Tonopah, Nevada
Encyclopedia
Tonopah is a census-designated place
(CDP) located in and the county seat of Nye County
, Nevada
. It is located at the junction of U.S. Routes 6
and 95
approximately mid-way between Las Vegas
and Reno
.
Its name was given to it by its founder, Jim Butler, and it is thought to be a Shoshone Indian word, pronounced "tuh-noe-puh." Although the town previously had a variety of names, including Butler City, Jim Butler's name remained. It is said to mean "hidden spring".
In the 2000 census the population was 2,627 and the CDP has a total area of 16.2 square miles (42 km²), all land.
The community began about 1900 with the discovery of gold
and silver
rich ore by prospector Jim Butler when he went looking for a lost burro
(donkey) he owned. The burro had wandered off during the night and had sought shelter near a rock outcropping. When Butler discovered the animal the next morning, he picked up a rock to throw at the beast, but instead noticed the rock was unusually heavy. He had stumbled upon the second-richest silver strike in Nevada history.
While Jim Butler may have been responsible for the first ore strike, it took men of wealth and power to consolidate the mines and reinvest their profits into the infrastructure of the town of Tonopah. George Wingfield, a 24-year old poker player when he arrived in Tonopah, played poker and dealt faro in the town saloons. Once he had a small bankroll he talked Jack Carey, owner of the Tonopah Club, into taking him in as a partner and to file for a gaming license. In 1903, miners rioted against Chinese workers in Tonopah, which spurred a boycott in China of U.S. goods.
By 1904, after investing his winnings in the Boston-Tonopah Mining Company, Wingfield was worth $2 million. When old friend George S. Nixon, a banker, arrived in town, Wingfield invested in his Nye County Bank. They grub staked miners with friend Nick Abelman, bought existing mines, and by the time the partners moved to Goldfield, Nevada and made their Goldfield Consolidated Mining Company a public corporation in 1906, Nixon and Wingfield were worth over $30 million
Real Estate and gaming became big business all over Central Nevada, but Wingfield saw the end of the gold and silver mining riches coming and took his huge bankroll to Reno where he invested heavily in real estate and casinos. By 1910, gold production was falling and by 1920 the town of Tonopah had less than half the population it had 15-years earlier.
Small mining ventures continued to provide income for local miners and the small town struggled on, taking advantage of its location about half-way between Reno and Las Vegas as a stop-over and rest spot on a lonely highway. Today the Tonopah Station has slots and the Banc Club also offers some gaming.
Recently, Tonopah has relied on the nearby Tonopah Test Range
as its main source of employment. The military has used the range and surrounding areas as a nuclear test site, a bombing range, and as a base of operations for the development of the F-117 Nighthawk
.
Tonopah's current fame may rest on the reference to it in the chorus of the song "Willin'" by Lowell George
of Little Feat
on the albums Little Feat
, Sailin' Shoes
and Waiting for Columbus
, but it is also possible that the song is actually referring to Tonopah, Arizona
:
The average January temperatures are a maximum of 44.1 °F (6.7 °C) and a minimum of 19.1 °F (-7.2 °C). The average July temperatures are a maximum of 91.6 °F (33.1 °C) and a minimum of 56.9 °F (13.8 °C). There are an average of 50.3 days with highs of 90 °F (32.2 °C) or higher and 157.8 days with lows of 32 °F (0 °C) or lower. The record high temperature in Tonopah was 104 °F (40 °C) on July 18, 1960. The record low temperature was -15 F on January 24, 1937 and January 23, 1962.
Average annual precipitation is 5.09 inches (12.9 cm). There are an average of 37 days with measurable precipitation. The wettest year was 1946 with 10.27 inches (26.1 cm) and the dryest year was 1927 with 1.92 inches (4.9 cm). The most precipitation in one month was 2.87 inches (7.3 cm) in November 1946. The most precipitation in 24 hours was 1.62 inches (4.1 cm) on August 17, 1977. Average annual snowfall is 13 inches (33 cm). The most snowfall in one year was 79.3 inches (201.4 cm) in 1946, including 37 inches (94 cm) in November 1946.
of 2000, there were 2,627 people, 1,109 households, and 672 families residing in the CDP. The population density
was 162.1 people per square mile (2.59/km²). There were 1,561 housing units at an average density of 96.3 per square mile (37.2/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 91.24% White, 0.76% African American, 1.41% Native American, 0.42% Asian, 0.30% Pacific Islander, 2.82% from other races
, and 3.05% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.17% of the population.
