The history of Primm, Nevada is one of enterprise and grit; during the 1920s, a fellow named Pete MacIntyre opened a gas station in this desolate desert on the California border. Apparently, Pete couldn’t make ends meet simply selling gas, so he began bootlegging whiskey. Folks around the Primm Valley fondly remember him as “Whiskey Pete”. When Whiskey Pete died in 1933, it’s said that he wanted to be buried clutching a bottle of bootleg whiskey in his hands, and that he wanted to be buried standing up, to watch over his beloved valley.
Surprisingly, Whiskey Pete’s body was accidentally dug up when workers were building the connecting bridge from Whiskey Pete’s Hotel and Casino to Buffalo Bill’s across I-15. Pete’s remains were reburied in one of the caves where he’d brewed his moonshine.
Today, there are three large casinos in Primm: Whiskey Pete’s Hotel and Casino, on the site of the original Whiskey Pete’s gas station; Buffalo Bill’s Hotel and Casino; and the Primm Valley Casino and Resort. Getting to Primm is easy, too; it’s on I-15 south of Las Vegas, right before the California border.
Bonnie and Clyde’s Death Car
This notorious outlaw duo were contemporaries of Whiskey Pete, tearing up the countryside and robbing banks right across the Midwest. This outlaw couple met their end in May 1934, when police ambushed them near Gibsland, Louisiana. Texas lawmen sprayed the 1934 Ford Deluxe V-8 with more than 130 bullets!
Today, the bullet-ridden 1934 Ford Deluxe V-8 sits in the lobby of Whiskey Pete’s, along with Al Capone’s bullet-proof 1928 Cadillac Model 341 Town Sedan. Al Capone was also a contemporary of Whiskey Pete, and likewise, involved in the bootlegging business. While Al Capone’s car was never actually in a gunfight, a previous owner wanted to make it look like it had been, so he fired bullets at the car himself. Therefore, the bullet holes you see in Al’s car were not the result of a Chicago gangster shootout.
The MINT 400 Primm Valley Off-Road Rally
In 1967, the first “Mint 400 Off-Road Rally” was held to promote the old Mint Hotel on Fremont Street in Las Vegas. That first race was between two identical dune buggies charging across 600 miles of bleak Nevada desert. The race began at the Mint Hotel in Las Vegas and ended at the Sahara Hotel in Lake Tahoe. The endurance race became an overnight sensation, enthralling off-road enthusiasts the world over.
Today, the “The Great American Off-Road Race” is held every March in Primm. More than 550 off-road race teams in more than 80 classes flock to the Primm Valley to compete for the grueling two-day race. In fact, this race is so tough, fewer than half of the teams ever finish.
The Mint 400 Primm Valley Start/Finish Line viewing area stretches for nearly two miles; the five huge spectator areas seat fans right in front of all of the exciting off-road action. Furthermore, race fans can enjoy food trucks, beer and alcohol, official race souvenirs, and tons of fun, family-friendly activities. The race draws more than 65,000 off-road race fans to Primm from all over the world, and the Livestream brings the race to hundreds of thousands more. The Mint 400 held in Primm is one of the biggest off-road races in the world.
The grueling 90-mile race loop goes from Primm NV on the California state line to Jean NV, on the Southern edge of Las Vegas. The off-road course is the most challenging in the country.
Even Hollywood stars have entered; James Garner, Steve McQueen, Jay Leno, and Patrick Dempsey have all given it a go. Astronaut Gordon Cooper and rock star Ted Nugent did too. So, you never know who you’ll run into at the MINT 400 in the Primm Valley.
The Mint 400 Girls
Back in 1972, K.J. Howe, the longtime director of the Mint 400, came up with the idea for “The Girls of the Mint 400.” Adding pretty girls to the race was a great PR move, and it added an element of glamor to the race. Among former Mint 400 Girls are “Wonder Woman” actress Lynda Carter and Vanna White, of Wheel of Fortune fame. In fact, the Miss Mint competition is the most prestigious beauty pageant in motorsports. The final run-off for the title of Miss Mint is part of the race festivities.
