Tom Kelly Probably Didn't Throw Stones
 Photo: Bala "Bottle House" in Rhyolite, Nevada ghost town Near the eastern edge of Death Valley National Park. | |
He shouldn't have anyway - the man lived in a glass house. Built it himself out of bottles. Some 50,000 beer, soda and whiskey empties became its walls. In 1906, this kind of recycling program was simply called resourcefulness.
Wood was scarce out in the Mojave desert, but lucky for Tom, beer and booze was easy enough to come by. Must have been delivered by rail when the train came to pick up the lode — Tom lived in Rhyolite, Nevada during its days as a mining boom town.
These days it's a ghost town. Outside of the east entrance of Death Valley National Park, Rhyolite is the most photographed ghost town of the American west. Tom Kelly's "Bottle House" still stands.
 Detailed view of Tom Kelly's "Bottle House" - Rhyolite, NV  |
I've written about Rhyolite before in a post highlighting the Goldwell Open Air Museum. Amid the ruins of this town is a surreal sculpture garden in the solitude of the desert.
And heads up if you live in the desert southwest — the countdown for flower watchers has begun. Death Valley is expected to have a better than average showing this year. Here's more info about Death Valley in Bloom.
Posted by TheWordWire at 2/25/2010 2:59 AM 
Categories: Timeshifted Perspective
Tags: Death Valley Rhyolite Bottle House
Categories: Timeshifted Perspective
Tags: Death Valley Rhyolite Bottle House
I like old ghost towns. I've seen this in Death Valley...very cool! I once found a town in the forests near Mt. St. Helens in Washington. I don't think anyone had been there for years. It wasn't very close to a road. There wasn't much in the way of antiques though and I often wondered about its history. Alas, it was destroyed when Mt. St. Helens erupted in 1980...
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Man, I bet ruins of any sort in a place like the Pacific Northwest get overtaken by the elements pretty quick. Where I'm from in GA, you see old abandoned barns and buildings completely covered in kudzu. That's one of the things that's cool about exploring ghost towns in the desert. Sun damage is pretty creepy, but for the most part things are just as they were left. Thanks for your comment. Happy Thursday!
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how cool. bet that throws some intersting light on the inside...wonder what is does for heat and air...intersting and unique take on the theme...
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I bet it does. It's a protected historic landmark, so you can't go inside. Heat and air? Fire and ice, I guess. I have often wondered how people lived in this part of the country before central air. Not many did, granted. But natives have lived here for centuries. I sure don't take it for granted. Our air went out in August one year, and it took three days to get fixed. We spent our waking hours wandering around the freezer section of the grocery store. Spent our home hours complaining, "stop touching me."
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Wowza. That house is really something... and perfect, perfect for today's theme.
Mine is here.
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Thanks for stopping by. I think that house is worth stopping by someday too... so you know, probably doesn't compare to an Alaska mountain climb, but there's plenty of climbing to do in Death Valley (see Zabriskie Point).
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There is now, officially, a #52. For you.
Because I can. That's why. :)
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I like a woman who's empowered to do things just because she can. Thanks much - I'm honored. Nice to meet you. Do come by again.
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Amazing for that house to be standing 100+ years later. Nice post.
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Yeah, I think it's had some maintenance over the years. I read that it was featured in and old movie, and fixed up with a new roof and such by Paramount several decades ago. But the mud or whatever he used for construction is still pretty well intact. Even if nobody lives in it, better for those bottles to be part of a quirky house than a landfill. Thanks for your comment!
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Great content for TT. I'm not going to say I've been everywhere in CA because nobody's been everywhere (have they?) but I have definitely never been to Death Valley, an oversight I hope to correct before I die. Always wanted to see Scotty's Castle. Nice photos.
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Well, I've never seen Scotty's Castle myself. Death Valley is pretty close to here, so I've been at least 5 or 6 times. Haven't been any farther north than Furnace Creek area -- every trip has been the loop south from there, and I still haven't seen it all. Much more there than I ever expected. Thanks for stopping by -- appreciate your comment.
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The Earthship community in New Mexico utilizes bottles for their homes. I think that it might actually help keep the home cool.
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The Earthship community? This is something I must learn about. Thanks for the tip. Appreciate your comment.
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Super cool! What a fabulous find in a ghost town. I'm hoping to head to the desert for the bloom this year. We'll see!
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Well happy travels! The trees outside my patio are getting ready to explode with flowers -- it's nice landscaping, not desert wildflowers, but it still just makes me HAPPY. Springtime in the desert is just absolutely glorious. I don't care if this is a nerd alert: I clap when I see one of those little rebels on the side of the road. Here's a good resource for wildflower watching -- they're pretty sensitive to elevation and bloom at different times: http://www.desertusa.com/wildflo/wildupdates.html
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Very cool. I want to go there!
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Happy travels! Thanks for stopping by.
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I remember hearing about a similar glass bottle house in northern Michigan, although I've yet to see it in person.
Fascinating what you can do with "trash", eh?
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Cool - and I bet there's a good story behind it too. I am a long time fan of trash-to-treasure stories -- we (well, Rufus... ) watch a lot of Discovery Science and Green channel shows that highlight all kinds of construction from things that would otherwise have ended up in the dump. Some of those stories are downright inspiring. Don't know about a bottle house, but I'd certainly live in something artfully repurposed and modern. Thanks for your comment.
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I went to a ghost town in Namibia a few years back. I loved it. In a strange way. It was really beautiful to photograph. But eerie also. I'd love to see more like it. Your post is fun. Great photos.
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Wow - I'd love to see your photos from Africa! Thanks for stopping by -- appreciate your comment.
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