There were 1,109 households out of which 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.9% were married couples
living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.4% were non-families. 34.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 3.03.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 27.1% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 27.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 108.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.9 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $37,401, and the median income for a family was $47,917. Males had a median income of $40,018 versus $22,056 for females. The per capita income
for the CDP was $18,256. About 5.7% of families and 11.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.3% of those under age 18 and 19.1% of those age 65 or over.
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
(CDP) located in and the county seat of Nye County
Nye County, Nevada
-National protected areas:* Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge* Death Valley National Park * Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest * Spring Mountains National Recreation Area -Demographics:...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
. It is located at the junction of U.S. Routes 6
U.S. Route 6
U.S. Route 6 , also called the Grand Army of the Republic Highway, a name that honors an American Civil War veterans association, is a main route of the U.S. Highway system, running east-northeast from Bishop, California to Provincetown, Massachusetts. Until 1964, it continued south from Bishop to...
and 95
U.S. Route 95
U.S. Route 95 is a north–south U.S. highway in the western United States. Unlike many other US highways, it has not seen deletion or replacement on most of its length by an encroaching Interstate highway corridor, due to its mostly rural course...
approximately mid-way between Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
and Reno
Reno, Nevada
Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...
.
Its name was given to it by its founder, Jim Butler, and it is thought to be a Shoshone Indian word, pronounced "tuh-noe-puh." Although the town previously had a variety of names, including Butler City, Jim Butler's name remained. It is said to mean "hidden spring".
In the 2000 census the population was 2,627 and the CDP has a total area of 16.2 square miles (42 km²), all land.
History
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
and silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
rich ore by prospector Jim Butler when he went looking for a lost burro
Burro
The burro is a small donkey used primarily as a pack animal. In addition, significant numbers of feral burros live in the Southwestern United States, where they are protected by law, and in Mexico...
(donkey) he owned. The burro had wandered off during the night and had sought shelter near a rock outcropping. When Butler discovered the animal the next morning, he picked up a rock to throw at the beast, but instead noticed the rock was unusually heavy. He had stumbled upon the second-richest silver strike in Nevada history.
While Jim Butler may have been responsible for the first ore strike, it took men of wealth and power to consolidate the mines and reinvest their profits into the infrastructure of the town of Tonopah. George Wingfield, a 24-year old poker player when he arrived in Tonopah, played poker and dealt faro in the town saloons. Once he had a small bankroll he talked Jack Carey, owner of the Tonopah Club, into taking him in as a partner and to file for a gaming license. In 1903, miners rioted against Chinese workers in Tonopah, which spurred a boycott in China of U.S. goods.
By 1904, after investing his winnings in the Boston-Tonopah Mining Company, Wingfield was worth $2 million. When old friend George S. Nixon, a banker, arrived in town, Wingfield invested in his Nye County Bank. They grub staked miners with friend Nick Abelman, bought existing mines, and by the time the partners moved to Goldfield, Nevada and made their Goldfield Consolidated Mining Company a public corporation in 1906, Nixon and Wingfield were worth over $30 million
Real Estate and gaming became big business all over Central Nevada, but Wingfield saw the end of the gold and silver mining riches coming and took his huge bankroll to Reno where he invested heavily in real estate and casinos. By 1910, gold production was falling and by 1920 the town of Tonopah had less than half the population it had 15-years earlier.
Small mining ventures continued to provide income for local miners and the small town struggled on, taking advantage of its location about half-way between Reno and Las Vegas as a stop-over and rest spot on a lonely highway. Today the Tonopah Station has slots and the Banc Club also offers some gaming.
Recently, Tonopah has relied on the nearby Tonopah Test Range
Tonopah Test Range
Tonopah Test Range , also known as Area 52, is a restricted military installation located about southeast of Tonopah, Nevada. It is part of the northern fringe of the Nellis Range, measuring . Tonopah Test Range is located about northwest of Groom Dry Lake, home of the Area 51 facility...
as its main source of employment. The military has used the range and surrounding areas as a nuclear test site, a bombing range, and as a base of operations for the development of the F-117 Nighthawk
F-117 Nighthawk
The Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk was a single-seat, twin-engine stealth ground-attack aircraft formerly operated by the United States Air Force . The F-117A's first flight was in 1981, and it achieved initial operating capability status in October 1983...
.
Tonopah's current fame may rest on the reference to it in the chorus of the song "Willin'" by Lowell George
Lowell George
Lowell Thomas George was an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer, who was the main guitarist and songwriter for the rock band Little Feat.- Early years :...
of Little Feat
Little Feat
Little Feat is an American rock band formed by singer-songwriter, lead vocalist and guitarist Lowell George and keyboardist Bill Payne in 1969 in Los Angeles....
on the albums Little Feat
Little Feat (album)
Little Feat was the eponymous debut by the American rock band Little Feat, released in January 1971. Cobbled together from a variety of recording sessions mostly between August and September 1970, its sound can be best described as the antithesis to any of the group's classic recordings . Featuring...
