Rhyolite: The True Story of a Ghost Town
Rhyolite is a western town built on the discovery of gold and the mining industry. The town is quickly
born and prospers, and almost as quickly, it is deserted to fade into the desert sand.
Diane Siebert weaves a lyrical tale with this story told in verse. The rhythm of her text makes for a great read
aloud; the story of Rhyolite will roll off your tongue:
"Each week more buildings lined the streets:
An ice cream parlor served up sweets,
The opera house rant out with song,
And townsfol, now ten thousand strong,
Enjoyed their socials and their sports,
The symphony, the tennis courts,
Three lovely pools where they could swim,
And churches built for prayer and hymn,
While in the hills, where coyotes go,
The coyotes knew what coyotes know."
Frampton's illustrations are done in woodcuts, with heavy black lines outlining the details and southwest colors of orange
with muted tones of red, purple and green giving the illustrations the look and feel of the desert heat. The text
is on the left side of a page layout, with a border around it, reinforcing what is being detailed through the text and also
adding other details. The illustrations themselves are stunning.
The tone of the book is mysterious, leaving the reader wondering why the town was deserted and what the coyotes knew
all along. The mystery has the feel of folklore, making it seem as though Rhyolite was meant to prosper only for a brief
time. The coyotes seem to know the outcome of this ghost town before any of the people do - again adding to the mystery
of the text. There is also no real explanation for the town's downfall, other than investor's suddenly pulling out.
Again, the mysterious elements reinforce the idea of a ghost town, with only coyotes who know the truth. According to
Sieruta, "The town's quick demise after just six years is only vaguely explained (the concluding author's note provides a
better accounting), but the book's final pages, which depict spectral townsfolk and a lone, howling coyote, lend a haunting
quality to this story of an actual Old West ghost town" (2003).
Siebert, Diane. Rhyolite: The True Story of a Ghost Town. Illustrated by David Frampton. New York:
Clarion Books, 2003. ISBN: 0618096736.