Stay Close to the Action in Primm
While the Mint 400 Primm Valley Off-Road Rally is advertised as a Las Vegas race, it’s actually held in Primm. There’s no reason to drive forty-five miles to Primm from a hotel in Las Vegas when there are three huge hotels right there in Primm. The Primm Valley Resort, Buffalo Bill’s and Whiskey Pete’s all offer rooms, restaurants, and gambling, right on the finish line.
Ride the Primm and Hidden Valleys Yourself
Off-road through the Primm Valley yourself on an ATV. There are tours that take you through both the Primm Valley, and the nearby Hidden Valley in the Mojave National Preserve. You won’t need any experience on an ATV to go on this adventure. You’ll ride through the rugged terrain of the Mojave Desert, seeing Nevada as the early pioneers did.
The Mojave Desert is home to the largest Joshua tree forest on earth, and wildflowers carpet this exotic landscape every spring. With majestic mountains, deep canyons, and long-abandoned mines dotting this wilderness between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, the Mojave Desert is a world away from the major metropolitan areas of Las Vegas and Los Angeles.
Ride Across the Jean Dry Lake Bed
Back during the Pleistocene, most of Nevada was covered with massive lakes. The trail to the Jean Dry Lake leads from Las Vegas and east of the pit-stop town of Jean. Both the dry lake and the tiny town were named after the postmaster’s wife in 1905. The dry lake bed is an easy adventure for novice riders, and this dusty, windy expanse of dried mud will be a new experience for many.
The dry lake bed has long been a popular place for photoshoots and filming movies. The Hollywood blockbusters Casino, The Hangover and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas all have scenes filmed at Jean Dry Lake Bed.
The Seven Magic Mountains Art Installation
A guided ATV tour through the Primm and Hidden Valleys will also take you past the Seven Magic Mountains art installation by Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone. Artists from all over the world have a peculiar fascination with the Nevada Desert, creating installations all over the bleak expanses of dry lake beds in Western Nevada. Back in the 1960s, legendary artists Jean Tinguely and Michael Heizer created their “land art” in this very same location.
Artist Ugo Rondinone was commissioned by the Nevada Museum of Art and the Art Production Fund to erect the seven pillars of brightly painted boulders 10-miles south of Las Vegas near the Jean Dry Lake Bed.
The incongruous, 35-foot-tall stacks of candy-colored boulders are visible across the vast Mojave Desert along Interstate 15. According to the artist, his intention was to offer a fanciful critique of the plastic quality of places like Las Vegas. Rondinone chose the location because it is physically and symbolically at the mid-point between the artificial and the natural; the artificial is represented by a constant flow of traffic on Interstate 15, while the natural is represented by the mountains, desert, and the dry lake.
Art critics say that Rondinone’s concurrent references to the natural world, existentialism, and romanticism condense a “mental trinity” underpinning his art, creating the right condition for an expansive emotional response. However, you might simply say those painted rocks look really cool!
The McCullough Mountain Range
The ATV tour will eventually take you to the North McCullough Wilderness Area, transitioning from the bleak landscape of the dry lake bed to a desert landscape rich with life.
Unlike other mountain ranges in the region, the McCullough Mountains are volcanic. You’ll see dramatic ash falls, lava flows and zones of shiny, glassy rocks. Noteworthy petroglyphs from the Mojave people also decorate certain areas, although the Bureau of Land Management keeps those locations secret, to deter vandalism. If you are unfamiliar with the desert, this will be a fascinating tour through an ancient and primal landscape.
The desert vegetation here is a varied landscape of creosote and Joshua trees, barrel cactus, prickly pears and thickets of teddy bear cholla; be very careful around the teddy bear cholla, it’s also known as “jumping cactus” and if you get stuck with it, it’s hard to get off.
The desert around Las Vegas has long been a destination for motorsport enthusiasts and off-road adventurers. While most visitors to Las Vegas simply drive through Primm, you may be surprised if you take the time to stop. Whether it’s taking in a world-class off-road rally or riding across the desert on an ATV, the Primm and Hidden Valleys have a lot to offer.
