N.C. "Wes" Westmoreland bought the Rhyolite train station around 1924-5 and lived there alone
with his dog for 23 years. He opened the casino in 1937 and also had a pretty nice bar that drew
folks from miles around. Wes was famous for his stories some of which were actually true. The
photo of him dealing 21 clearly shows an inlaid clover chip. I have a feeling he operated without
a license. Wes leased the place in 1947 and retired to a warmer climate. Six weeks after leaving
the desert he was dead. His sister continued to operate the place as a rock/curio shop and was
still open in the early 70s. I remember finding some of the clover chips amoung some rocks
then and thought maybe they were used on roulette. I didn't think much of them then. Anyway
Wes must have been quite a character, I wish I would have met him. I think Eric posted a cover
with his name. Photos used with permission of Death Valley National Park Assopciation.