The Goodyear Guide: Bonnie Springs Ranch - Blue Diamond, NV
Today’s Goodyear Guide post is an in memoriam celebration of the late Bonnie Springs Ranch outside of Las Vegas, once nestled between the western city limits and Red Rock Canyon in Blue Diamond, Nevada. Sold to developers in 2019 and demolished in the years that followed, the former western theme pack was one of the kitschiest places you could find in a region known for its kitsch. I used to own a house in Summerlin not far from the ranch, so my wife and I would mosey out for breakfast whenever we were in town.
Established in 1952, Bonnie Springs Ranch wasn’t just a western theme park, but also a legendary bar and diner where patrons would hang dollar bills from the ceiling out of tradition. The ranch itself dates back to the 1840s when it was a stopover for wagon trains heading west to California, but was purchased by Bonnie McGaugh in the 1950s, a former showgirl and dancer in Las Vegas.
The western theme park was added in the 1970s to accompany the many horses and stables that were also onsight. The cowboy vibe was always strong in the cantina, as were the drinks. I remember a gin and tonic one morning that was probably 95% gin to 5% tonic. Locals and tourists alike would share stories at the counter, and the saloon always had one of the most diverse and eclectic crowds around.
I ate the same breakfast pretty much every time at the diner: scrambled eggs and bacon with home fries and a buttery biscuit. The coffee came in mismatched mugs, the water in red plastic cups, and the average age of the patrons each morning was probably 65, given the fact that my wife and I were in our late thirties, bringing down the number just a bit.
When I heard the ranch had been sold to developers, I was saddened to think of all those mornings in the desert that would never come again. There are few places as weird and wonderful as Bonnie Springs Ranch left in this era, so it’s important to celebrate them every chance you get. I must have listened to that talking cowboy automaton at least a dozen times, the nostalgia warming my body with every word.
-David Driscoll