Giant Prospector

Goodsprings, Nevada

Giant prospectors toil in a number of crags and crannies of the West. Bearded, crusty, usually grinning -- these fiberglass statues are more likely to advertise a casino or roadside panning attraction than to mark the site of an actual gold discovery.

This one, part of an indentical pair (the other currently in storage), debuted in 1954 outside the Lucky Strike Club on Fremont Street in Las Vegas. At the time he had an internal motor so that his arms would move up and down, panning for Nevada gold.

Casinos come and go, but the two prospectors were too valuable to throw away, so they moved to various properties in various towns. Their employment in the gambling industry ended in early 2024, with the demolition of their Gold Strike casino home in Jean (a former railroad station town originally named Goodsprings Junction, where Pop's Oasis, 1947-1988, was a popular waypoint between LA and Vegas).

The twins were donated to the former nearby mining town of Goodsprings, where one now kneels outside the local saloon. The town historical society hopes to find a robot-statue expert who can make the miners move again.

They resemble other oversized miners in the region, such as this Old West prospector in Las Vegas (with his lucky pan of glowing light bulb nuggets); even larger earthly treasure-seekers can be found in Washoe Valley and Rapid City, SD.