Address: 310 West Spring Street, Goodsprings, Nevada 89019
Phone: (702) 674-6809
Official website: Pioneer Saloon official site
Hours: The official contact page lists restaurant hours as Monday through Thursday from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and Friday through Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. The saloon notes that the bar generally stays open an hour later. Hours can change for holidays, weather, or special events, so check before visiting.
The Pioneer Saloon in Goodsprings, Nevada is one of those rare places where the Old West does not feel recreated. It feels left behind. About 25 miles from the south end of Las Vegas, this historic desert saloon has been serving travelers, locals, bikers, ghost hunters, history lovers, and curious road-trippers since 1913. The building is a Nevada Historic Landmark, the oldest bar in the Las Vegas area and southern Nevada, and one of the most famous haunted places near Las Vegas.
What makes the Pioneer Saloon so memorable is that its haunted reputation is tied to real history. There was a deadly card game in 1915. There is a memorial room connected to the tragic 1942 death of actress Carole Lombard. There are old bullet holes in the stamped tin wall. And according to the saloon itself, employees and customers have reported strange activity inside the building for years.
The History of the Pioneer Saloon
The Pioneer Saloon was built in 1913 by George Fayle, a Clark County commissioner and businessman who saw opportunity in the mining boom around Goodsprings. Travel Nevada describes the saloon and the nearby Hotel Fayle as social centers for the young town, which once had stores, restaurants, churches, a theater, and several saloons during its peak years.
Goodsprings itself grew because of mining. The Pioneer Saloon’s official site says the town was named after Joseph Good, who settled in the area in the late 1800s while hoping to profit from the region’s mineral deposits. The town expanded in the early 20th century as mining and the railroad helped turn southern Nevada into a growing hub.
The saloon still carries many of its original details. Its walls and ceiling are made of stamped tin, and Travel Nevada notes that the tin was made by Sears and Roebuck. The same source says the saloon’s bar was crafted in Brunswick, Maine in the early 1860s, traveled around Cape Horn to San Francisco, moved by ox wagon to the mining town of Rhyolite, and eventually ended up in Goodsprings.
A few historic details visitors often look for include:
- The original stamped tin walls and ceiling
- The old Brunswick bar
- Bullet holes connected to a fatal 1915 card game
- The Clark Gable and Carole Lombard memorial area
- The Goodsprings General Store next door
- Memorabilia tied to movies, television, and Fallout: New Vegas
In 2007, the Pioneer Saloon was added to the Nevada State Register of Historic Places, helping protect its place as one of southern Nevada’s most important surviving Old West landmarks.
The Fatal 1915 Card Game
One of the darkest true stories connected to the Pioneer Saloon happened in 1915. According to Travel Nevada, an out-of-work miner named Paul Coski was shot and killed by Joe Armstrong after Coski was accused of cheating during a card game. The coroner’s report is displayed inside the saloon, and visitors can still see the bullet holes in the stamped tin wall.
The saloon’s own “Fun Facts and Folklore” page also identifies Coski as the man killed in the incident and says the wall contains three fully penetrating holes that many believe are the original bullet holes from the shooting.
Because the physical evidence is still part of the building, this story has become central to the Pioneer Saloon’s haunted reputation. Paul Coski is often named as one of the spirits believed to haunt the property. The saloon itself says Coski is thought to be one of several ghosts connected to the building.
Clark Gable, Carole Lombard, and the 1942 Plane Crash
The most famous tragedy tied to the Pioneer Saloon happened outside the building, but it helped make the saloon part of Hollywood history.
On January 16, 1942, TWA Flight 3 crashed into Mount Potosi after departing Las Vegas. Aviation Safety Network records that the Douglas DC-3 struck a near-vertical rock cliff near the top of Potosi Mountain and that actress Carole Lombard was among those killed. All 22 people aboard died.
Lombard was married to Clark Gable, one of Hollywood’s biggest stars. Travel Nevada states that the search party started at the Pioneer Saloon and that Gable spent several heartbreaking days there waiting for news. Today, an adjacent memorial room inside the saloon displays photographs, newspaper articles, and memorabilia connected to Lombard and the crash.
This history is important because many modern ghost stories try to connect the saloon’s female spirit to Lombard. That claim should be treated as folklore, not verified fact. What is historically supported is that Lombard died in the Mount Potosi crash and that the Pioneer Saloon became part of the aftermath through Gable and the search effort.
