On May 19, 1900, a man named James Butler was tracking down his mules that were missing. When he found them, he happened to notice a rock outcropping that looked to be silver. He took some samples to have assayed in nearby Klondike. The assayer said the samples were worthless, consisting mainly of iron. He still had a feeling that his find was genuine, so he stopped by for more samples again. he didn't get around to having them assayed for some time. He just had them sitting in his windowsill at his ranch. A friend named Tasker Oddie, later to become governor of Nevada, came by and spotted the samples. He offered to pay for another assay. Butler agreed and offered him one quarter interest of the assay. Oddie, in turn, offered the assayer named Gayhart one quarter of his quarter for him to assay the ore.
Gayhart found the ore to be worth $600 per ton. Butler was notified immediately, as no one else knew where the ore came from. News spread, and lots of prospectors flooded the Tonopah Springs area to find the source themselves. But none of them had any luck. Butler finally went to Belmont to file on his claims on August 27, 1900. His wife, Mrs. Butler, staked out his claim. The town that sprung up became known as Butler.
On April 10, 1901 Butler received its post office. By the end of 1902, the town had a population of more than 3,000. Even Wyatt Earp was a resident from 1902 to 1904. On July 25, 1904, the Tonopah and Goldfield railraod opened. It wasn't until March 3, 1905, that the name was changed to Tonopah. In May of 1905, Tonopah became the county seat during its peak, atking it away from Belmont, which was almost deserted by now. By 1913, the mines were producing noticably less ore. Many people left, but many people also stayed. During its glory days, Tonopah had produced $150 million in gold and silver. Tonopah has never become a true ghost town, but it has many great old original buildings. Tonopah sits at the junction of Highways 6 and 95.
