Mizpah Hotel is OPEN!!

[Drew Wiley]

John. The other long running feuds were between inhabitants of those tiny hydroelectric towns. Now with only two exceptions, they're all automated. But along the
San Joaquin, you'd have competing So Cal Edison and PG&E facilities in very close proximity. These people tended to be very isolated to begin with; a few were downright doty, and tempers built up to dangerous levels at times. Arsons, car brake cables being cut (on those very steep winding roads). There was one family in
particular that had to be avoided. I was driving up the canyon a few years ago and there was a brand new Jeep Wrangler tipped over in a ditch. Thought I'd stop
and help them pull it out. Then I looked into those kids eyes. A couple were dead-ringers for the trouble types I grew up with, so figured they were their kids,
and they looked utterly wigged out on meth. No way I was going to stop.

[Rayt]

I drove past Tonopah years ago and remember that hotel, and I also remember a Clown hotel or something like that. I was on my way elsewhere so couldn't stop but that main street has some really interesting architecture.

I wonder if it is ok to break out my 4x5 and take a few shots of the building exteriors? Is this acceptable in Tonopah (or most places in the US)?

[Jac@stafford.net]

I drove past Tonopah years ago and remember that hotel, and I also remember a Clown hotel or something like that.

Clown Motel, "pets and truckers welcome".
.

[Jim Galli]

Clown Motel, ...
.

Built specifically with members in high places of the US government in mind. In case they come to Tonopah.

[Vaughn]

Drew, me thinks you watch too much TV. We don't have any of the drama you describe here where I live. In fact I have to drive with one hand, wave with the other. Pretty nice place to live, and any time I go to the big city (Reno) I'm always glad to get back home.

That's the way I drove around Covelo...even driving a US Forest Service truck (and the waves back were not the one-finger variety). I had a couple of kids from Holland in the truck one time (they were volunteering) and one even asked if waving was required by law! But what a dead-end town that is! Largest Indian reservation in CA, the mill closed down and even the Cal Trans maintenance yard closed down. In the summer one can actually drive thru -- the dirt road over the mountains is open. Beautiful country, though, in its own way.

[ROL]

Well, I think everybody knows by now that Tonapah is the left bank of Nevada (except during the last week of August ). I have friends in Winnemucca, so I do know the difference .

When we moved to our present (undisclosed) location, from a succession of residences including the "San Joaquin Valley", San Francisco and Portland, I was actually a bit freaked out by the friendliness of the locals. Shy by nature (), I found it a little disturbing that even the uniformed gardeners would stop their irrigation repairs long enough to say hi. Very Pleasantville, parts of which, by some coincidence, were actually filmed here.

[Drew Wiley]

Yeah... There's certainly been some old-school commotion out toward Elko, with gun intimidation, a few bombs planted, death threats, neo Sagebrush Rebellion anarchy, now starting to cool down a bit, but probably still simmering in the coals somewhere. Wasn't that long ago there was that biker row at a bar in Winnemucca, which spilled over into warfare around here between the Hells Angels and Mongols, with the latter receiving the heavy hand of the law. Both are banned from recreational biker events like the big Harley rally at Bridgeport each summer. I don't worry about such stuff when traveling. But then I don't walk into bars either.
Heck, even the owner of the Indian bar where I grew up wouldn't walk into his own business when it was open. Three bikers got gutted by Indians in one day, and
someone else got literally decapitated.

[Leigh]

So if the hotel has a bar, is it called the

Bar Mizpah ???

- Leigh

[Racer X 69]

welcoming committee, mizpah hotel, tonopah nv.

Had the 8X10 with me the other night in the Mizpah Hotel. The Clines have done a worthy restoration.

Don't try this with your 8X10. These hombre's are used to me. Anyone else........well hopefully your camera is wood because it'll become 3 minutes of BTU's in the pot belly

Nice shot Jim!

It is always good to see places returned to their former glory, rather than pushed aside in favor of the generic structures of today.

Was looking through some of the historic negs I bought from the estate of one Mac McGowan who had a studio here in Tonopah in the late '30's through early '50's.

George Curtis, Mizpah Hotel Bellman, circa 1946

My! My! Ain't we got class, ain't we got style.

An image from a time lost to "progress". Not too many places these days where someone comes out and helps you with your bags and takes them to the room. No, now we have Motel 6 and Tom Bodett.

So sterile and impersonal.

[Michael Clark]

Jim, I heard the Clown Motel closed up a while back, is it still there ?

Mike