Vegas on Two Wheels: Pioneer Saloon

So we all know the side of Vegas that is glitz and glam; neon lights and showgirls but, Vegas holds roots that stretch deep into the Wild West! I’m talkin’ about horses, covered wagons, and wild gun-slinging poker games gone wrong! The place is called the Pioneer Saloon and can be found just south of Las Vegas.

The Saloon is nestled in the little desert town of GoodSprings 35 miles south of the Vegas Strip. GoodSprings truly is a Wild West town established just before 1900. Now is mostly a ghost town with a population of only 219 people.

The Saloon was built in 1913. It was actually a cookie cutter saloon package that was purchased from SEARS!! Yes, you heard me right! Sears made pre-fabricated Saloons kinda like the playhouses you buy and put together for your little bikers… that is if you have little bikers.  It is the oldest saloon in southern Nevada and the bar inside the saloon was made separately from the saloon and built in the 1860s!

This place is riddled with history. From the original floor boards, showing dust and the wear and tear of over 100 years to the actual bullet holes riddling the west wall next to the soot stained cast iron fireplace used to heat this drinking hole when it was first built and STILL USED to this day during the winter months.

The story goes that on July 3rd 1915, during a poker game at the Pioneer Saloon, a man named Paul Coski was caught cheating and during a scuffle between him and another man named Joe Armstrong, Mr. Coski was shot several times and killed. The bullet holes are still in one of the pressed tin walls of the Pioneer Saloon. The full story typed out by W. H. Harkins is found hanging on the wall above the bullet holes. Mr. Harkins was a coroner working at the Justice Of The Peace office in Las Vegas and the story on the wall was the actual the telegram sent over to Paul Coski’s brother Davis Coski! WILD WEST HISTORY!

This place was made for the horse rider, but nowadays it’s for the iron horse rider. There are two ways of getting to this place. You can either take the main I-15 from Vegas, southbound OR! You can take the old way which is Las Vegas Boulevard. Both connect to Highway 50 which you take West. Go figure, right? Riding into the setting the sun like a true cowboy! I am a born rider so why the hell would I take a lame highway when I can take a winding cruise down the original road into and out of the city of Neon! It’s a ride that is straight out of the movies! Long winding roads into the desert scattered with cacti, desert shrubs, dry lake beds and mountains that linger over you in the distance. Best time to ride? Sunset of course! The road is long and mostly smooth with hardly any four-wheeled transportation on the road. I normally lean back, get comfortable and get lost in my thoughts as I ride towards the setting like a modern day cowboy.

[Images: Greg Bennett]

Greg Bennett

Greg Bennett is the morning meteorologist on KTNV’s Good Morning Las Vegas newscast. He is an avid Harley rider but also is a huge classic car fan and loves to work on both. In his free time, you can catch Greg riding his bike around town, working out at the gym, hanging out with his Pit Bull (DewPoint), or getting his hands dirty by volunteering across the city of Las Vegas.