, Sailin' Shoes
Sailin' Shoes
Sailin' Shoes was the second studio album by the American rock band Little Feat, released in 1972. It is notable for several reasons.First, it introduced the work of Neon Park to the group, with his design of a sailing shoe of a cake swinging on a tree swing that adorned the front cover, which...
and Waiting for Columbus
Waiting for Columbus
Waiting for Columbus is the first live album by the Southern roots-rock band, Little Feat. The album was recorded during seven performances in 1977. The first four shows were held at the Rainbow Theatre in London on August 1-4, 1977. The final three shows were recorded in George Washington...
, but it is also possible that the song is actually referring to Tonopah, Arizona
Tonopah, Arizona
Tonopah is a census-designated place in western Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, approximately 50 miles west of downtown Phoenix off Interstate 10...
:
Climate
Tonopah has an arid climate with cool winters and very warm summers. Due to frequent low humidity, daily temperature ranges are quite large, resulting in cool nights even in midsummer.The average January temperatures are a maximum of 44.1 °F (6.7 °C) and a minimum of 19.1 °F (-7.2 °C). The average July temperatures are a maximum of 91.6 °F (33.1 °C) and a minimum of 56.9 °F (13.8 °C). There are an average of 50.3 days with highs of 90 °F (32.2 °C) or higher and 157.8 days with lows of 32 °F (0 °C) or lower. The record high temperature in Tonopah was 104 °F (40 °C) on July 18, 1960. The record low temperature was -15 F on January 24, 1937 and January 23, 1962.
Average annual precipitation is 5.09 inches (12.9 cm). There are an average of 37 days with measurable precipitation. The wettest year was 1946 with 10.27 inches (26.1 cm) and the dryest year was 1927 with 1.92 inches (4.9 cm). The most precipitation in one month was 2.87 inches (7.3 cm) in November 1946. The most precipitation in 24 hours was 1.62 inches (4.1 cm) on August 17, 1977. Average annual snowfall is 13 inches (33 cm). The most snowfall in one year was 79.3 inches (201.4 cm) in 1946, including 37 inches (94 cm) in November 1946.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 2,627 people, 1,109 households, and 672 families residing in the CDP. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 162.1 people per square mile (2.59/km²). There were 1,561 housing units at an average density of 96.3 per square mile (37.2/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 91.24% White, 0.76% African American, 1.41% Native American, 0.42% Asian, 0.30% Pacific Islander, 2.82% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 3.05% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.17% of the population.
There were 1,109 households out of which 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.9% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.4% were non-families. 34.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 3.03.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 27.1% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 27.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 108.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.9 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $37,401, and the median income for a family was $47,917. Males had a median income of $40,018 versus $22,056 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the CDP was $18,256. About 5.7% of families and 11.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.3% of those under age 18 and 19.1% of those age 65 or over.
Notable residents
- Andriza MircovichAndriza MircovichAndriza Mircovich was an Austro-Hungarian national of Montenegrin descent. He was the first and only prisoner ever to be executed by shooting in the state of Nevada. He had been sentenced to death for the premeditated murder of John Gregovich in Tonopah, Nevada...
, only prisoner to be executed by shootingExecution by shootingExecution by shooting is a form of capital punishment whereby an executed person is shot by one or more firearms. It is the most common method of execution worldwide, used in about 70 countries, with execution by firing squad being one particular form...
in Nevada. - William Robert JohnsonWilliam Robert JohnsonWilliam Robert Johnson was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Orange from 1976 until his death in 1986.-Early life and education:...
, Roman Catholic bishop. - Barbara GrahamBarbara GrahamBarbara Graham was an American criminal and convicted murderess. She was executed in the gas chamber on the same day as two convicted accomplices, Jack Santo and Emmett Perkins. Nicknamed "Bloody Babs" by the press, Graham was the third woman in California to die by gas.-Early life:Graham was born...
, the notorious Butcher of Burbank. Only woman to be executed in California.
External links
- June 2009 Photos of Tonopah and Goldfield, Nevada
- Official town website Retrieved 22 October 2009
- Tonopah photos and information at WesternMiningHistory.com Retrieved 22 October 2009
- Official State of Nevada Tourism site
- Photos of Mizpah mine at Historic American Engineering Record
- Official website of the Central Nevada Museum, which is located in the town and which may be visited at no charge Retrieved 22 October 2009