Whiskey Pete’s Hotel & Casino in Primm, Nevada, isn’t just a stop on the I-15; it’s a place steeped in legend, primarily the eerie tale of its namesake, Whiskey Pete. Visitors and staff often speak of an unsettling feeling, the sense of being watched by unseen eyes. This feeling is often associated with fleeting glimpses of an elderly man in old western attire, who disappears as quickly as he appears. The persistent story attributes these hauntings to Whiskey Pete himself, restless because his original grave was disturbed during the resort’s construction. Legend has it, he remains to ensure everything is in order at his former stomping grounds.
Initially, the ghost stories surrounding Whiskey Pete’s Primm seemed like mere folklore, lacking in specifics and sounding much like an urban legend. Did Whiskey Pete even exist? Was there any truth to the disturbed grave story? Intriguingly, the deeper you delve, the more you discover that Whiskey Pete was indeed a real person, and his grave’s disturbance is a documented fact, adding a layer of authenticity to the ghostly whispers of Whiskey Pete’s Primm.
Who Was the Real Whiskey Pete?
Long before the towering hotels and casinos defined the landscape of Primm, Nevada, a humble service station named State Line Station marked the spot. It was operated by Pete McIntyre, a character known for his cantankerous nature and his moonshining activities. To most, he was simply “Whiskey Pete,” a man who seemingly didn’t tolerate nonsense from anyone. Whiskey Pete was a known figure in early Las Vegas, though opinions of him were divided, with some feeling he operated outside the bounds of the law with impunity.
Pinpointing Pete McIntyre in historical records proves challenging. He’s absent from the U.S. Census records for 1900, 1910, and 1920. However, records from Tulare County jail place him there in January 1918. His offense? Running a “blind pig,” a Prohibition-era term for a speakeasy. Though sentenced to 30 days, Pete ended up serving over two months, initially unable to make bail. Jail records list his birthplace as Arizona, a detail that contrasts with his later census entries in 1930. Interestingly, his listed occupation was miner. By 1922, Pete’s run-ins with the law continued, with another bootlegging arrest in Nevada leading to a 6-month jail term.
The 1930 U.S. Census finally places him in Crescent, Nevada, a small mining community near the California border. Here, he’s listed as the proprietor of a service station. Newspaper mentions begin to surface around 1928. A letter read at a Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce meeting detailed a negative encounter at Whiskey Pete’s gas station. A woman recounted stopping late at night for gas and to check her fluids. Whiskey Pete himself attended to them, and upon realizing they only needed water, he reportedly became “abusive and threatening,” refusing them water and forcing them to drive on with an empty radiator and overheating engine to the next station. The Chamber of Commerce noted a pattern of similar complaints from travelers between Las Vegas and California, some even alleging threats of violence and gunfire from Whiskey Pete. These complaints were forwarded to the Las Vegas sheriff for intervention.
Pete’s behavior may have temporarily improved, but by March 1931, he faced serious charges of assault with a deadly weapon for shooting Elgin postmaster Rube Bradshaw in the shoulder. Unsurprisingly, accounts of the incident differed sharply. Bradshaw stated he stopped at the station with his sons and found Pete already in a foul mood. Asking for coffee allegedly triggered Pete’s rage, leading Bradshaw to declare he’d find coffee elsewhere and turn to leave. As he reached the door, Bradshaw claimed Pete hurled insults, and upon turning back, Bradshaw was shot in the shoulder with a pistol.
A preliminary hearing followed, where Pete pleaded not guilty and was released on bail. He voiced resentment at his negative reputation, arguing his remote location necessitated being armed for protection. He also publicly stated he was covering all of Rube Bradshaw’s medical expenses. Ultimately, charges were dropped when Bradshaw failed to appear in court on multiple occasions.
In early 1932, Pete married Lauretta Frances Enders. However, by October, the marriage soured dramatically, with Lauretta taking Pete to court on grounds of insanity. Doctors deemed Pete mentally sound, but physically failing due to “miner’s consumption” (likely silicosis). Lauretta, the sole witness against him, claimed he flew into rages and made accusations. Pete admitted to rages but retorted, “who wouldn’t when they find their wife running around naked in the hills with other men?”
He recounted Lauretta taking him to a sanitarium in Banning, California, where she initially cared for him. But upon his improvement, she allegedly left him, neglecting the service station in her care and engaging in affairs. The judge denied Lauretta’s commitment motion, and she largely disappears from Pete’s documented life thereafter.
By December 1932, Pete, in defiant spirit, declared himself “too busy to die,” claiming to be months past his predicted demise. By September 1933, he was back at Stillwell Sanitarium, reporting he was doing “okay.” Whiskey Pete McIntyre finally passed away on November 11, 1933. Funeral arrangements were announced in Las Vegas, setting the stage for the truly unusual part of his story.
The Legend of the Upright Burial at Whiskey Pete’s Primm
Before his death, Whiskey Pete had made a peculiar request to his friends: to be buried standing upright, overlooking his beloved service station. His exact colorful words were, “Bury me up on the hill, standing up facing the valley so I can see all those sons of bitches goin’ by.” Loyal to his wishes, his friends used dynamite to create a 6-foot hole in the limestone cliff behind his station, overlooking Highway 91, and buried him standing as requested. Over time, Pete’s grave became lost, his markers repeatedly stolen and never replaced. His service station changed hands until the location was developed into Whiskey Pete’s Casino in 1977, part of what is now Whiskey Pete’s Primm.
Then, on February 2, 1994, construction crews grading land for a railroad track connecting Whiskey Pete’s to Buffalo Bill’s, inadvertently rediscovered Whiskey Pete. Working near the original State Line Station site, they unearthed a decaying wooden coffin. Inside were the skeletal remains of Whiskey Pete McIntyre. Contrary to some embellished versions of the legend claiming he was buried with a ten-gallon hat, pistols, and whiskey, they found only his bones, remnants of hair, dentures, and shirt buttons. 1
The coffin, reportedly about 80% intact, was found angled towards the highway. The project manager recounted their surprise, knowing Pete was buried in the vicinity but not the precise location. “The tractor caught the edge of the box and the skull popped out. There was Whiskey Pete staring at us.”
While the resort stated intentions to rebury Whiskey Pete on the property with a memorial, no such memorial is readily apparent, and the current location of his remains remains officially undisclosed. Rumors persist that he was reinterred in one of the caves he used for moonshining, adding another layer of mystery to the Whiskey Pete’s Primm narrative.
The legend of Whiskey Pete’s ghost at Whiskey Pete’s Primm gains credence when considering the real, eccentric life and unusual burial of Pete McIntyre. Whether the ghostly sightings are genuine paranormal activity or simply the lingering echoes of a colorful past, the story of Whiskey Pete continues to intrigue visitors to Whiskey Pete’s Primm, Nevada. The next time you stop at this iconic Nevada landmark, remember to keep an eye out – you might just catch a glimpse of the legendary Whiskey Pete himself, still keeping watch over his desert domain.
