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The Mustang Ranch began as a brothel consisting of four double-wide trailers. It was known as the Mustang Bridge Ranch and Valley of the Dolls. While illegal, the brothel was more or less tolerated by local officials. In 1967, Joe Conforte and Sally Burgess bought the Mustang and in 1971 they won a legal battle that legalized brothels in Nevada, thus becoming Nevada's first legal brothel. As can be expected, the business did booming business, bringing in more revenue than all other Nevada brothels combined.
In 1999, the Mustang Ranch was confiscated by the federal government when Conforte was charged with tax fraud and racketeering - yes, for a while the federal government owned a prostitution business. In 2002, the brothels assets were sold off. A year later, the brothels famous pink buildings were bought by Lance Gilman, owner of the nearby Wild Horse brothel. The remnants of the Mustang Ranch now operate under the name World Famous Brothel.
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