This town on Calif. border once bustled. Now, it’s quiet and quirky.

Primm is actually the first encouraging sign that you’re almost to Las Vegas after a long drive through the desert. At the border are three casinos rising from the barren landscape. Buffalo Bill’s, Whiskey Pete’s and Primm Valley — which constitute Primm Valley Casino Resorts — are themed resorts that look like they’ve seen better days. Desperado, the huge roller coaster that wraps around Buffalo Bill’s, sits quiet.

In the past, my stops at Primm have been brief, apart from one Thanksgiving weekend when I made the last-minute decision to overnight at Buffalo Bill’s when the gridlock traffic became unbearable. The room was cheap, and the air conditioning was cold, but the hotel was dated, and I didn’t want to stay longer than we had to. On this day, I went to shop at Prizm Outlets, formerly known as the Fashion Outlets of Las Vegas. But I couldn’t even tell if the mall was open.

I walked to the entrance to check, and a sign taped to the door read, “We are open.” Still not believing it, I peeked my head inside. The mall looked abandoned. Nevertheless, my curiosity overcame me, and I walked inside, having never been in a deserted mall before.

There are only four stores open, the sign says. Every other store in the 370,000-square-foot mall is shuttered, empty and closed. It has a decorative interior, full of murals and statues, but the large water fountains are drained dry. It feels post-apocalyptic, and my binge-watching pastime had me thinking of scenes from “Day of the Dead,” “The Walking Dead” and “The Last of Us.” Were zombies just around the corner?

Finally, I spotted three ladies walking toward Bath & Body Works, one of the stores still open. I felt relieved we weren’t completely alone.

Primm’s early days

The 1990s were Primm’s heyday. Back then, it wasn’t a town to pass through. It was a place to stop and stay for a while.

It began as the dream of Ernest Primm, who bought 400 acres at the border in the 1950s, in an area originally called State Line. The federal government deeded him 400 more, and he built a small motel and a coffee shop. He put in slot machines. People started to come.

In 1981, Primm died, and his son, Gary Primm, built the casino hotels you can see from the highway. The motel became Whiskey Pete’s, in honor of a local gas station owner and entrepreneur who bootlegged whiskey. Gary built Primm Valley, originally called Primadonna, in 1990; Buffalo Bill’s came next, in 1994.

It opened with family-friendly activities that appealed to all ages. There was the Adventure Canyon Log Flume, a water ride much like Disneyland’s Splash Mountain. And there was Desperado, which reaches a height of 209 feet and had coasters cruising it at speeds of up to 90 miles per hour. In 1996, it was named the world’s tallest roller coaster by Guinness World Records — a title it no longer holds. But back then, people traveled from all over the world to ride it, effectively turning State Line into a destination.

The town was officially renamed Primm in 1996. “Designating State Line as Primm is the best way I can think of to honor my father, his diligence and his dreams for this area,” Gary Primm told the Las Vegas Sun in 1996. “I have tried to maintain what I believe was his vision. So far, it has proved as successful as our family could have hoped.”

Today, the roller coaster and log flume are closed. There’s no scheduled date for reopening, a reservationist told me over the phone. (SFGATE reached out to Affinity Gaming, owner of Primm Valley Casino Resorts, for comment and did not receive a response by the time of publication.)

Fast-forward to today

A shadow of its former self, Primm lost its energetic personality through the years. MGM Grand bought the casinos from the Primm family in 1998, then sold them to Affinity Gaming in 2007.

The mall went through ownership changes many times too. It had financial issues and was foreclosed in 2018. It was bought in 2021 at a depreciated value by a firm specializing in “buying ‘troubled’ shopping malls.” It’s unclear what its future holds. (SFGATE reached out to Prizm Outlets and did not receive a response.)

There are a few things going for Primm, though. The hotels are budget-conscious, and the casinos are open. Buffalo Bill’s even recently underwent a multimillion-dollar renovation, with redesigned rooms and new restaurants. Its event venue, the 6,500-seat Star of the Desert Arena, regularly hosts musical acts. The upcoming lineup includes Patti LaBelle, Los Huracanes del Norte and Collective Soul.

Primm is also home to one very unique piece of history: Bonnie and Clyde’s death car. 

In 1934, the murderous bank-robbing couple were killed when officers ambushed their vehicle and opened fire. The exhibit, which you can find at Buffalo Bill’s, features their Ford V-8, riddled with bullet holes, items from the car and other artifacts. It’s been in Primm since 1988, when Gary Primm purchased it for $250,000.

Of all the peculiar places around Primm, one spot is livelier than the rest. Across from the mall is the Lotto Store, a small square building. Its parking lot is full of cars. Also owned by Affinity Gaming, the store sits on the California side of the border. Inside, the walls are lined with Scratchers vending machines, and people stand in line to purchase California lottery tickets.

Despite Nevada’s gambling history, the state has not been able to pass a law to establish a state lottery system. Instead, Nevada residents drive to Primm to play. It’s such a popular activity that the Lotto Store is one of California Lottery’s top-selling retailers.

As we drove back onto the I-15 to Las Vegas, I turned and took one last look at the mall. Although I didn’t have any luck shopping, the mall’s deserted nature was an attraction in and of itself. Still, I’m not in need of any lotto tickets, so I’m not certain there’s a reason for me to stop by Primm in the future, unless maybe one of those epic rides opens up again. Or there’s another one of those pesky holiday weekend traffic jams, of course.