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Nevada Statues (page 1)

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Last Chance Joe
Sparks, NV

2014:
2023:
Last Chance Joe is a 36-foot-tall miner statue. It was created in 1952 by Roscoe "Duke" Reading for R.H. Grosh Scenic Studios in Los Angeles. Grosh Scenic Studios created many figures for Disneyland. In 1958, Last Chance Joe was trucked here and installed at Dick Graves' Nugget Casino, later named John Ascuaga's Nugget Casino. Shortly after these photos were taken in 2014, the Nugget was sold to Global Gaming and Hospitality which was no longer interested in keeping the statue. It was donated to the Sparks Heritage Museum. The statue was moved in front of the museum and is now painted the original colors. Although he is sometimes referred to as "Nugget Sam", the correct name, from the beginning, is Last Chance Joe. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3. [map]

Prospectors
Jean, NV (now Goodsprings, NV)

2014:
2022:
2026:
These two plaster Prospectors were designed by Katherine Stubergh and built in 1954 by YESCO as "Dan the Miner." In 1955, they were installed as part of the sign at the Lucky Strike Casino in Las Vegas, NV. The statues' arms moved up and down as if sifting for gold. In the early 1960s, the statues were moved to the Gold Strike Inn near Boulder City, NV. When the Gold Strike Inn burned down in 1988, the Prospectors were moved to the Gold Strike Casino in Jean. In 2018, the Gold Strike became Terrible's Hotel & Casino. In 2023, the hotel/casino was being demolished. In 2024, the statues were moved to Goodsprings. One of the statue was installed in front of the Pioneer Saloon and the other was put in storage at the Goodsprings Hisotrical Society. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3. [map]

Prospector
Las Vegas, NV
This Prospector statue is installed over the entrance of the Western Village souvenir shop which is located inside the Fremont Street Experience. The statue has been there since at least the early 1980s. At that time, the Prospector wore a yellow shirt. This statue appears to have been modeled after the ones described above that are now located in Jean. The gold nuggets in his pan are yellow light bulbs which are lit at night. [map]

Prospector
Washoe Valley, NV

2014:

2025:
The Washoe Valley Prospector kneels just behind the Chocolate Nugget Candy Factory. This statue is about 18 feet tall. It was produced by Peter Arp in 1979 for the Claim Stake Casino in Sparks, NV. There statue was installed on the roof there. When the casino closed about a year later, it was moved to this candy store. In 2021, the statue was repainted. For more, see this website. [map]

More Prospectors:
Seward, AK
Gold Panner (Bathurst, NSW)

Nevada
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