.

Unfortunately, even the popular store was not immune to the downturn that would decimate Rhyolite’s businesses; it closed in 1910. Hiram, however, would stay in Rhyolite another nine years, serving as the town’s postmaster until the post office closed on September 15, 1919.

BLM Plaque – Rhyolite, Nevada

Porter Brothers Store Front Sign, Rhyolite, Nevada.  Photo by James L Rathbun
Porter Brothers Store Front Sign, Rhyolite, Nevada. Photo by James L Rathbun

Porter Brothers Store Map

Overbury Building

The Overbury building is a general office building built by John Overbury, in Rhyolite, Nye County Nevada in 1906. The building was one of two three story buildings, and the largest stone building located within Rhyolite. The location of the building in about one block from the better known and more photographic Cook Bank Building.

Overbury Building, Rhylote, Nevada. - Photograph by James L Rathbun
Overbury Building, Rhylote, Nevada. – Photograph by James L Rathbun

John Overbury, a native of Orange, New Jersey, came to Nevada in 1902 and made his fortune in the early days of the Tonopah Mining boom. Like many of this peers, he came to Rhyolite hopping to be a part of the new. big boom. Local newspapers chronicled Overbury’s arrival in “a small Oldsmobile.” The next spring, he ordered a second Oldsmobile, and per the Rhyolite Herald, drove author Jack London down from Goldfield and our to Death Valley.

Construction of the Overbury building began in 1906; it was complete in June 1907. The structure was 45 feet wide by 80 feet long and cost somewhere between $45,000 – $60,000 to build.

The building was meant to be two stories tall; however, after John Cook began constructing a three-story building, Overbury quickly changed his mind and his building became three stories tall.

The Overbury Building was one the the first general purpose buildings in Rhyolite and the largest stone building. As one of the more prominent commercial hubs in town, it was fully equipped with fireproof shutters, an automatic sire suppression system, and private bathrooms.

At its height, the building housed a stock brokerage firm, the First National Bank of Rhyolite, a dentist, and attorney’s offices.

Like many of the other grand buildings in town, the Overbury Building was abandoned in 1910, and much of it was dismantled by 1924.

BLM Plaque, Rhyolite, Nevada

Overbury Building Map

References

Goldfield Nevada

Goldfield is Nevada State Historical Marker number fourteen and is located in Esmeralda County, Nevada. Goldfield was a boomtown  between 1903 and 1940. Goldfield’s mines produced more than $86 million at then-current prices. Much of the town was destroyed by a fire in 1923, although several buildings survived and remain today, notably the Goldfield Hotel, the Consolidated Mines Building, the schoolhouse.

Photograph of half-tone print of a busy main street in Goldfield, Nevada, ca.1905. The dirt street is crowded with horse-drawn wagons, and pedestrians. Stores and other commercial ventures front most of the small buildings lining the street. A hill is in the background at the end of the street. - Photo Credit “University of Southern California. Libraries” and “California Historical Society” as the source. Digitally reproduced by the USC Digital Library.
Photograph of half-tone print of a busy main street in Goldfield, Nevada, ca.1905. The dirt street is crowded with horse-drawn wagons, and pedestrians. Stores and other commercial ventures front most of the small buildings lining the street. A hill is in the background at the end of the street. – Photo Credit “University of Southern California. Libraries” and “California Historical Society” as the source. Digitally reproduced by the USC Digital Library.

Goldfield was established in 1902 when gold was discovered in the surrounding hills. This discovery ignited a rush of prospectors, investors, and opportunists eager to capitalize on the newfound wealth. Unlike other mining towns in Nevada, which primarily focused on silver, Goldfield was notable for its rich gold deposits.

The town’s boom truly began in 1904 when the Consolidated Goldfield Company was formed, consolidating smaller claims and turning mining operations into a large-scale enterprise. By 1906, Goldfield’s population had swelled to over 20,000, making it Nevada’s largest city at the time.

During its heyday, Goldfield was a hub of wealth and activity. The mines produced an estimated $86 million in gold, a staggering amount for the era. The town boasted modern amenities, including electricity, telephones, and luxurious buildings such as the Goldfield Hotel, completed in 1908, which remains an iconic structure to this day.

The town also became a cultural center, hosting boxing matches, theatrical performances, and other events that attracted notable figures, including heavyweight champion Jack Johnson.

Goldfield’s prosperity was not without challenges. In 1907, the Panic of 1907 and declining ore quality began to affect mining profits. Labor disputes further disrupted operations, with a notable miners’ strike in 1907 escalating tensions between workers and mine owners.

A devastating fire in 1923 destroyed much of the town, including many of its iconic buildings. By this time, mining activity had significantly declined, and the town’s population dwindled as residents sought opportunities elsewhere.

Nevada State Historic Marker Text

Nevada State Historical Markers identify significant places of interest in Nevada’s history. The Nevada State Legislature started the program in 1967 to bring the state’s heritage to the public’s attention with on-site markers. Budget cuts to the program caused the program to become dormant in 2009. Many of the markers are lost of damaged.

For a 20-year period prior to 1900 the mining in Nevada fell into a slump that cast the entire state into a bleak depression and caused the loss of one-third of the population.

The picture brightened overnight following the spectacular strikes in Tonopah and, shortly afterwards, in Goldfield. Gold ore was discovered here in December, 1902, by two Nevada-born prospectors, Harry Stimler and Billy Marsh. From 1904 to 1918 Goldfield boomed furiously. The city had a railroad that connected into Las Vegas and a peak population of 20,000. Between 1903- 40 a total of $86,765,044 in metals was produced here.

