Happy to oblige, although we confess that the details we could find were a little sketchy. Still, here's the story, as best we could deduce from available sources.
The now-demolished western-themed amusement park "Old Vegas" (previously named "West World") was located at 2440 S. Boulder Hwy. and operated out of a wooden fort on the eastern edge of Henderson from 1978 to 1986. Prior to the theme park opening, West World was a ranch that was used as a TV and movie set for some time. Filming there included, as you pointed out, the gunfight between Ann-Margret and Elvis in Viva Las Vegas and several episodes of "Gunsmoke."
Whether the ranch was ever operational or was built purely as a set, we've been unable to ascertain. Either way, it didn't get much shooting action, as it was bought by a company that operated an amusement park in Arizona called Old Tucson (also used for TV and movies). Just before opening, the company that owned the site changed its name from West World to Old Vegas, to coincide with their other property. However, as we understand it, the company didn't bother replacing the chips they'd already made to reflect the new name (and only half-fixed the sign -- see the photograph below). Hence, we don't know of any Old Vegas chips, although members of thechipboard.com have kindly provided us with photographs of some West World ones, plus a $1 slot token that does say Old Vegas, and two matchbooks, one from West World and one from Old Vegas, which share the same phone number and most of the same information inside.
Old Vegas consisted of a 128-acre casino and theme park reconstructed to look like an adobe fort and Old West town -- well, more a Hollywoodesque collection of small streets than a fully fledged town -- which offered such amusements as make-believe gunfights, saloon brawls, "exclusive home movies of Elvis" (see matchbook below), and a running steam train and stagecoach. It also sold Texas-sized hot dogs and western-style trinkets and had a casino. The site housed two surviving buildings from the burned-down historic El Rancho Hotel, which were moved out there to reinforce the western feel.
Like the MGM Grand's Adventures amusement park, Old Vegas' family appeal just didn't cut it and in 1983 the site was sold to Marcor Corp. for $4.5 million. The park was closed in 1986 and was torn down around a decade later to make way for a housing development, also named Old Vegas, whose most famous resident was (is?) actor Tony Curtis.
Old Tucson was burned down in an arson fire in 1995 and was restored; it reopened 18 months later. Arizona's "Hollywood in the Desert" is still open and hosts numerous film and TV shoots, plus is open daily for Wild West entertainment. Click here to visit its Web site.
As for the locomotive and train tracks at the Old Vegas site, Eureka was built in 1875 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works Inc. and in 1939 was purchased by Warner Bros. as a prop for movies. In 1979 it was purchased by Old Vegas and transported to the site as one of the attractions. When the theme park closed, it was purchased by a Las Vegas attorney who had it restored to run in his backyard (must be quite a yard).
That's pretty much the end of the story, aside from a recent addendum. In 2004, an investment group called Sher Capital, which was already planning on building a zoo in Las Vegas, announced plans for a 364-acre Old West theme park in Boulder City. The project, tentatively named the "Great Nevada Roundup" (catchy) was apparently going to include replicas of Old West buildings, rides, cultural venues, entertainment, and a possible equestrian facility.
A spokesman for the company maintained that they were undaunted by the failure of previous theme parks, including Old Vegas, but evidently others didn't share their confidence, as the project never materialized. Neither did the zoo.
