Gunfights, Trainwrecks, and Gold. That’s what you’d find at the small, abandoned mining town of Bonnie Claire, Nevada, a junction between the Las Vegas and Tonopah Railroad and the Bullfrog Goldfield Railroad.

The history of Bonnie Claire, put simply, is a mess. There’s a lot that we don’t know. There’s a lot that the history books gloss over, and even meticulous publications of local history can’t give more than a couple paragraphs about the site.

I was drawn to it because of how photogenic the place is; there are some stunning shots I’ve seen photographers take at this ghost town, but the mystery of this town; the lack of documentation, and the

There are scattered ruins here; wooden buildings falling apart, stone buildings dating back farther, and a rusty, creaking old mill on the hillside. A wooden trailer, left behind by one of the last residents, and two lonely graves of young women, their information already partially obscured. The abandoned track beds coming through this railroad stop remind us of the town’s dependency on its two railroad companies, and give us a clue as to where the train wreck occurred, but beyond the immediate ruins, there’s more waiting to be discovered.

Looking back on the excitement and tragedy, the ups and downs, and the humble beginnings and lonely end, can we assemble this town’s story like never before? And can we find the earliest remains of the town-site, currently lost to the history books?

Step back in time in this remote desert hotel, which represents the peak of luxury in the dusty Wild West. The Mizpah Hotel, built in 1907, has quite a quite a colorful past, but are all the stories true? Let's explore this beautiful Nevada hotel and uncover what we can about its rich history.

So very little is known about this town deep in this remote canyon. We aren't actually even certain of the name! My friend, Alan, spotted marks for four vacant buildings on a 1957 map and what they were was completely unknown. For his new book, we had to hike in and find out just what was there!

Does this town date back to 1875, when the very first claim was worked in this canyon? Or is it later working from the 1920's? In the summer heat just beyond Death Valley, CA, we had to hike down and find out.

Between Alum Creek and Uncle Sam Creek in Nevada, just south of Goldfield, we found several collapsed structures and even an old automobile.

In theory, a town should be able to thrive anywhere in the world, so long as there's enough water to sustain it, right? That's what Harry L. Pierce wanted to prove in 1909, by creating a 40,000 acre, 10,000 population city in the middle of the Nevada desert, but getting the water out there turned out to be a whole different problem.

Operating with the Pacific Reclamation Company of New York City, advertising an already thriving city with orchards and farms, and partnered with the Mormon Church, Pierce was even quick to secure a railroad contract with the Southern Pacific Railroad to have a train line to the city built within the first year of its life.

The nearby Bishop Creek was dammed using rubble from the 1906 San Fransisco Earthquake, and water diverted to the town. The town began to flourish, but ranchers downstream, now deprived of the water they relied on, sued the Pacific Reclamation Company. The company was forced to limit Metropolis' water consumption, and the town began to dry up. Famine, disease, and infestation of wild animals tool its toll on the town until fire finally gave it a death blow.

Now, even most of the streets have disappeared beneath the dust and sagebrush, but the Lincoln Hotel and the old Metropolis Schoolhouse ruins have become iconic among the ghost towns of the west. The arch for the school still stands as a grave stone for this ambitious town.

Metropolis is located in Elko County, Nevada, a few miles north of Wells.

Potts Ranch, abandoned since the 1940's, stands alone in the middle of a virtually uninhabited desert valley about the size of New Jersey - the Monitor Valley in central Nevada, stretching through Nye County. Very little information on this ranch exists, but I've been able to find enough to piece together this vague history of the house and former post office. Let's explore this peaceful, windswept ruin and the geothermal vent nearby known as "Diana's Punch bowl".

Located about 40 miles north of Belmont, this was home to the Potts family from 1870 to 1940. Belmont was the nearest major population at the founding of the ranch, but by the time the ranch closed, Belmont was a ghost town as well. Behind the ranch house are several out buildings including store sheds, outhouses, and a stable, most of which likely are as old as the ranch itself.

I've been to this site three times since 2015. The ranch is on private property, but non-intrusive visitors are permitted. On the last visit, a "No Trespassing" sign was on the wall. Interior footage was shot on visits before that sign was put up.