Mile Marker 65: Tonopah Nevada

Join us as we wander out to the middle of nowhere, literally. In this episode we explore the near ghost town of Tonopah Nevada, talk about our stay, share some history & of course walk through the graveyard.

The Tonopah Mining Park can be found HERE.
Christopher Sebela digital comic can be found HERE.
The 2019 Clown Motel show can be watched HERE.

Transcript

Tonopah Nevada

Key: Drifter, Male voice. Gypsie, Female voice

Uplifting rock/western tune plays for 15 seconds, music begins to taper down then:

(Drifter) Welcome to the Rebel At Large Adventure Podcast. I’m Drifter

(Gypsie) And I’m  Gypsie

(Drifter) Talking about Ghost towns,

(Gypsie) Graveyards,

(Drifter) Outlaws, Heroes

(Gypsie) And Ladies of the night.

Music tapers to an end

(Drifter) Howdy folks, Thanks for joining us for yet another adventure. Today we wander west, around the bend from the middle of nowhere to a small town renowned for there being more spirits than residents.

(Gypsie) A few years back we visited a small mining town, now almost a ghost town called Tonopah Nevada. A little over 2,000 people call this town home and they do a wonderful job at preserving the past. The town is roughly 220 miles south of Reno and 210 miles north of Las Vegas. Before it was a mining town it was called Tonopah Springs and was used as a native American campground. There are several stories of how gold was discovered in the area but we are going to share the most popular story with you. 

(Drifter) On May 19, 1900 Jim Butler was camping in the area. His donkey wandered off and when he went to find him, the donkey was standing in an outcropping that looked to be full of silver. Jim gathered up a sample of it and headed to Klondike to have the assayer take a look at it. The assayer told him the samples were garbage and that they were full of iron, oddly enough though the assayer kept his samples. On his way back to his Monitor Valley ranch Jim decided to stop in the area one more time and get another sample. He took the sample back with him and placed it in the windowsill of his cabin. 

(Gypsie) A short time later his friend Tasker Oddie came to visit him. Oddie saw the sample and offered to pay for another assay with a different person. Jim agreed and told him that he could have a quarter interest in anything that was found. Oddie thought this was a great idea so he took the sample to William Gayhard in Austin Nevada. Oddie offered him a quarter of his quarter as payment for looking at the sample. William ran the test on the sample and it came back that there was 600 dollars a ton. (Drifter) (thats over $21K today). (Gypsie) Oddie sent a runner back to Jim to let him know the findings. Jim was in the middle of his hay harvest when he received word, so he didn’t file a claim on the site until he was finished. 

(Drifter) Word of the discovery quickly spread to Klondike and soon prospectors were searching the area for Butler’s discovery, (Gypsie) they were calling it Butler’s load lol! (Drifter) It wasn’t until August 27, 1900 that Jim and his wife finally filed on eight claims near the area. Lucky for him no one had found the area he pulled his samples from. Of the eight claims he made, 6 of them turned out to be very profitable. The Desert Queen, Burro, Valley View, Silver Top, Buckboard, and Mizpah. By October that year camp butler was formed and work began on his claims. On Christmas day 1900 Jim decided he was going to lease out all his claims for one year to the 14 men living in the area. Jim Butler and Tasker Oddie were partners and they received 25% royalty on all gold and silver mined from Jim’s claims. 

(Gypsie) Men started to come from all over to mine the Butler claims. By January the next year 40 men were living in the camp. The first stagecoach arrived from Sodaville on March 24, 1901 bringing with him more men and supplies. By this time roughly 60 men were living in the area and within a few more weeks they were up to 250 men. At this time they didn’t even have places for men to stay, only a few shacks and tents. On April 10, 1901 the Butler post office opened for business. The name for the post office was changed to Tonopah in 1905. 

(Drifter) Within a year the town of Butler had pulled out almost 750,000 dollars in gold and silver. (Gypsie) ($26.6M) (Drifter) The town now had six saloons, restaurants, assay offices, hotels, doctors offices, and even lawyers. On June 15, 1901 the first issue of the Tonopah Bonanza newspaper was published. They were quickly turning into the place to be in Nevada if you wanted to make money. By 1902 Jim Butler had sold out all his claims to the Tonopah Mining Company. In July 1905 a narrow gauge railroad was completed. A few months later it was upgraded to a standard gauge rail line, so it could bring in passengers trains, and extended to Goldfield. It was named the Tonopah and Goldfield Railroad. 

