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Here we are again, in the great
rockhounding territory surrounding Tonopah, NV. It seems that we
just can't get enough of that great Royston turquoise, so we
gathered our group and headed off again to Tonopah. Dean and Donna
Otteson always make us feel so welcome, so a stop at their shop on
Main St, Tonopah, was first on our list of things to do. Our first
night at the Clown Motel was uneventful, with everyone heading off
to bed early to prepare for the next day's turquoise dig. Much to
our surprise, we woke up to six inches of snow! We sure were
worried that our trip would be cancelled, but the storm had missed
the mine itself, located 26 miles out of town. Dean assured us that
all would be well, and it was! The weather was perfect at the mine
(54 degrees), no wind, and the collecting mounds were nice and dry.
We got some really great pieces of turquoise for cabbing, plus lots
of small pieces for the tumbler. Dean and Victor worked their magic
on the three cabs per person that they include in the tour price,
and we all came away with beautiful stones for mounting in jewelry.
 Along
about now, you must be wondering why I have "ghost towns and ghosts"
in my heading. Well, Tonopah is a living ghost town with two
cemeteries. The old cemetery, dated 1901 to 1911, is located right
next door to the Clown Motel at the west end of town. It is a
rather bare, treeless place, with lots of wooden crosses and very
few headstones. We have stayed here before with no "ghostly
visitations", plus I have never really believed in ghosts anyway.
Well, that was about to change! Our first night was uneventful, but
the second night was not. I was woken up by several groups of
people leaving at 3:30 AM, probably not staying due to the snow
conditions. I was just sort of dozing after that, when I felt
someone sit down gently on the edge of my bed. I actually felt the
mattress go down a little, but I woke up and the sensation stopped.
I went back to my dozing again, and after about 15 minutes, I felt
the same sort of pressure on the edge of the bed. Again, I roused
and it stopped. I remember thinking "that was sure strange", but
went back to trying to go to sleep. Then, not long after, I felt
the bed sheets being pulled behind me, like someone was trying to
pull them through the mattress. The sensation was so strong, it
really woke me up, and again, it stopped as soon as I roused
myself. The rest of the night was uneventful, as was the rest of
our stay. I didn't say anything to the rest of my group about my
experiences, as I didn't want anyone to think that I was just
"clowning around" and making up scary stories! We
always use the old rockhound guides and maps from the 1960's and
1970's when we travel to a new area, as they provide clues to the
history of the area as well as collecting sites. There are many old
abandoned mining towns in this part of Nevada, many of which there
is no trace except a name on the map. As we are always eager to try
a new collecting site, we decided to try and find our way through
the maze of roads which didn't exist when our map was printed. We
were lucky to find the ghost town of Gilbert still somewhat visible
with some weathered wood, abandoned vehicles and mine head frames
to be seen along the way. This town is located on a well graded
dirt road, about 16 miles from the turnoff from the paved highway.
We had been told to look for the bighorn sheep, antelope, wild
horses and burros which live in the mountains above Gilbert, but
were not able to spot any. We did find the picture rhyolite, Apache
tears and banded chalcedony, and plan to spend a whole day at this
location the next time we come. Maybe we will get some great photos
of some of those wild animals to share with you!
By Marilee J. Strech
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Ghost
Towns and Ghosts in Nevada