Legendary Hotel Struggles to Survive in Nevada

Bill Allison looks at home behind the bar at the old Victorian-style Mizpah Hotel, where Jack Dempsey once worked, Wyatt Earp rested and Howard Hughes held one of his weddings.

He wipes the counter with a tattooed, muscled arm, a growth of white beard covering his friendly face, and expertly mixes a White Russian. Friends and employees gather around as he talks about the “grand old lady,” the casino-hotel now listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Allison is working to restore the Mizpah to its once impeccable standards while struggling to survive in this no-man’s-land midway between Las Vegas and Reno.

The hotel’s distinctly Jewish name--in an area known for American Indian lore--was taken from a prayer in the Old Testament asking God to keep watch over travelers.

Between regaling his guests with his description of his own brief brush with movie fame, Allison offers insight into the Mizpah’s colorful past:

* World heavyweight boxer Jack Dempsey tended bar and worked as a bouncer at the Mizpah. He also boxed in Tonopah and nearby Goldfield. The Mizpah’s formal restaurant is known now as the Jack Dempsey Dining Room.

* Gunfighter Wyatt Earp supposedly ran off claim jumpers in nearby Goldfield and relaxed at the Mizpah during the region’s mining heyday.

* Reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes married actress Jean Peters at the Mizpah.

Many other celebrities and state leaders also used to stay at the hotel, Allison says.

One of Tonopah’s many prostitutes is believed to have been decapitated by a jealous lover at the Mizpah, and many say her ghost still haunts the elegant hotel.

“I’ve never seen it. It’s supposed to be a beautiful lady in red,” Allison says. “Everybody that’s ever seen this ghost, something good has happened to them. Some people come in and have a seance sometimes.”

The five-story hotel, built in 1907-1908, has changed hands many times over the years as business fluctuated.

Allison was forced to lease the hotel after going into bankruptcy after his purchase of the building in 1984. The Mizpah lost customers over the years as its casino occasionally sat idle, and people moved away from this mining town.

“We’re back in action now,” Allison says. “It’s like a mom-and-pop operation. We’re like one big family.”

Small historical nuggets can be found throughout the hotel--including a sign left over from the days when guests had to share one bathroom per floor. Behind the registration desk it sits: “bath 50 cents, soap 2 cents.”

Allison, who returned to the hotel last March and reopened the casino in August, hopes to capitalize on the tour groups and business people who frequently pass through here without staying.

He’d like to cater to the old and young--with reunions for the World War II veterans who were once stationed near here and a youth center for teenagers interested in dancing and socializing.

Allison tells of having every last inch of the hotel cleaned and polished, his description reminiscent of the way men once babied their cars, lovingly polishing endless strips of chrome and rubbing creams into long bucket seats.

Allison even has movie ideas for the Mizpah. A native of Galveston, Tex., with no previous acting experience, he played John Nance, a money carrier for the Mob, in Martin Scorsese’s hit film “Casino.”

Allison’s son had arranged for his middle-aged father to work as a gambling consultant for the filmmaker, but Scorsese was so impressed by Allison that he hired him as an actor too.

Allison took to the new job with his usual gusto, not hesitating to tell Scorsese when he thought his character’s language was unrealistic. He said actor Robert DeNiro told him he had “a lot of nerve” telling the legendary Scorsese how to write a film.

For the moment, Allison’s focusing his attention on refurbishing the hotel while still retaining its old, elegant flavor.

Brass fixtures and old chandeliers adorn the hotel. Guests are treated to what Allison calls a “five-star breakfast” in the Pittman Room, where the community’s leaders often dine in the morning.

The 56 rooms are small but clean, with room for little more than an armoire and large bed. Bathrooms have been added to each room, and they are all air-conditioned.

Gamblers can be found at all hours in the casino, which was leased to Jim Marsh in August. Allison is pleased that the casino is open again, but would like to be qualified to run it himself someday. He withdrew a gaming application earlier for lack of financing, but hopes to try again soon.

In the meantime, Allison is diligently working to bring this “grand old lady” up to her former standards and cultivate a strong customer base.

Although he fears he may have to sell the Mizpah at some point, he continues to work hard to develop repeat customers, whom he tells: “once a guest, always a friend.”