Bullfrog - Nevada — Abandoned Places, Gold Rush & Route 66 Travel Photography

Exploratography Date: October 13 of 2013

The town of Bullfrog, Nevada got its start soon after “Shorty” Harris discovered gold nearby in 1904. A year later Bullfrog was hopping and some 1,000 residents called the place home. The town boasted a three-story hotel, general store, bank, jail, post office, lodging house, icehouse and a number of other businesses and homes. Empty lots on main street were priced at $1,500. Gunfights were not uncommon, sometimes fatally so. The west was still wild.

What remains of the old Ice House. The ruins of the three-story Cook Bank Building in Rhyolite can be seen off in the distance.

Unfortunately for Bullfrog, the town of Rhyolite was less than a mile away. Competition for business and townfolk was fierce between the two towns and it wasn’t long before the entire population of Bullfrog had either moved away or moved to Rhyolite. By 1907, Bullfrog was empty and since then, fire and time have taken their toll.

Among the last few reminders of Bullfrog are the ruins of the old stone jail, and across the street the stone ruins of the icehouse. Stop by and take a look the next time you visit Rhyolite, it’s worth the short hop to see what you can find.