Why this history matters
Behind both lies the Mizpah's role as a place to stay, eat, drink, gamble, and gather in a mining town whose fortunes changed repeatedly.
From Saloon to Landmark Hotel
An early Mizpah Saloon & Grill served Tonopah's mining-camp community before construction of the five-story hotel. The Mizpah Hotel, completed in 1908, replaced that smaller setting with a substantial building intended to express the town's permanence.
The hotel became a social as well as a lodging institution. Dining, drinking, and gambling occupied different parts of its changing history, connecting visitors with residents and the commercial activity of Main Street.
The early saloon, the hotel casino, and the modern neighboring club should therefore be read as related chapters. Calling them one business continuously operating since the mining boom would erase important closures and changes.
The Club Inside the Hotel
Specialist research identifies 1945 chips bearing The Mizpah Club name. They establish a postwar use of that identity within the hotel's gambling history, distinct from the recent club.
Accounts describe a small casino, cocktail bar, and a cashier cage positioned near the hotel's vault. Blackjack, roulette, craps, and slots appear in the historical record. Those games belong to particular phases, not necessarily to every year.
Published machine and table totals differ across dates and sources. The clearest later regulatory distinction is that the 1997 Nevada order identifies a slots-only operation. A once broader casino had become a smaller type of gaming business.
Closures, Restoration, and Financial Pressure
The hotel changed owners repeatedly through the twentieth century. Its 1966 closure reflected the difficulties of maintaining a substantial property in a town no longer enjoying its original mining-boom economy.
Frank Scott and Frank Maggio led a later restoration, with Rick Scott involved in daily operation. Reopening activity around 1979-80 gave the old landmark another working life rather than leaving it merely a historic facade.
Further ownership changes brought renewed financial and licensing problems. A 1985 license-renewal dispute and later bankruptcy and closure episodes show that restoration did not permanently solve the underlying operating challenges. The hotel and casino histories cannot be reduced to one successful reopening.
A New Casino Beside a Restored Landmark
The Cline family's revitalization of the Mizpah Hotel was followed by the modern Mizpah Club around 2016. Nevada's chip record documents a new issue in May of that year, helping distinguish the recent operation from the earlier hotel casino.
Travel Nevada described gaming-ticket technology, live music, a cafe, and improvements designed to complement the historic hotel. The club's role was again social as well as commercial: another reason for visitors and residents to spend time downtown.
The property illustrates the recurring challenge of rural Nevada hospitality. A famous building and a remembered name can attract attention, but a viable business must serve the travelers and residents of its own period. The modern club carries the Mizpah identity forward without making all its earlier chapters continuous.
The story in time
- 1908
The Mizpah Hotel is completed.
- 1945
Specialist records identify The Mizpah Club chips.
- 1966
The hotel closes.
- 1979-80
Restoration leads to reopening.
- 1997
A Nevada order identifies slots-only gaming.
- Around 2016
The modern Mizpah Club opens beside the hotel.
Sources & further reading
The numbered links in each chapter point to the supporting material below. The wider bibliography also includes archival collections and specialist references. Historical uncertainty is explained where it affects the story; a source link does not grant permission to reproduce its images.
Start with these sources
Official Mizpah Club CasinoTravel Nevada — Tonopah’s RevitalizationHistoric Main Street Tonopah — Mizpah Hotel and Brougher-Govan BlockNevada Gaming Commission — 1997 Mizpah Casino slot-only license orderCasino Chip and Token News — Mizpah Hotel / Mizpah Club history and chip recordsNorthern Nevada Business View — 1998–2001 casino closure and failed license attempt- Research sourceOfficial Mizpah Club Casino
- Research sourceTravel Nevada — Tonopah’s Revitalization
- Research sourceHistoric Main Street Tonopah — Mizpah Hotel and Brougher-Govan Block
- Research sourceNevada State Library — Tale of Two Hotels
- Research sourceTonopah historic walking tour
- Research sourceTripadvisor visitor listing — Mizpah Club
- Research sourceNevada Gaming Control Board — historical casino chip and token catalog
- Research sourceNevada Gaming Commission — 1997 Mizpah Casino slot-only license order
- Research sourceCasino Chip and Token News — Mizpah Hotel / Mizpah Club history and chip records
- Research sourceChipGuide — Mizpah Hotel, 100 Main Street, historical table chips
- Research sourceNye County oral history — Victor Bekov and the Mizpah casino around 1985
- Research sourceNorthern Nevada Business View — 1998–2001 casino closure and failed license attempt
- Research sourceNevada travel guide, February 1991 — Mizpah Hotel rooms, gaming, dining, and lounges
- Research sourceNevada casino guide, October 1982 — Mizpah tables, slots, rooms, and amenities
- Research sourceNevada Gaming Control Board license-renewal dispute reported in the Sentinel-Voice, November 1985
- Research sourceNevada casino guide, February 1995 — “Historically Fun” Mizpah Hotel advertisement
- Research sourceMojave Desert history — Mizpah ownership and management chronology
- Research sourceUNLV Frank Scott Papers — Mizpah takeover and restoration
- Research sourceUNLV Tonopah promotional film — Scott-era Mizpah restoration visuals
- Research sourceBeatty Museum — Art Revert oral-history transcript
- Research sourceBruno and Ann Skanovsky oral-history transcript
- Research sourceAssociated Press / Los Angeles Times, February 23, 1997 — Bill Allison and the struggling Mizpah
- Research sourcePBS Outdoor Nevada — Travel to Tonopah
- Research sourceSan Francisco Science Fiction Conventions — Tonopah videos and Mizpah staff interview lead
- Research sourceSpinettis Gaming — 2016 Mizpah Club $1 chip
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