Moapa Indian Reservation

Ten years ago on a visit to Las Vegas, I wanted to visit an actual Native American Indian reservation.  In the guidebooks, I found that close by was the Moapa Reservation AND they had a casino!  We hopped in the car with the directions (this was pre-GPS in the car) and off we went to find the casino.

A great big sign says "You are entering the Moapa Indian Reservation".  And after that sign, there was nothing for as far as the eye could see.  We decided to simply travel down the one road and surely there would be signs or we could see the casino or something.

On we journeyed to a crossroads.  After an argument and flip of the coin, we took the road that look most traveled.  And we drove and drove and drove.  Finally there was a little sign pointing ahead to a two pump gas station.  That wasn't the casino, we were certain.  On we traveled for miles and miles of just desert and tumbleweed until we looked at each other and said, "You don't think that gas station was . . . . . the casino!??"

We turned around and traveled back.  By this time, the entire day had been spent traveling the roads of the reservation.  If the Indians were hiding, they were doing it quite well, because we never saw a living thing!  On the horizon was the gas station again and we pulled in.  There was a little white metal building and then the gas pumps.  If nothing else, we thought we could go in and ask for directions to the casino.

I opened the door of the white metal structure and it was a tiny carryout.  On the left was a wall of about a dozen slot machines!  We had found the Moapa Casino!   I had to buy a souvenir of what turned out to be a day-long trip around the entire reservation.  I found a Moapa coffee mug on the shelf which I bought.

Having broken my Moapa coffee mug a year ago, I vowed to go back and get another one if we ever came back to Vegas.  So here we are.  Off we went to find the reservation again and replace my cofffee mug!

With a GPS, the Travel Plaza (as it is now called) was easy to find.  Now, they have an actual, yet still small, casino.  Also, now they are renowned for massive fireworks, cigarettes and booze sales tax free.  There is even a little restaurant where we had lunch.   I won $12 on a penny slot machine which paid for my lunch.

The sad part, though, is that they no longer sell Moapa Indian coffee mugs.  They had Elvis mugs!  And personalized blinking key chains.  And flipflops.  Seems like something has been lost even though a lot has been gained at the Moapa Travel Plaza.