Nothing clears out tiny Goodsprings faster than a surprise stash of dynamite. This week, a Las Vegas man restoring the historic mining town uncovered roughly 50 sticks in an old shed, forcing authorities to evacuate residents while explosives crews secured the scene. Bomb technicians later rendered the cache safe, conducted a perimeter sweep and allowed people back into their homes.
Property owner Steve Darnell, a welding and fabrication shop founder who has been buying up buildings in Goodsprings to create a turn-of-the-century attraction, said he found the box of explosives among decades of mining relics and immediately called police. According to FOX5, Darnell acquired the parcel about a year and a half ago and has been moving era-specific buildings onto the site.
Bomb squad response and short evacuation
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police’s all-hazard ARMOR unit and a Las Vegas Fire & Rescue bomb squad responded to the shed, set up a safety perimeter and briefly evacuated and sheltered nearby residents. An incident report reviewed by KTNV notes the dynamite was labeled as Apache Powder Company material from the 1920s, and crews requested an RTC bus to move evacuees while multiple agencies swept surrounding structures.
Goodsprings’ Fallout fame brought extra attention
The scare hit a town already famous with gamers. Goodsprings is the opening location in the video game “Fallout: New Vegas,” and an annual fan celebration has drawn thousands of visitors in recent years. Darnell told local reporters he called the stash a “sleeping giant,” and he has been documenting the restoration for visitors and fans, according to KLAS.
Work underway despite the scare
Darnell has already moved a handful of era-specific buildings onto the block, including a gas-station foundation he said he hauled roughly 40 miles down Interstate 15, and he says the site is technically open to visitors even as restoration continues. Per FOX5, Darnell hopes to finish a more complete attraction within the next year or two.
Why old munitions still turn up in mining towns
Goodsprings was founded as a mining town in the early 1900s, when explosives were widely used and sometimes simply left behind. Similar relics have surfaced in other Nevada communities, according to local reporting. The police report reviewed by KTNV says authorities swept nearby buildings after the dynamite was rendered safe and that no injuries were reported…