Rife with amazing accommodations, delicious dining, marvelous museums, outrageous outdoor adventures, and stellar stargazing, Tonopah is so much more than just a required rest stop. In the middle, however, is the oasis of Tonopah. The drive between Reno and Las Vegas is almost 450 miles, and those are often long, desolate miles. Where geology played a role in Tonopah’s beginnings, geography would step in and help secure its future. The end of the war in 1945 spelled the end of the base, however, and once again, it was time for a new focus. It was time for Tonopah to reinvent itself.Ĭonstruction began on the Tonopah Army Air Field in 1940, and beginning in 1942, the base would become one of the largest military operations in Nevada during World War II as a training base for B-24 and Bell P-39 Airacobras. Tonopah’s peak mining years lasted until 1921, but it wasn’t until the late 1940s that mining-as a major operation-came to an end. In fact, each Memorial Day weekend, the town celebrates its history during Jim Butler Days and the Nevada State Mining Championships, held the same weekend at the Tonopah Historic Mining Park. ![]() Whichever legend you ascribe to, Butler’s burro likely plays a part in the 1900 ore discovery, but it’s certain that Jim Butler is the one who put Tonopah on the map. ![]() Nevada prospector Jim Butler is said to have been about to send a rock in the direction of his errant burro, when he realized what he held in his hand was no ordinary stone, but silver. Legend has it the silver in Tonopah was discovered by a runaway burro, or more accurately, a rock. Tonopah received the most votes in round three of our 2015 Tour Around Nevada, and let’s just say the vote was a runaway, just like Jim Butler’s burro. So which is it? Like most juicy puzzles, the answer isn’t simple it’s all those reasons, and so many more. ![]() More recently, Tonopah became known as the home of the world’s most advanced solar thermal energy storage plant, Crescent Dunes. As the almost-exact halfway point between two of Nevada’s largest cities (Las Vegas and Reno, naturally), it is a welcome overnight destination for road-weary travelers. As home to the second largest silver deposit in Nevada history, its importance as a mining town is undeniable. The draw of Tonopah has fluctuated over the years. Central Nevada town proves it’s more than just a stop along the way.
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