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Big Bovine of the Desert

This enormous fiberglass cow near Death Valley National Park once graced a casino roof in Las Vegas.

Amargosa Valley, Nevada

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Big Cow with Clouds   juliebarker / Atlas Obscura User
The BIg Bovine silhouetted at dawn.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
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This giant bovine once stood proudly on top of Holy Cow Casino and Brewery in Las Vegas. Commissioned by owner Tom Wiesner, a former Wisconsin Badgers linebacker and Chicago Cubs fan, Wiesner named his casino after what legendary Cubs announcer Harry Carey would yell when the Cubs made a big play: "Holy cow!" Wiesner named the 14-foot-tall fiberglass Holstein "Alphie."

Wearing sunglasses and standing in front of a neon rainbow, Alphie graced the casino's roof until sometime after it closed in 2002. Eventually she was sold at auction to Las Vegas casino and car dealership owner Jim Marsh, who moved her to the parking lot of his Longstreet Inn Casino and RV Resort in Amargosa Valley, 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas on the California state line.

Minus the sunglasses and rainbow, Alphie now honors "Herman," a 3000-pound cow that once resided in the Longstreet Inn petting zoo. Recently, she has been joined in the parking lot by a giant fiberglass pig.

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Published

February 13, 2025

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