 The settlement was named Ivanpah, which, roughly translated from a Native American language (probably one of the Numic languages), means “clear water”.By the summer of 1871, Ivanpah had become a small but well-established trading center for a huge district spilling over into Nevada.A traveler came across fifteen well-built adobe buildings, including a hotel, two stores, the office and headquarters of the Piute Company, and several small houses.