Bonnie Springs Ranch near Las Vegas to permanently close Sunday

Bonnie Springs Ranch will officially close the gates to the replica Old West town on Sunday.

The ranch posted on its Facebook page Tuesday that Bonnie Springs is “retiring,” with this weekend being its last days of operation.

In the early hours of Feb. 20, the Clark County Commission signed off on a tentative design details submitted by developer Joel Laub, who seeks to build luxury homes on 64 acres of Bonnie Springs’ land, after purchasing the ranch from the children of its founder, Bonnie Levinson.

Sunday’s last day of operation includes the restaurant, Old Nevada, the riding stables and the petting zoo, according to the social media post.

“Hope your memories are as good as ours and we thank you for your patronage over the years,” Bonnie Springs said.

The land development has spurred debate over how the luxury homes would change Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, where the ranch is located west of Las Vegas off state Route 159, next to Spring Mountain Ranch State Park.

Bob Gronauer, the lawyer representing Laub, has said that while others debate over the land’s future, the family put the private property on the market.

“They don’t have to stay open because we all want them to stay open,” Gronauer has said.

Attorney Paul Connaghan, who represents the ranch’s ownership, said in January that the family “really felt good” about the sale and Laub’s plans.

Bonnie Springs opened as a tourist attraction in 1958 as a reproduction of an 1880s mining town and has featured a train, petting zoo, horseback riding, wax museum and mock gunfights.

On the Facebook post, Bonnie Springs wrote that people should “stay tuned for auction news.”

Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.