My Trip to Tonopah, Nevada by Jodie Rocco

Tonopah, Nevada. I had never been there before and I can tell you it was an experience of a lifetime! I stayed at the Mizpah Hotel which is a member of Historic Hotels of America, the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Yes it is haunted! (See more about how haunted below) I met some wonderful people who treated me like family and I have some fabulous stories and pics. 

In the bar area of the Mizpah Hotel in Tonopah, Nevada.

Checking out a very old slot machine 

in the lobby of the Mizpah Hotel in Tonopah, Nevada.

I was asked to sing at a memorial service at a private family cemetery. I know right? That's why I traveled to Tonopah. I was asked because one of the three family members to be interred was a longtime family friend of mine, however. I did not know the host family at all. These services are usually very emotionally charged so I decided to record the songs instead, which I did in Las Vegas at Digital Insight Recording. And yes, I will post the songs. I never in my wildest thoughts could have described what kind of day I experienced! Five generations of one family coming together from around the country to memorialize their deceased relatives. Nevada's history is richer because of this pioneer family. It was an eclectically awesome day. One I will never forget. Here are some pics I took with my Samsung Galaxy 6 phone. ‪#‎family‬ ‪#‎angel‬

If anyone asks the answer is YES, the Mizpah Hotel is haunted! I experienced a couple things. The first night: I had just ordered a glass of Chardonnay at the bar and was mentioning to my friend Liz that I had forgotten my charger at home. She said she had an extra one in her room. So we made our way to the only elevator in the building which was installed in 1906 when the hotel was built. There was a man and a woman, their luggage, me and Liz. I was the last person to get in and I was facing the back of the elevator. The couple was in front of me and Liz to my right. I wasn't all the way in so Liz kind of put her hand behind me so the door wouldn't get me. In doing so she hit my elbow. The wine glass I was holding was pretty big. It flew out of my hand as if in slow motion. Half of the contents was flying through the air sure to hit the man and woman. It's almost as if something diverted the spilling wine and it landed between the two on the back wall with only a couple of splash marks on the guy. The wine glass which was STILL in mid air reversed it's motion and landed back in my hand without incident. The four of us just stared at the glass in my hand that still had wine in it. I thought damn, I couldn't do that again if I tried! The woman said she was grateful it wasn't red wine and we went about our business. When I got back down to the bar I relayed my experience to Ian, the food and beverage manager. He said oh, that was Rose. She likes to ride the elevator and she loved wine. Huh?? Past tense "loved"?? Apparently, in the 1920's Rose, or as she is fondly called, "The Lady in Red", came to the ‪Mizpah‬ and was a female companion to the lonely miners in Tonopah. BTW she was stunning. She was murdered on the fifth floor of the hotel in the suite that now bears her name. There are a couple of renditions of what happened but most believe a jealous lover strangled and stabbed her when he learned of her dalliances with other men. In fact, she was trying to get away from her murderer and made it right past the door to her room where he continued to stab her. As she slid down the wall she inscribed a letter out of her own blood letting others know the first initial of the person who killed her then fell to the floor and died. Her murderer was caught because of that. The initial is still there however you can't see it with the naked eye. A camera with a flash and it's quite clear. Can you see it? Oh and here's a pic of me OUTSIDE of the hotel thank you very much... More tomorrow! ‪#‎haunted‬ ‪#‎ghosts‬ ‪#‎TheLadyInRed‬

The "Lady in Red" at the Mizpah Hotel in Tonopah, Nevada.

Can you see the letter?

I met some very interesting people during my stay, besides the ghosts. As I was checking out, I met a couple taking the elevator. Yes the elevator again, and this is not the last story about the elevator. ; ) Instead of squishing all of us with the luggage cart, I decided to take the elevator down then just ride back up and get the luggage. The woman was very gracious and thanked me for being so thoughtful. A half hour later I see the couple again in the cafe and we start chatting. She tells me her husband is retired Air Force and he had been stationed at Tonopah back in the day. I mentioned we had seen a couple of military bases on our way in and that my dad was career Army. We talked for about a half hour. I was getting ready to leave and she asked me for my business card because they travel to Vegas often. So I went to the truck and got one. When I came back she showed me the back of the menu where it described the 357th Fighter Group at ‪#‎Tonopah‬. Then she introduced me to her husband Chuck Yeager. And took this picture. You heard me..... ‪#‎FasterThanSound‬