Las Vegas Sister’s Ghost Town Trip

My sister has wanted to visit Las Vegas for many years, but big cities aren’t my idea of fun. I wasn’t excited when she suggested we meet in Vegas for a weekend to celebrate my belated 50th birthday. Then I started looking at all the ghost towns we could visit and started to get excited. Throw in excellent restaurants and spas, and it began to look like a fun-filled sister trip.

As I was taking The Kid back to Mesquite after Thanksgiving, my sister decided to fly into Vegas and meet me. We only spent two and a half days but we had a fantastic time exploring historical sites.

Mob Museum

The Mob Museum is housed in the former Las Vegas post office and federal courthouse, built in 1933. The museum is officially the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement. Displays include the mob and prohibition and law enforcement attempts to stop organized crime.

One display is the Four Dueces phone booth. The booth was from a saloon, brothel and gaming house controlled by the Chicago Outfit headed by Al Capone. The Four Deuces was the site of 12 unsolved mob hits. I wonder if anyone used the phone booth to call for help.

The top floor has the main displays, including the settlement of Las Vegas, emigration to the United States, the development of organized crime, prohibition and law enforcement attempts to stop them.

The museum has a display on the death penalty in Nevada, even though executions occurred at the Nevada State Prison in Carson City.

St. Valentine’s Day Massacre wall

Any romantic thoughts about the mob are counteracted by the brick wall from the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. The wall is sobering.

The massacre occurred on St. Valentine’s Day, 1929. Seven members of the South Side Gang were in a garage and lined up against a brick wall by what they thought were police officers. Two more men in suits appeared, and they and the police officer imposters opened fire with Thompson submachine guns. Seven men were killed in the mob hit.

The display includes the brick wall. The bricks were numbered and moved several times and once served as a bar bathroom wall. Adjacent to the display are bullets removed from the victims during autopsy.

The Underground Speakeasy & Distillery

The museum has several interactive experiences, including a crime lab and firearms simulator. We opted for the distillery tour and tasting. In was fun and informative and included Moonshine tasting. The signature moonshine was something; it had a hint of popcorn with what seemed like pure alcohol. The Goodfella’s Moonshine was more palatable. My favorite was the Huckleberry Hideout, now that was some moonshine I could get into.

Breaking Bad

Hubby and I generally don’t watch shows or movies, but we both enjoyed Breaking Bad. The final exhibition at the museum was the hazmat suit worn by Walt in the series. If you haven’t seen the show, check it out. It is an interesting development of a good man into a bad guy. It deals with serious topics but has humor and great music.

Spring Mountain Ranch

Spring Mountain Ranch was the first working ranch in the Las Vegas area. It has an 1860s blacksmith shop and a sandstone cabin.

The springs were used by emigrants on the Spanish Trail which saw its first travelers in 1829. William Sherley Williams, a well-known trapper and explorer, founded the ranch in the 1860s. Williams didn’t live at the ranch, but a stone blacksmith shop and one-room house were constructed.

James Wilson and George Anderson purchased the ranch in the 1870s. The partners used the original buildings and added more. George left the ranch to operate a saloon, leaving his wife Annie and sons Jim and Tweed.

Mystery surrounds Spring Mountain Ranch. In the 1880s, James’s wife Annie disappeared, never to be heard from again. The family owned the ranch until 1929, when it was sold to a number of people from Hollywood. The most notable owner was Howard Hughes.

We visited the state park twice. We ran out of time to see the historic buildings or the visitor center the first time. The second day, the historic ranch buildings and visitors’ center were closed due to power outages. Darn it, the historic buildings were the purpose of my visit.

The Wilson family has a cemetery above the ranch.

Red Rock

We hiked in Red Rock National Conservation Area one morning. The park has changed to a reservation system, so make sure to get your reservations early. I loved the pictographs and agave roasting pit. Unfortunately, none photographed well.

Nelson & Eldorado Canyon

The Wild West lived up to its name in Eldorado Canyon. With the closest law enforcement over 100 miles away, gunfights and murders were a frequent occurrence. The town changed its name to Nelson following the murder of Charles Nelson and four others in 1897.
Nelson is likely the most photogenic ghost town in Nevada. We arrived late, so I only had half an hour to explore. I think only a few buildings are original to Nelson. The owners have amassed a collection of buildings, mining equipment, and vehicles and have them arranged as a pleasing open-air museum.

Canyon Ranch Spa

My birthday present from my sister was an amazing spa day at Canyon Ranch Spa. The 80-minute massage was fantastic; I zoned out for a time, which rarely happens. All the spa services, including a jacuzzi, steam rooms, experiential showers, and a salt room, are almost as fun. My favorite is the Wave Room. Zero-G chairs surround a pool of water reflected on the ceiling. It looks like something from the USS Enterprise but is deliciously relaxing.

Nevada Test Site

Originally known as the Nevada Proving Grounds, the site was developed in 1951 for testing of nuclear weapons. The first test was on January 27, 1951, when a 1-kiloton bomb was dropped on Frenchman Flat. Over 1,000 bombs were tested.

You can see the town of Mercury in the distance. The United States Department of Energy controls Mercury and is not open to visitors.

Angel’s Ladies

I visited Angel’s Ladies earlier this year but wanted to stop and get a better picture. Unusual finds dot Nevada’s roadsides: UFOs hanging from the back of a tow truck, gigantic memorials built from trash, and a downed airplane in front of Angel’s Ladies brothel. Upon first seeing the abandoned plane, I thought it might have been a publicity stunt; little did I realize how big of a stunt it was.

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