A hotel with a historic past, Death Valley, USA

The Amargosa Hotel and Opera House

The first time I planned to drive from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, a colleague said I was mad. He told me I should fly, as there was nothing to see apart from the desert. But I had never driven through a desert before so I was excited about the prospect. Without traffic the journey was estimated to take about 4 hours, to cover the 368 km (270 miles).

This was a journey I was to take many times during my 17 years living in LA. I did fly a few times. It seemed that planes were regularly delayed at Las Vegas McCarran airport, so sometimes driving was faster. The route to Vegas became one of my favourite road trips as there actually was a lot to see in the Mojave desert. There was something exciting about crossing the state line into Nevada. This might be because of car chases I had seen in films over the years ! I loved looking at the deserted landscape, seeing the unique names on the signposts and stopping at some of the famous diners.

Baker was a great place to stop for a meal as is about 90 minutes from Las Vegas. On one side of the road is the Mad Greek Restaurant, with its distinctive signs and on the other the largest thermometer in the World. It is 134 ft in height, in homage to the hottest temperature ever recorded in the US, 134 degrees in Death Valley on July 10th 1913. Baker is also on the edge of Death Valley, a  place that has always intrigued me.

When I decided to leave the US in 2018, I had a list of things I wanted to do. A road trip through the Mojave desert was on the top of my list. So I booked myself two nights at the “Amargosa Hotel”  for $85 per night. The hotel is situated at Death Valley Junction. A series of white buildings with blue signs, doors and roofs are situated around an open space. One of the buildings at the right has a sign “Amargosa Opera House”. I really wanted to know how an Opera House had ended up in the middle of a desert !

One of the first things that appeared when I googled the Amargosa Hotel, was a question asking “if it is haunted?”. The “California Through My Lens” website calls it “Death Valley’s Historic and Haunted Hotel”. Now I was really intrigued !

I set out on a very hot June Saturday morning. I stopped at “Peggy Sues Diner”, which was another of my favourite places to have a meal. I will tell you all about this famous 60’s diner at another time ! Suffice to say, I had an excellent breakfast of omelette, hash browns, toast and coffee. 

I arrived at the Amargosa Hotel in the mid afternoon and went to the reception area. When I was checking in I noticed a book for sale. It was called “To Dance on the Sand, The Life and Art of Death Valley’s Marta Becket”. I knew this was the name of the lady associated with the Hotel and Opera House so I purchased a book costing $21.55. The lady told me she did tours of the Opera House and asked if I wanted to go on one. I was delighted and we arranged a time for the following morning. So off I went to my room, armed with my book and ready for an adventure. 

The room was basic but with a certain charm. You entered my room from an external door. I parked my car right outside my room, number 15. The blue door had glass panels and there was a heavy red curtain hanging on the other side. There were two hand painted cherubs holding a curtain rail painted on the wall over the bed. 

There was no food or beverages served at the hotel apart from coffee. So the first thing I needed to do was to go and get some food. I decided to drive into Nevada as you could literally see the sign for the state line as the road was so flat. My dashboard registered a temperature of 102 degrees. After a short drive after I passed “The Welcome to Nevada” sign, I came to a series of buildings. On the left was “The Stateline Saloon” with a large pizza and Jack Daniel’s sign. On the other was the “Longstreet Inn and Casino”. The car park was like a museum with an old police car, wagons and wagon wheels and two cow sculptures.

I parked my car and went into the restaurant area. I had a veggie quesadilla and salad and a local beer for my meal. The beer cost $3. I played the Gold Bonus Slot machine for a short time and finished when I was $38.00 in profit which covered my meal and the other things I needed. After filling my car up with petrol (you certainly don’t want to run out of petrol in Death Valley), I bought water, wine, nuts and dried fruit (including hot paprika mango). I got back to the hotel at around 7pm and settled myself at the table and chair outside my room. I was ready to learn all about Marta Becket. 

And what a story and treat I was in for ! 

Marta Becket was born in New York in 1924. She became an accomplished dancer and ballet was her favourite genre. She performed at Radio City Music Hall and was in several Broadway shows. She married her manager Thomas Williams in 1962 and they started taking her one woman ballet show across the country. In 1967 she got a flat tire in Death Valley Junction right outside what was then called “The Corkhill Hall”. She fell in love with the place and they decided to rent it. During her time she changed the name to the Amargosa Opera House. Part of the valley nearby is called the Amargosa Valley. In 1970 journalists from National Geographic were in the area and heard about Marta. They discovered she often performed in an empty hall. They wrote a story about her and one also appeared in Life Magazine. These articles created a lot of interest and over the coming years she would perform for famous people and visitors from all around the World. Marta also decorated the hall by painting lavish murals which are still there to this day. She painted an audience so she wouldn’t have to perform without one again. She also painted murals throughout the hotel, including the cherubs above my bed. 

In the following years Marta continued to perform on a weekly basis. She took a break during 2008-2009 and her final performance was on February the 12th 2012. Marta died at her beloved hotel at the age of 92 on the 30th January 2017. She was cremated and her ashes scattered over the area around the Hotel and Opera House. I was amazed that she had passed away less than 18 months ago. I was now sitting outside her Opera House and reading about her life. I really regretted not visiting before, as I would have loved to potentially had the opportunity to meet her in person. It was so quiet that night, you couldn’t hear a thing and very few cars passed along the road. As to whether I believe it’s haunted, I didn’t feel alone that night and I certainly didn’t feel nervous. 

I slept really well despite the heat and lack of air conditioning. I have stayed at motels before, where I have dragged a piece of furniture by the door. I also remember staying at a particularly dubious one with my Parents. My Father told me over breakfast, that he looked outside several times during the night to ensure my car was still there. Even though the door at the Amargosa wasn’t the most secure and it appeared there was no one around, I had a great night’s sleep.

At 10.00am the following morning I went on the tour of the Amargosa Opera House and learnt more about its history. The lady giving the tour was extremely knowledgable about Marta and the history of the hotel and the tour was excellent. 

The town of Amargosa was thriving during the 1920’s and the hotel was built by the Pacific Coast Borax Company (a company mining in the area). It consisted of 23 rooms, some offices, a shop, dining room and a recreation hall. It was designed in the Spanish Colonial Architecture style and completed in 1925. The town had a population of about 350 at its busiest and the recreation hall was used for everything from meetings, dances, church services and funerals. In 1942, the railroad ceased to be economical so was physically removed and shipped to Egypt. The hotel would change hands many times over the years until Marta Becket got her flat tire in 1967.

The Hotel and Opera House is now owned by a non-profit organisation established by Marta to preserve the property, before she passed away. The buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic places. In 1983, 120 theatre chairs were shipped from “The Boulder City Theatre” to replace seats which had become worn over time. 

The area is now described as a ghost town and rumours of it being haunted are documented time and time again. The Hotel is open all year round and on occasions hold performances in the Opera House. A few years ago, a cafe opened just across the street. 

I have stayed in all kinds of places all around the World, some more memorable than others. I will always remember this unique place and it’s fascinating history. If you ever get the chance, do pay it a visit, stay overnight, learn about Marta Becket and let me know if you think she still makes an appearance at the Opera House !