Goodsprings, Nevada · Founded 1913 · Building: 1913
A 1913 Goodsprings saloon known for stamped-tin interiors, a 1915 killing story, and its connection to the Carole Lombard crash search.
Built in 1913 during Goodsprings' mining boom, the Pioneer Saloon has become a Southern Nevada landmark through its historic interior, the legend and records surrounding Paul Coski's 1915 killing, and its association with Clark Gable after Carole Lombard's 1942 plane crash near Mount Potosi.
Clark County Commissioner George Fayle built the Pioneer Saloon in Goodsprings.
Source: Travel Nevada, "Pioneer Saloon | Historic Saloon in Goodsprings, Nevada"
According to the coroner's report displayed at the saloon, out-of-work miner Paul Coski was shot and killed by poker dealer Joe Armstrong after Coski was accused of cheating at cards.
Source: Travel Nevada, "Pioneer Saloon | Historic Saloon in Goodsprings, Nevada"; Pioneer Saloon, "Fun Facts and Folklore"
Carole Lombard, her mother, and others died when their aircraft crashed on nearby Mount Potosi after a war-bond trip. Travel Nevada says the search party began at the Pioneer and Lombard's husband, Clark Gable, spent several days there awaiting news.
Source: Travel Nevada, "Pioneer Saloon | Historic Saloon in Goodsprings, Nevada"
Nevada Tourism reports that the Pioneer Saloon entered the State Register of Historic Places.
Source: Travel Nevada, "Pioneer Saloon | Historic Saloon in Goodsprings, Nevada"
Ghost Adventures aired its "Pioneer Saloon" episode, listed as Season 8, Episode 1 and filmed at the Goodsprings saloon.
Source: IMDb, "Ghost Adventures: Pioneer Saloon"
Every claim gets rated. A business's own website can never earn "documented."
Nevada Tourism identifies the saloon as built in 1913 by Clark County Commissioner George Fayle, and the current venue independently calls itself established in 1913.
Nevada Tourism says the search party started at the Pioneer and Gable spent several days there awaiting news. The exact duration and the claim that he remained specifically at the bar for three days were not independently confirmed from primary contemporary reporting in the sources reviewed.
Nevada Tourism and the venue both describe a coroner's report and local newspaper account identifying Coski and Joe Armstrong. A primary coroner-file review would be needed to elevate this claim to documented under the project standard.
The holes and the 1915 shooting story are displayed together at the saloon, but the venue itself says the holes are only believed to be original bullet holes from that incident. No independent forensic or contemporary record tying the remaining holes to the shooting was found.
This is local lore. No primary evidence located establishes that Gable made the marks or ties them to January 1942.
The Pioneer Saloon was built in 1913. Nevada's oldest documented saloon is the Genoa Bar & Saloon in Genoa, which traces its business history to 1853 — six decades earlier. The Pioneer has never been promoted by its own venue or by Nevada Tourism as the state's oldest.
That a crew visited and filmed is usually easy to verify. What they claim to have captured is a separate, and usually lower-rated, claim.
The episode listing identifies Pioneer Saloon in Goodsprings as the filming location and gives the August 16, 2013 release date. This documents the production, not paranormal activity.
A television investigation and its reported observations cannot independently establish paranormal phenomena.
Everything below has been reported by two or more independent sources — this is an informational record of what's said about this place, not a verified account of paranormal activity. Still Open America doesn't certify hauntings as real.
Visitors and staff accounts describe an apparition identified as Paul Coski near card tables or in darker parts of the saloon. The figure is commonly said to wear period clothing, glare at patrons, and vanish after being noticed.
Accounts tied to the saloon describe loud phantom footsteps and doors that open, close, or slam when no person is identified. Stories often link the activity to Paul Coski, but the reports do not establish that identity.
Employees and patrons have described a short older miner or prospector in a wrinkled hat and old-fashioned clothing, usually appearing at the end of the bar before disappearing. The figure is generally reported as quiet and nonthreatening.
Visitors have reported disembodied weeping, shadow figures, and sudden cold air near the bathroom hallway. Some later accounts attribute the weeping to Carole Lombard, but that identification is part of the legend and not historically established.