(Gypsie) By 1907 the town had grown to have five banks, several hotels, electric and water companies, several newspapers, and even an opera house. The main street of town was changing from a once haphazard town to an actual town with buildings made of stone and brick with some of them as tall as four or five stories. Towards the end of 1907 all the railroad lines in the area were connected and Tonopah became a major stop on the route. A passenger could now get a ride from Las Vegas to Reno with a stop in Tonopah. 

(Drifter) Mining continued in the area from 1900-1921 with almost 121 million dollars being pulled out of the mountain. (Gypsie) (That would be just shy of $2B by the 1921 conversion) (Drifter) The town boomed between 1910-1914 with over 8 million dollars of materials being pulled from the mines annually (Gypsie) (0ver $238M today). (Drifter) The biggest year for production was in 1913 when almost 10 million dollars was removed from the area, making it one of the richest mining districts in the west, (over $300M today). 

(Gypsie) The town began to slow down during the depression. Many of the larger mines continued to be active until World War 2. By 1947, all major mines had closed and the Tonopah and Goldfield railroad folded. (Drifter) The closing of gold mines was part of the government forbidding anything that was not essential to the war to halt production, focusing all efforts towards the war. Gold and silver was non essential, focusing on copper & Iron. It’s the same thing that killed Oatman, AZ and kept the copper mines of Butte alive. (Gypsie) The rail lines were pulled up and a fire burned down the depot in 1980. All that is left of the railroad is the foundation of both the roundhouse and turntable in Miller some 10 miles west of Tonopah as well as the wooden trestle that was built to get material out of the Mizpah mine. You can still see the Trestle if you are interested by visiting the Tonopah Historic Mining Park. 

(Drifter) Today the town of Tonopah relies mostly on tourism and there are a lot of fun things to do and see in town. The Central Nevada Museum takes you back in time where you get to see exhibits about the history of central Nevada. They have an outdoor exhibit that is set up like an old west town with miner’s cabins, a blacksmith shop, a saloon, and a railroad yard. They also show you early mining equipment that was used to pull the materials out of the mountains. Admission is free and according to the website they are open Tuesday through Saturday from 9am to 5pm. 

(Gypsie) If you are interested in a more in depth tour of the mines you can visit the Tonopah Historic Mining Park. The park is located on more than 100 acres and is the site of the original mining claims that Jim Butler staked out. You will get to see the original buildings, peer down a 500 foot mine shaft, you can walk down the Burro Tunnel where you can stand in a steel cage suspended over the original mine shaft. They offer self guided tours or if you have more time you can take a two hour tour on a side by side. You will want to check the website for up to date information on times and cost. 

(Drifter) The thing that brought us to Tonapah and brings us to a lot of ghost towns is the haunted side. We are not avid ghost hunters but we enjoy the haunted side of things and it also takes us to a lot of fun places. We booked us a room at the Mizpah hotel located in the heart of downtown Tonopah at 100 North Main Street. Let's tell you the history of the hotel before we get into the paranormal. 

(Gypsie) US Senator George Nixon, George Wingfield, Cal Brougher, and Bob Govan got together and wanted to build a high class hotel in town. Construction for the hotel began in 1907 replacing the former one-story Mizpah Saloon and Grill.They hired architect Morrill J. Curtis to design and oversee the building of the new hotel. The total cost was 200,000 dollars and the grand opening was on November 17, 1908(Drifter)  (about $6.5M today). (Gypsie) The Tonopah Daily Bonanza wrote the following day about the hotel stating (Drifter) “Suites, single rooms, rooms for private business meetings, baths, lavatories, steam, hot and cold water, and electric and gas service, all are complete. Nor does the weary one have to climb stairs, for an electric elevator runs from basement to garret, and should the guest desire, he can stroll into the office, state that he wants to be fed, bathed, and put to bed, all all these things will be attended to for him.”

(Gypsie) The hotel has five floors and was the tallest hotel at the time in Nevada, with one of the first elevators in the state as well. It had leaded glass windows, solid oak furniture, brass chandeliers, and stained glass windows. It was the place to stay if you were of the elite class during the time. Tasker Oddie who helped Jim Butler put Tonopah on the map continued to remain an active part of the town and eventually became the governor of Nevada and later US Senator, loved to stay here. Wyatt Earp was rumored to have stayed here for a time with his friend Tex Richard. Legendary heavyweight champion from 1919 to 1926 Jack Dempsey worked as a bouncer here from time to time and the dining room is named after him. 

(Drifter) The 1913 to 1940 United States senator from Nevada Key Pittman was a frequent guest of the hotel. Legend has it that Senator Pittman died of a heart attack on the eve of the 1940 election while staying at the Mizpah. His supporters kept his body on ice until the election was over and his successor could be appointed. The cafe is now named after him. In 1968 billionaire Howard Hughes bought 100 claims in Tonopah. Core samples were taken in the area and nothing more was done. But he must have loved the area because he was secretly married to actress Jean Peters in the Mizpah. 

