Sunday, February 14, 2016

Biking The Pioneer Trail to Moulin Rouge


Katherine Duncan's dream of reviving the Moulin Rouge casino-hotel after it closed 60 years ago includes one element: making it a pit stop along the Pioneer Trail.

The Moulin Rouge was America's first racially integrated casino-hotel when it opened in May 1955 before it closed only six months later never to re-open.

The redevelopment schemes have come and gone through the decades.

But Project Neon highway construction debris are coming every day via trailer truck and the chunks of pavement are being recycled as Duncan tries to attract feasible investors to redevelop the 15-acre site on the industrial outskirts of downtown Las Vegas at the city's historic west side.

Katherine took one look at my Surly Pugsley and said she would be happy to pedal it around the grim site of boarded up buildings and mounds of concrete debris.




It didn't matter she was 60 years old or wearing high heels. She still pedaled the SPD pedals and enjoyed the ride.

"It made me feel like a kid again," Katherine said. " Everyone needs to feel that way at 60."

I told Katherine that I once had a dream that the former Moulin Rouge would be rebuilt into a bicycle park and she couldn't believe it.

I hope she contacts Ron Floth at the RTC, where Ron works as the transportation agency's bicycle community outreach director. 

2 comments:

Unknown said...

The Historic Westside is rich in Black American culture. The best way to experience it is by taking the Pioneer Trail. Join us on March 13 for a bike the Pioneer Trail kick off ride. We will begin at Springs Preserve and finish at the Old Mormon Fort to learn about the Valley'a earliest settlers. BikeThePioneerTrail.com

Unknown said...

Very inspire story of cyclist. It inspire me to go with positive attitude in race.