The rise and fall of Whiskey Pete’s reflects the boom and bust of Primm as a stateline gambling destination where Nevada brushes up against California. Was the casino’s namesake a real person? The answer — like all good legends — is a cross between fact and fiction.
🥃 Who Was Whiskey Pete?
Yes, he existed. Pete McIntyre was a miner who went into business on his own with State Line Station in what is now Primm, selling both fuel and illegal whiskey during the Prohibition era of the 1920s. Violent and ornery, Whiskey Pete was committed by his wife to a California sanitarium, where he died in 1932.
🎰 A Moonshiner's Legacy
The gas station grew to become State Line Bar-Slots and eventually fell under the ownership of developer Ernest Primm, who opened Whiskey Pete’s Casino and Hotel on the land in 1977. The modest resort grew with a new hotel tower in the ‘90s — a decade that saw Primm add the Primadonna (later renamed the Primm Valley Resort) and Buffalo Bill’s casinos to handle a rise in visitors. To some, Whiskey Pete’s was best known as the home of the “Bonnie & Clyde Death Car,” on display as a free attraction on the casino floor.
A postcard from Primm. (UNLV Special Collections & Archives)
👻 Haunted Hangout?
According to local legend, Whiskey Pete was buried upright on casino land with guns at his side and a bottle of whiskey in hand. The grave site was accidentally dug up while workers built the monorail-style, casino-connecting tram over Interstate 15 and moved the body to the same cave where Pete used to distill his booze, leaving his ghost to haunt the area.
But the story is partially accurate at best. A member of the crew who stumbled on the grave says the coffin was buried horizontally and only contained Pete’s bones, clothing, and dentures. He was reburied in the same spot inside a new box.
🙁 Primm’s Grim Demise
Primm succeeded in being the first and last chance for Californians to gamble when coming and going over the state line — but became less special with the emergence of tribal casinos in the Golden State.
Whiskey Pete’s closed in late 2024 in a move described as “temporary” to keep the gaming license active for a possible reopening down the line. Buffalo Bill’s is now semi-closed and only active when events take place at the property’s Star of the Desert arena, leaving Primm Valley Resort as the only 24/7 hotel and casino in the small, unincorporated town. The Primm Valley Golf Club also closed last year and the once-thriving outlet mall is down to just one shop. Even the nearby Ivanpah Solar Power Plant is on the way out.
- Is Primm Dying? Maybe. I joined the City Cast Las Vegas team to discuss the history of Primm, its rise and fall, and if there’s a chance for a comeback with future developments. [City Cast Las Vegas 🎧]