(Gypsie) The hotel passed through several hands throughout the years. In the 1940’s gambling was brought back to the hotel. By 1945 the hotel had its own casino chips to play on a roulette wheel, a craps table, blackjack or 80 various slot machines, until its doors were closed in 1999. In 2011 Fred and Nancy Cline of Sonoma California purchased the hotel. They began a major renovation project to return the hotel to his former glory. They reopened the 52 room hotel that same year with a full bar, gambling in the lobby, and a dining room. 

(Drifter) So what makes the Mizpah hotel so haunted, well aside from Senator Pittman mayhap having a heart attack in the hotel causing him to pass away and then be put on ice, there are also stories of a lady in red that haunts the building, a soldier wandering the hallways and the scariest part of all, children running around! The pair of children are said to haunt the third floor, they are often heard playing and giggling in the hallway. The soldier is said to hang out on the fourth floor, when he passed away there no one knew his identity at the time. 

(Gypsie) The basement of the hotel is even haunted. Two miners used the underground network of old mine tunnels that were located beneath the hotel. They were able to dig through the hotel's floor and make it into the safe. The men took everything out of the safe but they were not able to get out of the building alive. Later their dead bodies were found in the tunnel system, but surprisingly they did not have any cash on them. It is thought that there may have been a third person involved in the robbing. After the men got the money the third person killed them so he could have it all. It is believed the men are still in the basement and upset about losing all the money! 

(Drifter) The intrigue that brought us to the haunted Mizpah was The Lady in Red, as often happens with ladies in red. It was believed that she went by the name Rose. Rose was a working girl but she wasn't just any working girl she was a very high class working girl. She had a suite in the hotel located on the 5th floor. One terrible night, Rose was murdered by her jealous ex-lover, a story we hear too often with these girls. He strangled her and then stabbed her several times. Over time her suite was turned into 3 rooms which are now 502, 503, and 504. Room 504 is known as the Lady in Red room with red curtains, and a canopy bed, but there is more activity in room 502. 

(Gypsie) Even though Rose met her end brutally by a man, several male guests have reported hearing a sweet female voice whispering to them.  There are reports of guests smelling her perfume, objects being moved in their room and even pearls being left under their pillows. When we stayed the night we were on the fourth floor. We did let Rose know we were there and that if she wanted to come and visit us we were ok with it, but we never got to see Rose, hear the kids playing, or even see the soldier. (Drifter) We made sure to visit the spot in the hallway that was reportedly where her body was found. We walked the halls taking pictures, making sure to get the mirrors in the hallway. Alas, we got nothing. (Gypsie) If you are interested in spending the night at the hotel you can get on their website and book you a room. If you want the Lady in Red Room it is a little more money than the other rooms. 

(Drifter) Across the street from The Mizpah Hotel is the Tonopah Liquor Company. In 1906 The Tonopah Liquor Company opened up shop and it has remained the same ever since. Though the owners have changed several times through the years, it was and still is a bar. On the second floor of the building at one time was a brothel. Hattie or Henrietta used to work upstairs. Though she has passed away her spirit still remains at the bar. She loves children and even interacts with the owners' kids. George “Devil” Davis likes to hang out by the pool table and he is known to be a bit of a prankster. He likes to turn the lights off and is even known to take the corks out of the liquor bottles. 

(Gypsie) When we were in Tonopah we saw they were renting the upstairs out. I have since been looking online to see if you can still rent it and I have not been able to find anything. We did stop by for a drink and spent some time wandering around in the bar but we never got to meet any of the ghosts. The TLC is your typical small town local bar, where everyone knows everyone in there but they are happy to meet new people. The new owners moved to Tonopah from Las Vegas and are very active members in the community. They host whiskey tasting nights, have the only public pool table in town, and they are open until midnight. Plus the drinks are reasonably priced! 

(Drifter) After hanging out at the bar we went back to our room to see if Rose would come visit. The next morning we checked out of the hotel and continued on our trip. But no stop in a small town would be complete without a stop at the cemetery. Tonopah has two cemeteries, Old Tonopah Cemetery and New Tonopah Cemetery. Our first stop was at the Old cemetery, which is right next to the Clown Motel. We will tell you about that motel in a bit. The old cemetery was founded in 1901 and closed ten years later in 1911. People claim to hear weird noises coming from the cemetery, there are reports of strange lights and even full body apparitions have been seen there. We went during the day and spent about an hour there and did not see or hear anything. 

