© Donna Frederick, December 2003
This large stone barn at Tippet was used for grain storage. This is a great example of a building built of stone with no motar. The floor of this building was built of wood as grain was stored openly in the bins.
A.L. Frederick photo - May, 1998
The once bustling store at Tippett stands as a lonely reminder of a different way of life - combining hard work with unique freedoms known only to a lucky few who lived and worked on the small ranches in rural Nevada.
Tippett is located north east of Schellbourne and was named for John Tippett, an Englishman from Cornwall. Tippett and his partner Frank Bassett owned the Glencoe Mine, located in Antelope Valley on the west side of the Kern Mountains. Apparently, they made some money from the mine before the gold ran out and the Tippett Mercantile Company was formed. Tippett was designated a postal address May 11, 1896 and operated until December 15, 1913. It was again designated a post office June 4, 1915 and remained until June 30, 1926 when Ibapah, Utah became the postal address for its patrons.
After John Tippett died, his wife Alice married Gus Sellas. In 1916, William Sellas joined his brother at Tippett after spending a year in Canada. Frank Bassett returned to England and sold his share in the Tippett Mercantile Company to William. Gus and William ran the operation, which included a busy general store, sheep and cattle operations. It is unclear what happened to Alice Sellas, but in approximately 1927, Gus Sellas married Sophia.
Gus Sellas died suddenly in 1930. This, in combination with the onset of the Depression, severely hurt the business operations of the Tippett Mercantile Company. Shortly after Gus' death, William bought out Gus's wife and obtained full ownership of the Company. His sister, Helen Marvis, her husband Pete and their daughter Dorothy moved to the ranch to help with operations. Throughout the depression, they struggled to make ends meet and verged on the edge of bankruptcy for the rest of the 1930's. Only the advent of World War II allowed them to again buy livestock (cattle and sheep) and resume normal ranch operations. Between 1940 and 1970 the ranch and the Tippett Mercantile Company prospered, providing a good living for William Sellas and the Marvis family.
In 1954, Pete Marvis passed away. William Sellas passed away in 1969 and the ranch was sold in the spring of 1970. At the time of the sale, the ranch and store were financially viable and Tippett was a favorite stop for locals and others passing through. Tippett was well known for its hospitality. No visitor was turned away from a great home cooked meal prepared on a wood stove by Helen Marvis.
The store at Tippett catered to the miners and ranchers in the area as well as the Goshute Indians. For many years, government regulations did not allow whiskey to be sold on the reservation at Ibapah, Utah and the thirty miles of dirt road from Ibapah to Tippetts became well traveled. This road was called “Whiskey Road” and is still designated as such on some maps.
Present day Tippett is now run down, but the once bustling place still maintains a special ambience. The large stone grain house, adjacent chicken coop and blacksmith shop that are located near the house are examples of buildings that were built of stone with no mortar. The floor of the grain house was wood, as grain was stored openly in bins. These and other buildings at the Tippett Ranch date from the 1890s or later. They were originally log/dirt roof structures that were remodeled in the 1950s and 1960s by a live-in carpenter named Leo "Slim" Day. Cement block outer walls were added and the logs were enclosed in cement and plaster. Some of the walls were 2 feet thick and served as great insulators from the winter cold and wind. Wood stoves provided heat in these areas. In the fall of the year there would be 30-40 persons crowded into the store and ranch, eating drinking, and having a great time. The days of the small ranch are gone, but during the period they thrived money was being made and people of all races gathered to celebrate. Yes, it was a hard life, but a life with great freedom unique to small rural Nevada settlements.
The Lincoln Highway entered Nevada at Tippett. In addition to a General Store, meals, lodging and a campsite were available at Tippett. There was a consistent population of at least 10 people living at Tippett during the years the Lincoln Highway Association provided guidebooks. The 1930 census shows eleven persons living there, involved in general farm operations and working on the open range. In the fall of the year there would be 30-40 persons crowded into the store and ranch, eating drinking, and having a great time.
Author's note:
Dorothy Marvis Hull and Steve Hull provided the majority of the above information. Dorothy Marvis Hull is a 1944 graduate of White Pine High School who currently (2003) lives in Santa Barbara, California. Mrs. Hull lived at Tippett most of her life before graduating from high school. During the 1960's, her son Steve Hull spent his summers at the ranch at Tippett working for his Uncle Bill (William) Sellas). During this time, the ranch, general store and livestock operations were run by William Sellas with the assistance of Dorothy Marvis Hull's mother, Helen Marvis.
This small log cabin sits across the road from the stone barn and general store at Tippett. According to Steve Hull, who spent his summers during the 1960's at Tippett, this building was referred to as the "old cabin". Friends in need of a place to stay used to live in it from time to time.
A.L. Frederick photo - May, 1998.
