What Is That big hole at the corner of Durango and Peace?

Any idea what that big hole in the ground is at the corner of Durango and Peace Way?

There are, actually, two big holes in that neighborhood, the one on S. Durango between Peace and Tropicana, the other catty-corner to it on Peace between Durango and Cimmaron.

These are, collectively, known as the “Durango Pit.” You get a great view of them flying west from Las Vegas.

They have been and continue to be excavated for gravel for building projects. If you go to a landscaping place and buy gravel to cover your dirt driveway or make a path to your back door, it came from a hole like these.

They’re owned by Wells Cargo, a family business started by Howard Wells, Sr., and his two brothers in 1935. Wells Cargo began as a one-truck operation that hauled goods to the lumber and mining camps in the Sierra Nevada — hence the "Cargo" — then got into construction. In fact, Wells Cargo, Inc. holds the lowest-numbered active contractor’s license in Nevada. Today, Howard’s grandson Guy is the president and CEO.

Wells Cargo started digging these pits decades ago, when no one imagined that the city would or could spread that far west. Now, of course, they’re right in the middle of the sprawl in the western valley. And they’re getting deeper. Our friendly source estimated they're currently up to 320 feet deep and it’s not possible to see the bottom of the larger pit without trespassing or … viewing them from an airplane.

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[email protected] Mar-18-2022

Gravel Sources

One of the big surprises I had when I moved south is that gravel is manufactured by grinding up rocks.  Where I grew up in Wisconsin it was dug out of gravel pits as you describe.  Then I realized that Wisconsin had hundreds of feet of gravel-filled glacial till, while the area south of the Ohio River was not glaciated and so doesn't have these deposits.  I wonder where the gravel in Las Vegas originated.  Was Nevada glaciated, or is it possibly sediment from ancient inland seas?

Bob Nelson Mar-18-2022

The Clampett’s new “cement pool”.

Digging the pool before building the mansion.

Hoppy Mar-18-2022

Clamped correction

That should be mansion(s).

Brent Peterson Mar-18-2022

Google Earth

Here's a link to view it in 3D using Google Earth. It's facing east towards the Strip: 

https://earth.google.com/web/@36.10606609,-115.27584987,706.30567325a,654.37316272d,35y,93.94925726h,59.99495382t,-0r

Doozey Mar-18-2022

deep pits

The Clampetts had a cement pond. These Vegas pits could be a waterpark like the good old days in Vegas, or it could be the FBI looking for Hoffa, or Elon Musk making a short cut to China.

Patricia Mar-18-2022

Dining

What happened to all the great dining deals?
Even deals via Groupon are lousy

Roy Furukawa Mar-18-2022

Too Big

Now there's a hole in the desert that's too big to fill.

Peter Bijlsma Mar-18-2022

More Wells Cargo gravel pits

They have two more, one on each side of W Spring Mountain Rd between S Buffalo Dr and S Tenaya Way.

Deke Castleman Mar-18-2022

This in via email from Jeff

Today's QoD regarding the Wells Cargo pit is always a good and enjoyable subject. One item that is usually included in discussion of the pit is that Dawn Wells, who portrayed Marry Ann in Gilligan's Island, was a member of the Wells Cargo family. And a Reno native.

Hoppy Mar-18-2022

I just have 2 ask . . .

Elly May or Mary Ann or both!!

Question of the Day - 18 March 2022

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