Former Mining Town of Nipton Purchased by Circus Company Spiegelworld

At the crossroads of two mining tracks, the former mining town of Nipton, California was recently purchased by Spiegelworld – a circus company with a presence in Las Vegas and Atlantic City.  Announced by the company in January 2023 with a short teaser video on Youtube (see above), their statement regarding the purchase was also pretty concise;

'What if an audacious circus company purchased a small town in the middle of the Mojave Desert? A living town where performers and artisans can retreat to dream and create? A place to tell stories around the campfire? A place to dine under the stars and wake up to a panoramic view of the mountains? As new caretakers of this circus-oasis in the desert, Spiegelworld will be writing the next chapter of Nipton’s centuries-old story. Will you be in it? We can’t wait to see what happens'.

It sounds like a fascinating new chapter in the town's history which started at the turn of the 20th century.  Originally flourishing as a mining camp due to its strategic position on two mining trails (gold was discovered nearby) the settlement also benefited from being a cattle loading station for the wider area.  An opportunity to revitalise Nipton's cafe and small hotel brought new owners in the mid 1980s followed by an unlikely new owner in 2017. Seeking to capitalize on the relaxation of cannabis laws in many U.S. states, American Green wanted to profit from the boom in cannabis tourism by creating the first 'Pot Town, USA' but their development plans were hindered by a lack of funding (for a detailed history of Nipton on Wikipedia click here).

That ultimately led to Spiegelworld's reported $2.5m purchase of Nipton earlier this year.  After nearly 20 years of producing shows, winning many awards and achieving long-running success in Las Vegas (they recently signed a $75m long-term deal with Caesars Entertainment), Spiegelworld appears to have a safe pair of hands to breathe life back in to the town whilst also taking it in a new direction.  Nipton didn't become Pot Town, USA but looks very likely to become Circus Town, USA instead.

Click Here to Read WSJ's article about Spiegelworld's purchase of Nipton (on Spiegelworld.com)

Below – Streetview of Nipton