The Wheel of Misfortune in Las Vegas

Being in nature, and doing weird shit, are things I enjoy. Las Vegas is well known for casinos and all of the madness that happens within the city. But Las Vegas sits in a valley and is surrounded by some beautiful mountains and great landscapes. Nevada is a mining state and most of the cities that exist here were founded as mining towns or to support the mining industry in some way. Some of those towns are now abandoned and, along with it, the mines.

Three Kids mine operated just outside of Las Vegas from 1917 until 1961 and was designed to extract and refine manganese. The site is no longer in operation and the closest thing to the mine is an RV and boat storage facility and general store, which sits just in front of the abandoned leaching pits.

The site itself is abandoned and currently too toxic to raze and develop. But it is also home to something called "Wheel of Misfortune", which I found out about on Facebook and instantly decided I needed to see in person.

Wheel of Misfortune was created by graffiti artist Aware back in 2012. For those of you not familiar, its based on the US TV game show "Wheel of Fortune" where contestants could spin the wheel to win cash and prizes. This wheel, however, was not based on the fantasies of winning big money; it was based on the realities of Las Vegas after the economic crash of 2008.

I moved to Las Vegas in 2006 when things were still very good and people were moving here to pursue the American Dream. When things turned bad in 2008 and 2009 people abandoned their homes and jobs and left by the thousands. Many people who did stay lost their jobs due to layoffs. Everyone was scared and angry at the system. Empty houses were in almost every neighborhood and most of them were vandalized by the tenants and owners before they left town.

So you can see on the wheel that instead of slots promising money and fame you can win prizes such as "bankruptcy" or "lose a job". All of the cash prizes are "$0.00".

Each of these pits are pretty massive, about 250ft across. There are about 5 or 6 pits on the entire site. Though only one has the Wheel of Misfortune all of them are filled with graffiti by other artists.

If you are into urban exploration its definitely a spot worth checking out. A few things to keep in mind though.

1: The site is toxic. You probably won't get sick from spending an hour or two walking around, but if you are pregnant or in frail health you might just want to play it safe and stay away. Especially the leaching pits: over the course of 50 years each of these pits was filled with toxic sludge and then drained.

2: The surrounding area is full of industrial trash and uneven ground. Lots of chances to slip and fall onto some rusty metal or trip over a half-buried pipe. And while the leaching pits are above ground there are some below ground pits that you can fall into. There are no fences surrounding those pits, no stairs to get out and the fall is about 30ft in some cases. Watch your footing.

3: Its an abandoned mine so there is no sanctioned parking. If you go, you'll have to park at the general store in front of the mine. And if you do, as a courtesy either go in and buy something or give them $5 to park for awhile. They are trying to run a business, not a free parking lot. So be a good person. Also, go talk to Angel. He can give you some history about the mine and some of the crazy things he's seen.

Its a side of Las Vegas that most people don't get to see. But if you like urban exploration and going off the beaten path, add this place to your list. Click here for a nice article by Vital Vegas on the Wheel of Misfortune and some admittedly better pictures.

All the best!