Two Lonesome Destinations - Rhyolite & Amargosa - On Either Side Of The California/Nevada Border Harken Visions & Mysteries
Sitting just east of the Sierra Nevada, the 3000 square mile area known as Death Valley National Park is the largest protected zone in the lower 48. Constituting the Northwest corner of the Mojave Desert, Death Valley offers much more biodiversity than the name would imply. Salt flats, dunes, canyons, mountains, and badlands are all part of what is measured to be the lowest, hottest, and driest place in North America with an elevation of 282 feet below sea level and a recorded high of 134°F.
Its ominous name was received during the great California gold rush when 13 prospectors perished as they tried to cross the valley to access the gold fields on the other side. President Herbert Hoover first declared it a national monument in 1933.
Death Valley is notable for a number of different features that make a visit worthwhile. The Sailing Stones, whose mysterious movements across Racetrack Playa have puzzled scientists and visitors alike, are one of the most popular destinations. Big Horn Sheep, coyotes, mule deer, and the critically endangered pupfish make their homes in Death Valley demonstrating that this harsh environment also contains a surprisingly diverse ecosystem. Beyond that over 350 miles of unpaved and four-wheel drive roads lead to thousands of hiking trails and backcountry campsites. Death Valley is also one of the top stargazing sites as it maintains some of the darkest night skies in the country.
But a visit to Death Valley can also lead to some unexpected activities as well. Two off-the-beaten path attractions within a short drive of the park are the ghost town, Rhyolite, situated just inside the Nevada border, and the Amargosa Opera House in Death Valley Junction, California.
Named for the silicate-rich igneous rock that is in ubiquitous in the region, the town of Rhyolite, Nevada started as a two-man camp in January of 1905. The camp was established by two prospectors who were searching for gold in what would come to be known as the Bullfrog Hills. Once Shorty Harris and Ed Cross determined that gold was streaking through those hills the town grew to 1,200 people in just two weeks then doubled again 5 months later. By 1907 the town had concrete sidewalks, an opera house, sewage lines, electric lights, daily newspapers, three different railroads, and even two public swimming pools, an astonishing feat for a region that is basically devoid of water.
In 1908 a geological survey declared the mines’ production was in decline and by 1910 the population dropped dramatically. The trains stopped running, the power company removed all the lines, and the town effectively disappeared just four short years after it was officially established.
Karl Olson, currently the only official town resident, is an expert on all things Rhyolite. According to Olson what happened in that area between 1905 and 1910 is beyond belief. “If you tried to get a building permit to build a garage at your house it might take you two years just to get the paperwork done. They built the entire railroad here in under a year. It’s incredible.” He goes on, “Go out to the graveyard and there are hardly any markers. The town came and went so bloody fast there wasn’t time for people to die!” The speed with which the whole endeavor took place is always the astonishing part of the tours he leads. “Nobody believes me so I have to keep explaining what happened. A perfect example of how fast this town boomed and then disappeared would be the school. When they started building it there were a couple hundred children living in town. By the time they finished it, there were less than thirty still here.”
Once most people were gone the town was quickly pillaged for usable materials. “Because wood is so scarce around here people came up and took every board and plank to use somewhere else,” says Olson. “It was picked clean in a just a few months.”
The town was taken over by the Bureau of Land Management, who decided to maintain the site for its historical significance, giving Rhyolite a second chance as a tourist attraction. Karl has been hired by the BLM to look after the place and offer tours to visitors. “I’m the mayor, the sheriff, the undertaker, and twice a week I’m the town drunk,” he says.
On the other side of the California state line lies Death Valley Junction, another small town with an interesting history, albeit one very different from Rhyolite.
The Pacific Coast Borax Company, whose mining operations in the area required usable facilities, mostly built Death Valley Junction. A large U-shaped complex of Spanish Colonial Revival architecture was built to house company offices, lodging, and headquarters. The site also featured a dormitory, a 23-room hotel, and a recreation hall that served as a community center for Borax employees and their families.
Once the Borax Company left the town quickly fell into decline until 1967 when a ballet dancer and theatrical performer, Marta Becket, happened to get a flat tire while passing through. As repairs were underway Marta passed the time by wandering around the old complex where she discovered a hole in the wall that allowed her to peer into the old recreation hall. Marta describes the experience this way, “Peering through the tiny hole, I had the distinct feeling that I was looking at the other half of myself. The building seemed to be saying.....Take me.....do something with me...I offer you life.”
Marta and her husband began renting the theater the very next day and set about renovating the complex, renaming it the Amargosa Opera House. Within a year Marta began performing her original productions on the newly renovated stage for small, and sometimes even non-existent crowds. In 1970 a journalist from National Geographic walked into the Opera House at show time to discover Marta performing to an empty house. Their profile on this determined and passionate artist set off a chain of events that led to national and international attention on this odd theatrical endeavor in a town whose population was listed as six people.
But before the crowds began coming to her, Becket decided to tackle the lack of audience with the same creativity and drive that she applies to her stagecraft. Marta began painting enormous murals of wild, enthusiastic audiences on the walls surrounding the space. When the walls were complete she began work on the ceiling, covering every inch of the interior with her beautiful, haunting artwork. The Opera House murals took nearly 5 years to complete but the end result is a magical performance space that has landed on the National Register of Historic Places.
It’s these murals and Marta’s dedication to her art that began to draw people to the tiny performance space about 30 miles from the Death Valley Visitors Center. According to Kathy Cheney who runs the hotel and opera house, “When people first walk into the opera house you can hear all the oohs and ahhs. You can hear their reactions to the beauty. People can’t believe it was all done by just one woman.”
The Opera House doors opened every weekend with Marta dancing, singing, miming, or telling stories for nearly 50 years. Many famous people have passed through to witness Marta’s work, including Ray Bradbury and Red Skelton who stayed at the hotel four times. A six year-old girl named Jenna McClintock happened to catch one of Marta’s performances and credits her as the inspiration to become a dancer. Jenna went on to a long and successful career with the Oakland Ballet.
For Marta, the years of painting and performing were exactly the life she had envisioned for herself. “I am grateful to have found the place where I can fulfill my dreams and share them with the passing scene...for as long as I can." In 2012, at age 88, Marta officially retired. Her last show was entitled “The Sitting Show” as her health had made dancing impossible but Marta’s passion and energy were present for all to see as she took her final bow. One distinct mural seems to capture the scene perfectly. Written in Latin, the image of a scroll reads, “The walls of this theater and I dedicate these murals to the past without which our times would have no beauty.” And so ends the tale of Marta Becket and the curtain closed on the Amargosa Opera House forever.
Or did it?
In 2014 a recently retired Jenna McClintock, the six year-old dancer-to-be, reappeared in Death Valley Junction to personally thank Marta for being her inspiration. Rather than a simple visit, Jenna decided to stay and is now reviving all of Marta’s original works onstage. The Amargosa Opera House is open once again and Marta Becket’s dream lives on.
Not every National Park has this kind of history, this kind of cultural phenomenon, right on it’s doorstep. Death Valley stands as unique in this way and exists as a must-see in the lexicon of the park system.
Michael Quinn
A graduate of St. Louis University in Communications with a focus in Advertising & Promotions, Michael has worked for Blue Man Group, Oito Zero Oito and Counts Media among others. His interests include DJing and Lawn Mower Disrepair.
Make Sure To Stay At:
Nevada Treasure RV Resort, less than 22 miles from Amargosa in Pahrump, and experience the perfectly manicured grounds at this "Jewel in the Desert". Located just out of town and in a beautiful desert valley, the views from each site fill the senses.