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Pahrump is a small town in the Nevada desert about an hour from Las Vegas.
Introduction to Pahrump
The area that now makes up Pahrump was originally inhabited by the Southern Paiute. Settlers arrived in the late 19th century and named it for the original Southern Paiute name Pah-Rimpi, which means Water Rock.
The town developed slowly and didn’t pick up until the 1960s, parallel to the growth of Las Vegas. At that time, the first telephone service was installed and a paved highway connecting it with Vegas was built. The same road was later extended north to Amargosa Valley, and another was built to connect with Shoshone, California.
The first high school was built in 1974. Before this, in the 1950s and 60s, there was only a two-room elementary school. High school students had to commute to Shoshone.
Today, Pahrump is a commuter town in which many residents work in Las Vegas. It has a handful of casinos, a few wineries, and two legal brothels, but no major attractions to warrant an extended stay.
Pahrump Valley Museum
If you’re passing through town, you can stop into the friendly Pahrump Valley Museum. It’s located off the main road through town, NV 160. Admission is free (as of October 2025), and the museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9am to 5pm. The staff is friendly and always willing to answer questions.
The museum showcases Native American artifacts and historical items collected from town residents. There are also profiles on famous locals. Exhibits about farming, ranching, and prospecting are also on display.
The most interesting exhibit in the museum is about the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository, a proposed nuclear waste storage site in the Nevada desert. Six touch screen displays show videos about the project and explain how the waste would be carefully stored. Most of my time in the museum was spent on this exhibit.
