Mizpah Hotel

A restored 1907 Edwardian landmark in Tonopah, blending silver-boom opulence, historic dining, and the legend of the Lady in Red.

The Mizpah Hotel stands as a towering monument to the silver rush that transformed Tonopah from a remote desert camp into the "Queen of the Silver Camps". Opened in 1907, the five-story structure of reinforced concrete, stone, and brick was financed by prominent early Nevada figures, including George Wingfield, George S. Nixon, Cal Brougher, and Bob Govan. Designed by architect George E. Holesworth, the hotel was hailed as the finest stone hotel in the desert, sharing the title of Nevada’s tallest building with the nearby Belvada Building until 1927. For decades, it served as the social and financial hub of the region, welcoming prospectors, politicians, and tycoons. After a period of decline and a twelve-year closure starting in 2000, the property was purchased in 2011 by Sonoma-based vintners Fred and Nancy Cline. Drawn by Nancy’s deep ancestral roots to the area, her great-uncle Harry Ramsey having struck it rich in the early boom, the Clines meticulously restored the hotel to its Edwardian-era grandeur, preserving its place on the National Register of Historic Places.

Inside, the Mizpah Hotel retains its turn-of-the-century opulence, beginning with a lobby adorned with era-authentic brass chandeliers, antique cash registers, and Victorian couches. Guests ascend to the upper floors via one of the first electric passenger elevators in the state, which still operates with its original safety brake beneath its oak-interiored cabin. The 47 guest rooms are individually decorated with period-appropriate antiques, heavy drapes, and historical reproductions. In the bathrooms, the restoration preserved original solid brass fixtures, such as Rolex faucets, alongside clawfoot tubs and modern comforts. The hotel's fifth floor is famously home to the Lady in Red, a spectral figure believed to be a high-class courtesan named Rose who met a tragic end at the end of the hallway. While room 504 is lavishly decorated in her honor with scarlet curtains and a bed canopy, room 502 is where guests most frequently report paranormal encounters, occasionally finding loose pearls left under their pillows.

Culinary offerings at the hotel are deeply intertwined with its historical legacy. The Jack Dempsey Room provides elegant dining, named in honor of the legendary heavyweight boxing champion who worked as a bouncer and miner at the Mizpah before his professional fighting career began. For a more casual meal, the award-winning Pittman Cafe serves classic American breakfast and comfort fare, named for U.S. Senator Key Pittman, a regular guest whose dramatic political life is woven into the hotel’s lore. In the lobby, the Long Shot Bar serves signature cocktails alongside wines from the owners’ Cline Family Cellars, including a Zinfandel named after the Lady in Red. Across the street, the Clines have also restored the Belvada Hotel, expanding the town's historic revival and offering a complete immersion into Nevada's frontier past.

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