Google the Fort Apache caves and you’ll find countless stories and videos of people hiking inside old, abandoned mines. But those days are gone, as the Nevada Division of Minerals finished filling almost 40 caves in the area because of safety concerns.
“Our message is short and sweet—stay out and stay alive,” said Garrett Wake, geologist and NDM chief of Southern Nevada operations. Even though the probability of a rock fall may be low, “you don’t want to be that person at the wrong time.”
Up until the 1930s, the caves at Fort Apache and Warm Springs operated as gypsum mines, and the area became a popular spot for punk shows in the ’80s. The mines were frequented by hikers, partiers and the homeless, and over the years became littered with waste, glass bottles and graffiti. When asked if the closures were a way to deter partiers and the homeless from visiting, Wake said the only concern was physical safety. “People partying—that’s not for us to say whether people should or shouldn’t be doing that,” he said, citing potential rock falls or bad air as his concern.
Many Las Vegans share fond memories of the caves, as stories of live shows and parties have been passed down like folklore. “That was the greatest part of growing up in Las Vegas,” says local musician Rob Ruckus, who used to organize punk shows there as a teenager. “It’s a shame that we lost that, because it was a magical part of growing up here.”
This story originally appeared in the Las Vegas Weekly.