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. 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.

Throughout the depression, the company 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.

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. 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.

The ranch buildings are now run down and abandoned. If you would like to read the full article from which I based my narrative on, visit this link [Click Here].