Bonnie Springs Ranch, Amusement park in Red Rock Canyon, Nevada, US
Bonnie Springs Ranch is a former amusement park in Red Rock Canyon, Nevada, covering 63 acres of desert land with natural springs at 4,000 feet elevation. Facilities included an animal enclosure, a replica western town, and dining establishments.
The site served as a stopover for wagon trains on the Old Spanish Trail between California and New Mexico from 1843 onwards. Bonnie McGaugh acquired the property in 1952 and developed it into a tourist western attraction that closed in 2019.
Owner Bonnie McGaugh transformed the stopover into a leisure destination with a western town setting built to reflect frontier life. The wooden facades and saloons recalled the settlements of the 19th-century American West.
The site lay about 19 miles (30 kilometers) west of Las Vegas in the desert landscape with good access via paved roads. Visitors could explore several areas on foot, with sturdy footwear recommended due to uneven terrain.
The restaurant ceiling displayed a collection of neckties with dollar bills attached, dating from a time when guests were expected to dine without ties. Anyone who arrived wearing one had to cut it off and hang it on the ceiling.
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