Entry No. 5 — the Las Vegas file — filed under: haunted
Pioneer Saloon
A 1913 pressed-tin-walled saloon — one of the oldest bars in Nevada — still shows two bullet holes from a fatal 1915 card-game shooting, and keeps a small memorial to Clark Gable and Carole Lombard in the corner where he waited during the search after her plane went down on nearby Potosi Mountain in 1942.
The story
In 1913, Clark County Commissioner George Fayle shipped in pre-fabricated pressed-tin panels to build a saloon for the booming mining town of Goodsprings. Most frontier boomtowns burned down or rusted away, but Fayle’s tin walls held. Today, it stands as one of the oldest operational bars in Southern Nevada, holding more real blood and history than any themed casino on the Strip could hope to fabricate.
You didn't hear it from us, but the wall behind the bar still carries two distinct bullet holes from a 1915 card game shooting when a player was caught cheating. Decades later, in January 1942, TWA Flight 3 slammed into nearby Potosi Mountain. Clark Gable set up camp in the corner of this room, drinking whiskey and burning cigar marks into the wooden bar top for three straight days while search teams looked for his wife, Carole Lombard. A modest memorial to Lombard still sits in that exact corner.
In a bizarre second life, the saloon was painstakingly digitized into the opening town of the 2010 video game *Fallout: New Vegas*. Today, the bar keeps a framed copy of the game hung on the wall, creating a surreal overlap where post-apocalyptic roleplayers, ghost hunters, and off-roaders all order beers under the same tin roof.
What it's like
The 40-minute drive south from the Strip drops you into pitch-black desert before Goodsprings appears out of nowhere. Inside, the place smells like woodsmoke and old whiskey, lit by dim lamps that show off the warped wooden floorboards and historic brass fixtures. Expect an odd mix of leather-clad motorcyclists, gamers taking photos of the framed video game case, and locals drinking quietly at the bar. If you visit on a weekend, head out back to the courtyard where they grill ghost burgers over open flames alongside live country music.
The move: Grab burgers and a beer at the bar that served as search headquarters for the 1942 TWA Flight 3 crash, then find the bullet-hole wall and the Gable/Lombard memorial corner before the 40-minute drive back to Vegas after dark.
- 📍 Goodsprings, NV
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 310 West Spring Street, Goodsprings, NV 89019
Hours: Added 2026-07-20 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Columbia Mine — Located less than three miles away, this 1886 mining site provides context for the zinc and lead rush that built Goodsprings and filled the saloon in the first place.
- Seven Magic Mountains — Stop by Ugo Rondinone's 35-foot Day-Glo boulder totems in the Ivanpah Valley for a burst of modern color before plunging into Goodsprings' dusty 1913 history.
- Dawn Mine — Explore the remote Potosi Mining District eight miles north to see the mountain terrain tied to both early Nevada mining history and the 1942 air disaster.
Good to know
Where are the bullet holes located inside the bar?
Look at the stamped-tin wall near the bar area; you can clearly see two holes left by a 1915 fatal card-game dispute.
What is Clark Gable’s connection to the saloon?
Gable waited inside the Pioneer Saloon for three days in 1942 while search parties located the crash site of TWA Flight 3 on Potosi Mountain, which killed his wife Carole Lombard.
Is the Pioneer Saloon really in Fallout: New Vegas?
Yes, the saloon was heavily featured in the game as a key location in Goodsprings, and the bar now displays a framed copy of the game.
Do I need to check hours before driving out?
Yes, hours can vary, so always confirm they are open before taking the 40-minute drive from Las Vegas.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Wikipedia · Official site · Reddit · Yelp
last checked: 2026-07-20