Paranormal Hot Spot: Tonopah, Nevada

When thinking about paranormal hot spots in the United States you may think about states like Ohio, Massachusetts, New York, and California. But what about Nevada? Enter Tonopah, Nevada: a currently unincorporated town in Nye County, Nevada. It was originally a boomtown, founded around 1900 when a prospector found silver ore in the area. After a series of booms and busts, the town has slowed down to focus more on tourism.

Source Source Soure

Speaking of legends the discovery of this mine is pretty legendary. The prospector, Jim Butler, is said to have been searching for a burro that wandered off during the night. When he finally found the animal the next morning, he threw a rock at it in annoyance of its escape. However, when we went to pick up the rock and throw it he realized it was quite heavy. Upon taking a second look, he realized it was silver ore. The mine would become the second-ricest silver strike in all of Nevada.

However, this story gives the credit to the wrong person. You see, Jim Butler was married to a woman in the Paiute tribe, named Belle, it was her family that guided butlet to the area which had been used for generations by indigenous people.

When researching Tonopah, one of the stories that stood out to me was the Lady in Red. Throughout the blog, and the podcast, you'll notice ghosts come in all sorts of colors from pink to white to green and everything in-between. So, it's no surprise the name Lady in Red grabbed me. You can often find her strolling through the Mizpah Hotel and she is said to be incredibly friendly.

The Mizpah hotel was established in 1907 and was at the time (and for the next 25 years) the largest hotel in Nevada. It was considered extremely luxurious at the time, with all-electrical lights, a heating system, and the first electric elevator in the west. Not to mention, gorgous rooms, a well-stocked bar, and charming clienete. 

So, where does the Lady in Red factor in? Well, the Mizpah catered to more than just guests. There was rumors that he entire fifth-floor suite was where the Lady in Red, at the time a practioneer of the oldest profession. However, one day her life was cut short when an ex-lover or former patreon stabbed and strangled her in an apparent fit of jealous rage.

Despite her horrible end, the Lady in Red continues to reside in the Mizpah to this day. Her true indentity is lost to time, although most gossip seems to believe she went by the name "Rose." Men in particular have reported hearing a dismebodied voice whispering voice, and even whispering some flirty things. One of the most common places this occurs in isn't the rooms or the fifth floor suite, but the elevator. Hundreds of guests have also awakened to discover a pearl beneath their pillows, which is said to be from her necklace which was broken during her final struggle.

One attraction that brings in the most tourism is The Tonopah Clown Motel, with attached clown museum (of course). The motel was originally founed by Leona and Leroy David in the 1980s, to honor their father who had died in a mine fire. Their father had 150 collectable clowns, which they decided to feature in the museum and throughout the decor of the motel. And, right next door to the clown motel is what else but a cemetery. Featuring rock-lined graves and wooden headtones the cemetery marks some of the town's earliest deceased, which included plenty of mining disasters. 

In particular, visitors staying in Room 108 appear to have the most trouble. In this room, there is a life-size mural of Pennywise as a clown on the wall and there seems to be a strange, playful trickster spirit keeping the guests busy. It's said it originally came down from the cemetery and took the form of one of the clowns to scare visitors. 

In addition to the trickster ghost, there appears to be other activity in the motel. Which, isn't that surprising given its proximeity to the cemetery. Knocks have been reported, dismeboied voices, scratches on the walls, and more. 

A cemetery, a clown motel, and a haunted hotel have come together to make Tonopah one of the strangest, and potentially most haunted, boom towns in the United States. Would you visit?

Thanks to @hannahjune93 for this blogstonishing suggestion!

The featured image is of The Clown Motel along Main Street (U.S. Routes 6 and 95) in Tonopah, Nevada taken by Famartin and is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0