This hotel was built by John Mulligan and John W. "Watt" Thompson, partners in numerous ventures including mining, construction and real estate speculation. Their names adorn the keystones at the top of the façade.
Built between 1907 and 1909 with stone from the local Metcalf Quarry, the hotel was the first three-story building in Kingman. The acrimonious end to the partnership in 1912 led to the literal division of the property with the construction of a dividing wall. This wall would remain standing until 1966.
The hotel has a long-standing celebrity relationship. Edsel Ford was a guest there in July 1916. According to local legend, Clark Gable and Carol Lombard attended an impromptu reception in the hotel bar after their marriage at the Methodist Episcopal Church in March 1939. Senator Barry Goldwater often dined at the El Mohave restaurant, which opened in 1959.