Winnemucca, Nevada– a city that is famous for something that never happened. Well, it’s not that it didn’t happen, it’s just that the myth doesn’t exactly match the reality.
Early the morning of September 19th, in the year 1900, over $30,000 in gold was stolen from a Winnemucca bank– and was purported to be a robbery by Butch Cassidy and his gang, a rumor which effectively put the city on the map. Although his gang often fragmented and did their own jobs– Butch Cassidy was miles and miles away at the time– and thus, the fame of the town was a bit misplaced. Nonetheless, Winnemucca is a charming place to visit.
Now, if you can believe this, we rolled into town the evening of September 18th, and I was nearly giddy. Why? I kept hoping for a reenactment, but Moon was adamant: she maintained there was NOT going to be a bank robbery reenactment in town.
I was crushed, but still hopeful: the money was never found. Who knows what I might find buried in the ground at the RV park where we crashed?
Winners Casino stood out on the main drag thanks to its spectacular sign. I figured they would have low buy-in Blackjack and they absolutely did– $5 buy-in tables on a Tuesday night. Moon had never gambled before, but she was a sport and came along (Mac stayed behind, as he is not much of a gambler). The dealer that night was the sassiest lady in-town, roasting everyone at the table with light trash-talking, which made the night more convivial.
Moon surprised everyone when she sidled in next to me at the final stool of the table. She played admirably, but lost several hands– not a problem when you only plunk down $50. On her last $5 hand, Moon declared surprise when someone mentioned that all face cards were worth 10– she’d been thinking they were worth 11 (Jack), 12 (Queen), and 13 (King), respectively! The sassy dealer earnestly said, “I’m gonna tell everyone that story”– and I believed her.
Winnemucca had a throwback vibe but was not in disrepair– the vintage signs were in excellent shape, and the town, while having seen better days, was far from down-on-its-luck in attitude. We don’t always return places, but I could easily see us coming back through Winnemucca.
Posted by Sun
