Minivan driver punches boy on bikeAs Air Force Amy stood by, the modest building where she once worked
at the infamous Mustang Ranch brothel burst into flames.
The 48-room, 20,000-square-foot structure known as the Mustang Ranch
II annex was destroyed by fire Sunday as part of a training exercise
by Storey County firefighters.
�It�s out with the old and in with the new,� Amy said. �The day of the
$20 roll in the hay in a trailer is gone.�
The blaze left no buildings at the former site of the Mustang Ranch
just east of Reno, which was padlocked by the government in 1999 after
years of tax problems.
In 2003, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management auctioned off the annex
for $8,600 to Dennis Hof, owner of the Moonlite BunnyRanch brothel just
east of Carson City.
At the same time, the agency sold the gaudy pink stucco buildings that
formed the heart of the state�s first legal brothel for $145,000 to
Lance Gilman, who moved them a short distance next to his Wild Horse
Adult Resort & Spa and continues to operate them under the famous
name.
Hof said he had planned to use the Mustang Ranch annex as a museum next
to his brothel, but moving costs proved too expensive. He donated it
to fire crews instead.
�This is a historic moment,� Hof said as he watched a huge smoke plume
rise from the modular building. �The Mustang Ranch represents the best
and the worst things about prostitution in Nevada.
�The Mustang Ranch is associated with graft, corruption, murder and
payoffs. That�s what (former owner) Joe Conforte and Storey County are
known for. This may be the end of that era,� he said.
Amy, now employed by Hof, said the annex was built in 1983 for male
prostitutes but the plans didn�t fly. It later housed about 20 women
compared with 50 women at the busier main building.
Amy has mostly good memories about her time at Mustang Ranch from 1994
to 1997, she said.
�We had to live under strict rules and regulations, but we felt safe
and protected,� the blonde said. �It was like a family, and it was safer
than the streets.
�The only thing predictable about prostitution is its unpredictability.
You don�t know who you�ll see and how much you�ll make. You meet men
from all classes and walks of life, ages and life situations. A successful
prostitute learns to relate to all levels and never judge,� she added.
The county ridded itself of a major nuisance and hazard while providing
valuable training to firefighters, said Eric Guevin, county fire marshal.
�For the young firefighters, I don�t think they know the history of
the Mustang Ranch. For senior staff, it�s a piece of history,� Guevin
said. �But people would break into it and it was unmaintained, and it
had met its time.�
The BLM plans to return the Mustang Ranch land to a natural state and
use it for public access to the Truckee River.
The government seized the Mustang Ranch in 1999 after guilty verdicts
against its parent companies and manager in a federal fraud and racketeering
trial.
Conforte took over the Mustang Ranch in 1967, when prostitution was
illegal. In 1971, it became the state�s first legal brothel and led
to a movement that legalized prostitution in 12 of Nevada�s 17 counties.
In 1991, Conforte fled to Brazil with the government still after him
for taxes.
| Reader Comment | Sun Mar 25, 2007 9:42 pm |
| One State Senator comes to mind - bet he felt a little glee about this. | |
