Notoriety Kills!

Most of the quoted material that follows comes from an article, and the posted comments to said article, at the on-line version of The Las Vegas Sun.

I strongly recommend reading the article, and most especially the entertaining comments that follow it.

Don Hedrick Sr. ran the Pioneer starting in the wild and woolly 1960s. Most townies believe Don was a prominent member or some motorcycle gang. Respect for him, along with a healthy dose of fear, kept visiting bikers from raising heck or driving from the bar, which is on the western edge of Goodsprings, into the town. He wouldn't stand for bikers going into town.He ruled with an iron fist. Mongols and Hells Angels never fought when they came here. It's neutral territory.

Hedrick was 'gruff and mean as a snake but he had a soft heart,' according to Ruth Rawlinson.
'He ran for and won the constable's seat for several terms. He ran the ambulance service for years. He was on our first advisory board. He cared deeply for this town,' Rawlinson said.

Built in 1913 by George Fayle, The Pioneer Saloon was (and remains) Goodsprings' only oasis. Fayle later built a 13 room hotel on the site which burned to the ground in 1966, and in 2007, the Pioneer was named a historical landmark by the state of Nevada. From that point on, traffic into town, which is roughly 40 miles southwest of Las Vegas, has increased exponentially.

Goodspring's major claim to fame is that it sits at the base of Mt. Potosi which is where the actress Carol Lombard was killed in a plane crash in 1943 soon after leaving Las Vegas. The pilot had been told that the weather was bad and to delay the flight. I guess he should have. During the search for the plane, her husband Clark Gable spent many hours inside the Pioneer drowning his worst fears and hoping that his wife would be found alive.

The Pioneer has been a haven to locals and bikers for decades. During the Wild West era no.2 (1960's) the bar served as a neutral watering hole for some of the most violent, rival gangs. Yet, peace was kept by then owner, Don Hedrick Sr. It is rumored that Hedrick may have been a top dog in one of the biker gangs and he had earned respect in the gang community.

The saloon is also said to be haunted, which has added to the tourism and popularity of the bar.

Sheckells, who bought the Pioneer in 2006 for nearly $1,000,000, wants to develope the 1.3 acres to include a 13 room hotel, which he says will be a replica of the original that burned down. He also wants to be able to use the grill he installed (which was shut-down because it is not in accordance to the county code).


His claim is that he is not doing this for any profit, he just wants to give the community something to be proud of.

'I'm not doing this to make money,' Sheckells said. 'I figure I'll never make money on it. I'm doing it to help the town, to preserve this place and to make it a place we can all be proud of.'

'Wouldn't that be cool up here?' Sheckells said, pointing to a black-and-white photo of Fayle's hotel on the wall of the bar's pool room. 'That would be my gift to the town.'

Liz Warren, a prominent citizen of Goodsprings, has taken up the fight against Sheckells' plans at development of the property he owns. Her opposition mainly stems from the critical state of the watershed in that region. She also opposes the disruption of the peaceful lifestyle enjoyed by her and fellow residents.

Ms. Warren and her husband took up another fight in the 1970's. Their foe then was the Federal Government and its plans to build a highway over a natural spring that drew the original settlers of Las Vegas into the area. They won that fight, creating what is known today as Springs Preserve.

As for development of Goodsprings, she is campaigning to create a bicycle trail along an abandoned rail line between Goodsprings and Jean, Nevada.'

Ms Warren states,'The State Water Engineer has declared this basin a critical ground water basin. Most of the residents have had to deepen their wells over the years and our annual recharge is only 1/4 or less of our actual usage. The density that Noel wants will impact the water and the septic system for such an expansion could also impact our groundwater. He only has 1.4 acres to expand and everything that he wants needs a waiver as it does not conform to county codes.

She also balks at accusations they are against development. They are for it, they insist. They even have a plan to draw a different type of biker to Goodsprings. They're pushing to turn old rail lines into bike trails linking their town to Jean.

'For years, it's only been the bar that's attracted outside folks,' Warren said. 'Getting a trailhead here', she said, 'might encourage someone to open a bike shop, maybe a coffee shop. We'd like to have those who are of a different frame of mind about why they come to Goodsprings.'

Springs Preserve

Even if I have never been to the Pioneer, I have been in any number of bars that were exactly as the Pioneer was. Furthermore, not only do I say,"Shame on you!" to both sides of this fight, but I also call them idiots for thinking anyone can't see through their motivations and arguments.

Noel Sheckells claims he wants to build a 13 room hotel on the site of the original hotel that burned to the ground in 1966. He states that his plans are to be somewhat of a tribute to the old hotel. Obviously, the Pioneer is now a tourist destination due to some heavy press and that naming of it as a landmark, which I have to believe that Sheckells was behind in some fashion, and a 13 room hotel would never suffice. An expansion of his plans would soon be underway once he got his foot in the door. Same goes for the grill he wants to operate at the bar. Food=$$. Normally, I don't begrudge anyone who wants to make a buck, but to blatantly veil those attempts with thin skinned reasons is another matter. C'mon Noel, spit it out. You just want to make a few greenbacks.

As for his opponent, Liz Warren, she claims that her biggest concern is the groundwater situation. The article reveals that Ms. Warren has a history of opposing and fighting, not that that is a bad thing by any means, but in this case her arguments reveal that she may be opposed to someone getting a bigger piece of the pie than her. Liz, if you ever read this, I have one question. If you are so doggedly concerned about the groundwater, why on earth would you tout alternate plans to draw a different type of tourist to Goodsprings and have those plans spawn businesses that would put a further strain on the community's already critical water supply? Admit it Liz. You realize that someone jumped your gun and now you're hitting back. Your war was lost as soon as the paper was inked to make the Pioneer a historic landmark.

And, sadly, that declaration most likely was the death sentence of another great dive. I agree with a regular at the bar who said the place was just fine as it is.

Another customer who lives as 'a hermit' outside of town was more ambivalent. Drinking his beer, Steve, who would not give his full name, said the Pioneer is just fine as it is.