(Gypsie) The cemetery was closed down not due to overcrowding but because the tailings from the Tonopah Extension Mine were spilling over into it and destroying headstones.  The mine wanted to expand their operations so they donated the land for the new cemetery that is still in use today. The cemetery has no grass or trees, just dirt and tumbleweeds. The town has done a great job preserving the headstones and recently they have been adding the cause of death on the headstones. You can not drive your car through the cemetery and the best way to get to it is to park in the Clown Motel parking lot, the entry gate is in the parking lot. Most of the headstones are made of wood but a few have cribs around them. 

(Drifter) George “Devil” Davis is buried in the cemetery. He was the first African American in the town of Tonopah. Like we mentioned he likes to play jokes on people at the TLC he was known for being a jokester while he was alive as well. He was loved around the community and even became a political leader in the African American community. George eventually saved up enough money that he was able to open his own saloon called The Eureka. George may have seemed like a fun loving guy but he also had a dark side. He was very abusive to his wife Ruth, one day she had had enough of him. On June 22, 1907 Ruth walked into his Saloon and shot George in the back; she continued to fire until the gun was empty. Ruth only served one year for murder. 

(Gypsie) Bina Verrault came to Tonopah from New York some time between 1906 to 1907. She wasn’t coming into town to be a working girl, rather she was running away from authorities. She and her friend Izella Mazon Browne were running a “Love Syndicate.” they would claim to be rich widows and seduce rich men into giving them money and gifts. They were able to acquire about 100,000 dollars or about three and a quarter million in today's dollars. One man fell in love with Bina but she did not love him back. He went to authorities and had her arrested. During her trial she pawned some diamond rings and was able to escape. She wasn’t in Tonopah long before she passed away from alcoholism. Her spirit likes to hang out at the Tonopah Historic Mining Park’s visitor center. She had been known to be seen looking out the windows there. 

(Drifter) Now let's talk about the Clown Motel. This place looks like it is straight out of a horror movie! It is painted in bright circus colors with clowns on every door and a giant clown out front. The motel was built in 1985 by Leona and Leroy. When they opened up the motel they brought with them their fathers collection of 150 clowns! In 2015 Ghost Adventures explored the Motel. after the episode aired people started mailing them clowns from all over the world. 

(Gypsie) That same year writer Christopher Sebela spent an entire month in the Motel to experience the supernatural for himself. He wrote a Comic Book about it and for 5 dollars you can get yourself a digital copy of it. We will put the link in the show notes for you. In 2016 Joseph Kelly came to the motel to direct his film Clown Motel Lost Souls. He came back again in 2019 to film Clown Motel Spirits Arise. If you are interested in booking a stay at “America’s Scariest Motel” check out their website. You can stay in the IT room, the Exorcist room, the Halloween room or the Friday the 13th room. (Drifter) We didn’t stay at the hotel but we did get inside and talked to the lady working the front office. She was more than happy to show us their large clown collection and she even gave us a brochure of the cemetery. 

(Gypsie) Tonopah is a fun town and we still to this day talk about going back and spending more time there. We were only there for one day so we were not able to see everything the town has to offer. We would like to go back in the summer when they are doing free star parties. And who knows maybe we will book us a room at the Clown Motel this time! 

(Drifter) Alrighty, there you have it folks, a stop on an adventure out in the middle of Nowhere. I want to let our listeners know that we have been offered by Apple to set up a subscriber channel, so we did. You can join our Insider Series subscription from the Apple Podcast app where we will be adding bonus content. This may be a more convenient way if youre interested in more content and helping fuel the adventures. There will be much of what is available on Patreon however some bonus content will be exclusive to the Patreon Supporters. 

(Drifter) So, are you going to send us off with one of your dad jokes?

(Drifter) Thank you all so much for joining us again and supporting the Rebel At Large Adventure Podcast. If you want to stay up to date with us we are most active on the Instagram (Gypsie) @rebelatlarge, (Drifter) we post photos of our adventures on our website (Gypsie) rebelatlarge.com where you’ll find links to our new merch store, Patreon if you want to help fuel the adventure, email if you want to get in touch with us as well as links to our other social deals.

(Drifter) We’ll talk to ya here in a couple of weeks, (Gypsie) Safe Travels, (Drifter) We’ll see ya down the road.

Begin 30 seconds of the same uplifting Rock/Western tune as the introduction.

https://www.tonopahnevada.com/history/

https://westernmininghistory.com/towns/nevada/tonopah/

https://www.tonopahminingpark.com/

https://www.tonopahnevada.com/TonopahCemeteryBrochure.pdf