Rhyolite, Nevada, was nearing its zenith at a mining town in 1908, and major stone buildings (center) had been built for the bank and mercantile. The town boasted a nearly impregnable jailhouse (lower right) as part of its commitment to law and order. Almost all of the valley alluvial fill in the vicinity had been disturbed by the townsite, and very little if any of the native vegetation remains in the midground. Based on the surrounding, less-disturbed areas, the valley probably had a mature Larrea-Ambrosia (creosote bush - white bursage) vegetation assemblage. (photographer unknown, courtesy of the Nevada Historical Society, Nye 20)