Within a stone’s throw of the world renowned Clown Motel, sits the Tonopah Cemetery in Tonopah, Nevada. Both the motel and cemetery are rumored to be haunted, one by negative energies, the other by restless miners.
In the year 1900, a rich silver deposit was discovered in the middle of the Nevada desert. The discovery led to the establishment of Tonopah as an important mining hub, attracting prospectors and entrepreneurs from far and wide. Tonopah’s mines yielded millions of dollars in silver, gold, and copper, and the town became known as the “Queen of the Silver Camps.”
As the mining industry prospered, the population quickly grew to over 10,000 residents and together they built banks, saloons, hotels, and even an opera house. Tonopah was also the site of the Tonopah & Goldfield Railroad, which connected the town to other mining communities in the region. A metal sign that reads TONOPAH CEMETERY 1901-1911 adorns the cemetery gates, just off to the right of the 1980’s Clown Motel parking lot. Stepping off the pavement and into a high desert graveyard haunted by miners killed in a fire, was like time traveling to a different world..
All the graves are marked and outlined with stones. Some headstones were actual stone, but most were wooden crosses and markers with a metal plate attached with a name, date, and cause of death stamped into it. Around 90 gravemarkers of the 300 total are original, the others were reconstructed by The Tonopah Conservation Crew, using old materials to blend in organically.
Historian Allen Metscher of the Central Nevada Historical Society, conducted a search for burials using dowsing rods, an old technique used to locate water, malign earth vibrations, gemstones, oil, and gravesites, without the use of scientific tools. Metscher was able to mark many of the graves employing this technique, most of which proved accurate when the plot map was found years later in an attic in Round mountain in the 1970s. Through his historic research of the cemetery, the cause of death was able to be added to many of the markers, providing a glimpse into the hardships and resilience of the Wild West.
It’s a commonly held rumor that a plague hit Tonopah in 1901/1902 and claimed the lives of many. Theories circled that attributed the plague to either a curse from restless spirits of the silver mines or pneumonia from poor living conditions. That latter proved to be correct. In 1905, there were higher than normal deaths from pneumonia, assumed to be a result of a lack of sanitation, especially close to the slaughterhouses.
Tragedy struck again with the Tonopah-Belmont Mine Fire, a devastating event that claimed the lives of 14 miners in 1911. The mine was owned by Tonopah Belmont Development Company, a significant producer of gold and silver.
On the morning of February 23, 1911, a fire broke out in the mine; the exact cause of the fire remains unknown. Several miners attempted to rescue their fellow workers. One of the most notable heroes of the disaster was William “Big Bill” Murphy, who continued to descend into the mine in an attempt to save others, even as the conditions were taking effect on him. Unfortunately, he lost consciousness and fell to his death while being brought back to the surface. He was only 28 years old.
News of the fire spread fast with headlines that read, “Five Men Imprisoned in Burning Mine” printing as far as Hawaii, California, Montana, and even West Virginia. A large funeral procession took place several days later in Tonopah, and it was attended by many of the town’s residents. The Tonopah Belmont Company settled with 14 victims’ relatives for $43,633.
The first person to be buried in the Tonopah Cemetery was Vincent Davis in 1900 and the last person to be buried there was Arlene Friel in 2013.
William F. Murphy, son of the late Thomas Murphy of
Godmanchester, PQ, died at Tonopah, Nevada accidentally
in a mine accident, age 29 years. Huntingdon QC Gleaner.
Died while saving others in the Belmont, Tonopah mine
fire of Feb 23 1911
