Tonopah’s history is
mostly unwritten
The public archives hold only 3 old photos of Tonopah. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗The American community began circa 1900 with the discovery of silver-rich ore by prospector Jim Butler. The legendary tale of discovery says that he went looking for a burro that had wandered off during the night and sought shelter near a rock outcropping. When Butler discovered the animal the next morning, he picked up a rock to throw at it in frustration, noticing that the rock was unusually heavy. He had stumbled upon the second-richest silver strike in Nevada history. However, this commonly-told story is likely apocryphal. Butler was married to a local Paiute woman named Belle—her family guided Butler to the area long known by indigenous peoples for its surface minerals.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowStart Tonopah’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Tonopah’s history is told.
1 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewNorthern Saloon, c. 1902: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from Tonopah
See all 11 →Tonopah, decade by decade
1990s
45 historic places in Tonopah
45 places in Tonopah are on the National Register of Historic Places, the country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
Where they are
Architectural styles
When they were listed
Listed 1978Mizpah Hotel
Listed 1982Arthur Raycraft House
Listed 1982Bass Building
Listed 1982Brann Boardinghouse
Listed 1982Brokers Exchange
Listed 1982Butler, Jim, Mining Company Stone Row Houses
Listed 1982Cada C. Boak House
Listed 1982Combellack Adobe Row House
Listed 1982Dr. J. R. Masterson House
Listed 1982E. E. Burdick House
Listed 1982E. R. Shields House
Listed 1982Frank Golden Block
Listed 1982George A. Bartlett House
Listed 1982H. A. McKim Building
Listed 1982Irving McDonald House
Listed 1982John Gregovich House
Listed 1982Judge W. A. Sawle House
Listed 1982Nye County Courthouse
Listed 1982Shaw, Cal, Adobe Duplex
Listed 1982St. Marks P. E. Church
Listed 1982State Bank and Trust Company
Listed 1982Stone Jail Building and Row House
Listed 1982Tonapah Liquor Company Building
Listed 1982Tonapah Volunteer Firehouse and Gymnasium
Listed 1982Tonapah-Extension Mining Company Power Building
Listed 1982Uri B. Curtis House
Listed 1982Uri B. Curtis House/Tasker L. Oddie House
Listed 1982Wieland Brewery Building
Listed 1990US Post Office-Tonopah MainListed 1982Board and Batten CottageListed 1982Board and Batten Miners CabinListed 1982Clinton, Charles, Stone Row HouseListed 1982Frame CottageListed 1982Nye County Mercantile Company BuildingListed 1982Samuel C. Dunham HouseListed 1982Shaw, Cal, Stone Row HouseListed 1982Tonapah Mining Company CottageListed 1982Tonapah Mining Company HouseListed 1982Tonapah Public LibraryListed 1982Verdi Lumber Company BuildingListed 1982Water Company of Tonapah BuildingListed 1982Zeb Kendall HouseListed 1982Nevada-California Power Company Substation and Auxiliary Power BuildingListed 1982Campbell and Kelly BuildingListed 1982Hugh H. Brown HouseThen & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as Northern Saloon (c. 1902) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15From Wikimedia Commons (3) and the National Register (2). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.