Neada State Historic Marker #14

Summary

ID14
NameGoldfield Nevada State Historic Marker
LocationEsmeralda County, Nevada
Latitude, Longitude37.7076, -117.2335

Points of Interest

Bullfrog Goldfield Railroad in Rhyolite

Bullfrog Goldfield Railroad

The Bullfrog and Goldfield Railroad, often referred to as the B&G Railroad, played a significant role in the late 19th and early 20th-century mining boom…
The court house in Goldfield, Nevada is the Esmeralda County Courthouse and Nevada State Historic Marker #80. Photo by James L Rathbun

Esmeralda County Courthouse

The court house in Goldfield, Nevada is the Esmeralda County Courthouse and Nevada State Historic Marker #80. Photo by James L Rathbun The Esmeralda County…
The historic Goldfield Firehouse. Photo by James L Rathbun

Goldfield Fire Station

The Goldfield Historic Fire Station, located in Goldfield, Nevada, is a significant historical structure that stands as a testament to the town's vibrant past during…
The court house in Goldfield, Nevada is the Esmeralda County Courthouse and Nevada State Historic Marker #80. Photo by James L Rathbun

Goldfield Nevada

Goldfield is Nevada State Historical Marker number fourteen and is located in Esmeralda County, Nevada. Goldfield was a boomtown  between 1903 and 1940. Goldfield's mines produced…
The Goldfield Hotel located in Goldfield Nevada. Photo by James L Rathbun

The Goldfield Hotel

The Goldfield Hotel located in Goldfield Nevada. Photo by James L Rathbun The Goldfield Hotel, located at the southeast corner of Crook Avenue (U.S. Route…

References

Culverwells Ranch

Culverwells Ranch is Nevada State Historical Marker number fifty five located in Lincoln county, Nevada.

The meadow area around the junction of Meadow Valley Wash and Clover Creek was originally settled in the early 1860’s by Ike and Dow Barton, two Negro slaves who had escaped from Arkansas. In the early 1870’s the area was known as Dutch Flat. In 1874, ranchers Charles and William Culverwell purchased the Jackman Ranch and renamed it as Culverwell Ranch. It was later referred to as “Culverwell.” Along with ranching, the family earned a living by providing hay for the mining camps in Pioche and Delamar.

Culverwells Ranch - Caliente Nevada - Early 1900's
Caliente Nevada – Early 1900’s

A dispute between two major railroad companies began when E.H. Harriman of the Oregon Short Line and Union Pacific, pushed track from Utah to the site of Culverwell. Even as Harriman’s crews worked on the line, the newly formed San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad owned by Senator William Clark, claimed the same territory. These rival groups had sought the right-of-way in a canyon only big enough only for a single set of tracks. The Union Pacific had grade stakes set all the way into Culverwell and on toward Pioche, but their rival group gobbled up enough of the narrow canyon to set a road block in the path of Union Pacific

Nevada State Historical Markers identify significant places of interest in Nevada’s history. The Nevada State Legislature started the program in 1967 to bring the state’s heritage to the public’s attention with on-site markers. Budget cuts to the program caused the program to become dormant in 2009. Many of the markers are lost of damaged.

Marker Text

Caliente was first settled as a ranch, furnishing hay for the mining camps of Pioche and Delmar.  In 1901, the famous Harriman-Clark right-of-way battle was ended when rancher Charles Culverwell, with the aid of a broad-gauge shotgun, allowed one railroad grade to be built through his lush meadows.  Harriman and Clark had been baffling eleven years, building side-by-side grades ignoring court orders and federal marshals.


The population boom began with an influx of railroad workers, most of them immigrants from Austria, Japan, and the Ottoman Empire.  A tent city was settled in August 1903.

With the completion of the Las Angeles, San Pedro, and Salt Lake Railroad in 1905, Caliente became a division point.  Beginning in 1906, the Caliente and Pioche Railroad (now the Union Pacific) was built between Pioche and the main line at Caliente.  The large Mission Revival-style depot was built in 1923, serving as a civic center, as well as a hotel.

STATE HISTORICAL MARKER No. 55
STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICE
LINCOLN COUNTY AREA DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE

Summary

Nevada State Historic Marker55
NameCulverwell’s Ranch
LocationLincoln County, Nevada
Latitude, Longitude37.6133, -114.5148

Nevada State Historic Marker #55 Map

References

Artist Drive

Artist Drive is perhaps one of the most popular and scenic drives through a colorful palette of geology, located in Death Valley National Park, California. Artist drive is a one way road about nine miles long which takes just about two hour to complete provided you take the time to hike a few of the short trails. The road is a popular destination for hikers and bikers as well as motor vehicles. From the drivers perspective, the road can be quite fun to drive and it twists and turns up and down the colorful hillside.

The hills which contain burst of color were formed by volcanic deposits of different compounds such as iron oxides and chlorite, which creates a rainbow effect of color. There is no bad time to visit, however, the photographer will appreciate the warm afternoon sunlight enhancing the natural colors in the soil. The best features are on a westward facing slope which really benefits from the late hours in the day.

While the colors of the location are amazing, do not forget to turn around the allow the scenic vistas of Death Valley to take your breath away. On a visit during a three day weekend in February 2022, I was surprised by the volume of people on the route. All of the parking lanes were full and it became quite difficult photographically due to the visitors. I will say, that during this time the COVID pandemic was relaxing and it was really nice seeing people enjoying themselves outside.

Prior to becoming a National Park, Assist’s Drive and some of the nearby valley’s were a filming location for the movie Star Wars.

Artist Drive Map

References