Whiskey Pete's is a hotel and casino in Primm, Nevada, United States. The hotel has 777 rooms and suites, a swimming pool, a gift shop and four restaurants. Whiskey Pete's is one of the Primm Valley Resorts, owned and operated by Affinity Gaming. The casino covers 34,800 sq ft (3,230 m2) and includes a race and sports book.[1]
| Whiskey Pete's | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Location | Primm, Nevada, U.S. |
| Address | 100 Primm Boulevard |
| Opening date | 1977 |
| Theme | Old West |
| No. of rooms | 777 |
| Total gaming space | 34,800 sq ft (3,230 m2) |
| Notable restaurants | IHOP (formerly Mega Café) |
| Owner | Affinity Gaming |
| Renovated in | 1983, 1997, 2003, 2004, 2016 |
| Website | primmvalleyresorts |
History
edit
The area was originally owned by a gas station owner named Pete MacIntyre. Pete is believed to have had a difficult time making ends meet selling gas and had resorted to bootlegging. Primm history remembers him as "Whiskey Pete."[2]
When Whiskey Pete died in 1933, legend has it that he wanted to be buried standing up with a bottle of bootleg in his hands so he could watch over the area. Whiskey Pete's unmarked grave was accidentally exhumed while workers were building a connecting bridge from Whiskey Pete's to Buffalo Bill's (on the other side of I-15). The body was moved and is now said to be buried in one of the caves where Pete cooked up his moonshine.[3]
Whiskey Pete's was opened in 1977 by Ernest Jay Primm as the first of the casinos[4] to be located at what was then called State Line.
In 1983, a new hotel tower was constructed as part of an expansion of the property.[5]
In late 1998, Whiskey Pete's offered the roof of the parking garage as a Valley Hospital Flight For Life Base.[citation needed]
Bonnie and Clyde's death car
editThe automobile in which Bonnie and Clyde were killed was on display in the lobby of Whiskey Pete's until the COVID-19 pandemic. In the 1990s, the vehicle was exhibited for several years at Primm Valley Resort[6] and Terrible's Gold Ranch Casino in Verdi[7] before being returned to Whiskey Pete's in July 2011. It was then moved back to Primm Valley Resort briefly before being moved to Buffalo Bill's Resort & Casino in late 2022, where it is currently.[8]
Alexander Harris Case
editAlexander Harris, a seven-year-old child from Mountain View, California was reported missing from the video arcade of Whiskey Pete's in November 1987. A body was discovered one month later off the property. Howard Lee Haupt, of San Diego, was later arrested on suspicion, but was acquitted of all charges in 1989.[9]
Transportation
editFree shuttle buses operate between Whiskey Pete's and the resorts other hotels, Primm Valley Resort and Buffalo Bill's.
Whiskey Pete's is connected to Primm Valley Resort by a free single-car monorail across Interstate 15. The tram was constructed by Schwager-Davis using the UniTrak technology and was retrofitted in 1996.[10] The tram travels at 15 mph and can transport 1,200 people, per hour, per direction (pphpd). Doors on either side allow passengers to enter and exit the tram at the same time, thus reducing the dwell time from 2 minutes to 1 minute. Trams arrive every 3 to 5 minutes [citation needed]. However, the tram had not run as early as 2016 for unknown reasons.
In popular culture
editWhiskey Pete’s appears in the 2010 videogame Fallout: New Vegas as the Vikki and Vance Casino. The casino features the death car of fictional outlaws Vikki and Vance, who are based on Bonnie and Clyde.[11]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Listing of Financial Statements Square Footage". Nevada Gaming Control Board. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
- ^ Levitan, Corey (October 25, 2024). "VEGAS MYTHS RE-BUSTED: The Final Resting Place of Whiskey Pete - Casino.org Uncovering the Truth About Whiskey Pete's Burial Site in Primm, Nevada". Casino.org. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
- ^ Weird Las Vegas and Nevada. Sterling Publishing. 2007. ISBN 9781402739408. Retrieved January 5, 2012.
- ^ Benston, Liz (July 2, 2009). "Primm's lure: Freebies". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved July 2, 2009.
- ^ "Las Vegas Hotels / Casinos: By Name". University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Archived from the original on September 1, 2006. Retrieved April 11, 2007.
- ^ "Bonnie and Clyde's Death Car." Archived June 16, 2009, at the Wayback Machine Roadside America.com. Retrieved June 10, 2009.
- ^ "Bonnie and Clyde's Death Car." Archived April 28, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Roadside America.com. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
- ^ "How the 'Bonnie and Clyde Death Car' ended up in Primm". Las Vegas Review-Journal. March 19, 2024. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
- ^ Puit, Glenn (May 26, 1997). "Child slain in Primm". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on May 14, 2011. Retrieved July 21, 2011.
- ^ "Primadonna Shuttle System Retrofit" (PDF). Schwager-Davis. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 2, 2012. Retrieved September 8, 2011.
- ^ Harkness, Vic (April 14, 2019). "The Fallout New Vegas experience, IRL: Primm".