Carole Lombard died in the 1942 Mount Potosi crash and was not known to have visited the saloon before her death. No historical source reviewed establishes her identity as the source of the reported activity.
Multiple ghost-tour and paranormal accounts describe a woman identified as Carole Lombard walking through the saloon at night, appearing to search for Clark Gable. The story is linked to Gable's reported wait at the Pioneer during the recovery search after Lombard's 1942 plane crash.
Carole Lombard died in the 1942 Mount Potosi crash and was not known to have visited the saloon before her death. No historical source reviewed confirms the reported apparition's identity.
Paranormal accounts describe a female presence called Ruby and occasional sightings of an unidentified woman around the saloon. The stories commonly characterize Ruby as a former local sex worker, but no consistent historical identity or connection to the property is supplied.
The historical identity and connection to the saloon of a woman called Ruby could not be confirmed in the historical sources reviewed for this entry.
The Pioneer Saloon was founded in 1813.
The checked sources identify the Pioneer Saloon as built or established in 1913, not 1813.
Source: Travel Nevada, "Pioneer Saloon | Historic Saloon in Goodsprings, Nevada"; Pioneer Saloon, home page
Joe Fayle killed Paul Coski during the 1915 card-game shooting.
Nevada Tourism and the current Pioneer Saloon account identify the alleged shooter as Joe Armstrong, not Joe Fayle.
Source: Travel Nevada, "Pioneer Saloon | Historic Saloon in Goodsprings, Nevada"; Pioneer Saloon, "Fun Facts and Folklore"
Clark Gable sat at the Pioneer bar for exactly three days after Carole Lombard's crash.
The reliable tourism account supports a broader statement: Gable spent several difficult days at the Pioneer while the search proceeded. The exact three-day duration and burn-mark story were not independently verified.
Source: Travel Nevada, "Pioneer Saloon | Historic Saloon in Goodsprings, Nevada"
The Pioneer Saloon is Nevada's oldest saloon.
The Pioneer was built in 1913. The Genoa Bar & Saloon holds the strongest documented claim to being Nevada's oldest saloon, tracing to 1853.
Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal, "Movie stars, presidents had a drink at state's oldest saloon"
The Pioneer remains a working food-and-drink destination as well as a historic attraction. Its original stamped-tin interior, 1915 homicide lore, Lombard-crash memorabilia, film and television appearances, and Goodsprings' proximity to Las Vegas sustain visitor interest.
The Pioneer Saloon was built in 1913 by Clark County Commissioner George Fayle. Its current website also identifies it as established in 1913.
The Pioneer Saloon in Goodsprings, Nevada, was built in 1913 by Clark County Commissioner George Fayle during the town's mining boom. It became widely known after the 1915 killing of miner Paul Coski and its role during the January 1942 search following Carole Lombard's fatal plane crash on nearby Mount Potosi, when Lombard's husband, Clark Gable, reportedly spent several days at the saloon awaiting news.
No. The Pioneer Saloon was built in 1913. Nevada's oldest documented saloon is the Genoa Bar & Saloon in Genoa, which traces its business history to 1853.
Carole Lombard died in a January 16, 1942 plane crash on nearby Mount Potosi. Nevada Tourism says the recovery search started at the Pioneer Saloon and that Lombard's husband, Clark Gable, spent several days there awaiting news.
According to accounts based on a coroner's report displayed at the saloon, miner Paul Coski was shot and killed in 1915 by poker dealer Joe Armstrong after an alleged card-cheating dispute. The story is well established locally, but primary-record review is still needed for the strongest rating.
The saloon displays several holes in its wall that are commonly linked to the 1915 shooting of Paul Coski. The venue itself describes them only as believed to be original bullet holes from that incident — no independent forensic or contemporary record confirms the connection, so the claim should be treated as saloon lore rather than settled fact.
Yes. An IMDb episode listing identifies the Ghost Adventures episode "Pioneer Saloon" as Season 8, Episode 1, aired August 16, 2013, and filmed at Pioneer Saloon in Goodsprings.
310 W Spring St, Goodsprings, NV 89019
The Pioneer is in Goodsprings southwest of Las Vegas. Nevada Tourism lists it as open seven days a week, with later Friday and Saturday hours; verify current hours and transportation before visiting because return rides from the area can be difficult.