Rhyolite, Nevada

The clearest lesson in how fast a boom could die. Prospectors found gold here in 1904; electricity arrived in April 1907, a three-story bank went up, and by 1910 only 611 residents remained. The bank's broken walls still stand, and they are the picture everyone takes. Do not miss the Bottle House, built by a miner from 50,000 beer and liquor bottles, and the train depot, one of the few complete buildings left. It lies just outside Death Valley National Park on the road between Furnace Creek and Beatty, which makes it one of the easiest stops here to fit into a wider trip. The site is a mix of federal and private land, so keep to the open areas.