Is the Pioneer Saloon Haunted?
The Pioneer Saloon is widely considered one of the most haunted bars in Nevada, although its ghost stories should be understood as reported experiences rather than proven events.
According to the saloon’s official folklore page, customers and long-time employees have reported hearing a female voice crying in the women’s bathroom when no one is inside. The same page also mentions an old-time telephone ringing even when it is not plugged in.
Reported paranormal activity at the Pioneer Saloon includes:
- A woman crying in the bathroom
- Strange sounds when the building is quiet
- Reports connected to Paul Coski, the man killed in the 1915 shooting
- Stories of unexplained activity around the bar and historic rooms
- Ghost tours and paranormal investigations tied to the saloon and Goodsprings
Local reporting has also covered the town’s haunted reputation. News 3 Las Vegas reported on Goodsprings ghost stories in 2020 and noted that residents ask ghost hunters and visitors to be respectful of the town, the dead, and the families who still make Goodsprings their home.
The Woman Crying in the Bathroom
The most repeated ghost story at the Pioneer Saloon involves a female voice heard crying in the women’s bathroom. The saloon itself lists this as one of the experiences reported by employees and customers.
Some paranormal storytellers connect the crying woman to Carole Lombard, imagining her spirit waiting for Clark Gable. Others describe the presence as a woman named Ruby, although that part of the lore is much harder to document. The safest way to present this story is simple: visitors and employees have reported hearing a crying woman, but the identity of that presence is folklore.
Paul Coski and the Ghost of the Card Player
Paul Coski’s story has a stronger historical foundation because the 1915 shooting is tied to the saloon’s displayed coroner’s report and bullet holes. The haunted part of the story comes from later reports that Coski’s spirit still lingers around the bar.
It is easy to see why this legend stuck. A fatal card game, preserved bullet holes, a mining town saloon, and a building that still looks like a frontier bar make the Coski story feel almost too cinematic. But beneath the ghost story is a real death that happened in the saloon’s early years.
Why the Pioneer Saloon Feels So Haunted
The Pioneer Saloon has the right ingredients for a powerful haunted reputation. It is old, isolated, full of artifacts, and surrounded by the quiet desert landscape of Goodsprings. Unlike many themed attractions, it does not need fake cobwebs or staged scares. The building already has enough atmosphere.
Part of that feeling comes from the fact that the saloon has survived so much. Its official folklore page notes that it has remained through events including World War I, the Great Depression, Prohibition, World War II, the Great Recession, and COVID-19.
The saloon also attracts many types of visitors, including paranormal investigators, gamers, history buffs, families, bikers, musicians, and tourists. That mix gives the place a living energy, even as its walls tell stories from more than a century ago.
Visiting the Pioneer Saloon Today
The Pioneer Saloon is still an operating bar and restaurant, not an abandoned ghost town ruin. The official site says it is open seven days a week, serves burgers and barbecue, welcomes all ages, and has a dog-friendly patio. It also notes that no purchase is necessary to visit and look around, though many visitors stop for food, drinks, souvenirs, or the history displays.
Travel Nevada recommends having a confirmed transportation plan before visiting, especially if coming from Las Vegas, because rideshare drivers may drop visitors off but may be harder to secure for the return trip.
Good things to know before going:
- Goodsprings is in the desert, so bring water.
- The town is higher in elevation than Las Vegas and can be cooler.
- Weekends are usually busier.
- The saloon offers food, drinks, live entertainment, events, and history displays.
- Paranormal-related inquiries and special events can be directed through the saloon’s contact information.
Final Thoughts on the Pioneer Saloon
The Pioneer Saloon is one of Nevada’s best haunted history stops because its legends are rooted in a real place with real stories. The 1915 shooting, the Mount Potosi plane crash, the Clark Gable and Carole Lombard connection, and the preserved Old West setting all give the building a weight that visitors can feel as soon as they step inside.
Whether the ghosts are real is up to each visitor to decide. What is certain is that the Pioneer Saloon has survived for more than a century in the Nevada desert, and it still feels like one of the most atmospheric haunted places near Las Vegas.
Never trespass on property that is not yours without permission. Ghost hunting can be dangerous, especially in desert areas, abandoned structures, and unfamiliar locations, so always use caution.
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