Evel Knievel Museum Relocates to Las Vegas
The Evel Knievel Museum, which started in Knievel's hometown of Topeka, Kansas in 2017, is now moving to downtown Las Vegas.
This museum is going to be the main attraction of the newly built Mission Linen property, at 1001 South 1st St. The announcement of its groundbreaking was made by Las Vegas developer J Dapper on a Tuesday.
No particular opening date for the Evel Knievel Museum in Las Vegas has been decided yet, but in October, the Topeka location will close to prepare for the move.
Evel in Vegas
Las Vegas is where one of Knievel's most iconic stunts took place. On 31st December 1967, he tried to jump his motorcycle 141 feet over the fountains of Caesars Palace. This would have been Knievel's longest jump if he hadn't crashed and was sent flying off his handlebars, crashing into the Dunes parking lot.
The crash led to a handful of serious injuries: broken pelvis and femur, multiple hip fractures, two broken ankles, a concussion, and a lengthy hospital stay. Despite this, it catapulted him to fame and adoration. Evel sadly passed away at 69 years old due to pulmonary disease, not his countless injuries.
"I can't think of a better place to exhibit the legacy of Evel Knievel than Las Vegas," said Kelly Knievel, Evel's son and the family owner of his brand, in a statement. "With courage, charm, and showmanship, he built himself a name that's still revered 50 years after that fateful day at Caesars Palace."
Kelly added, "We have all of my father's memorabilia, as well as the newest additions to his story."
Not All the Memorabilia, Though
Although the museum's collection boasts most of the bikes that survived, along with Knievel's original leathers and helmets, it doesn't have the Triumph Bonneville T12 that Knievel used for his Caesars stunt. This bike vanished years ago and is rumored to be in the American northwest.
The Las Vegas museum will also include a virtual reality experience, an exhibit of Evel's ghastliest X-rays, and a room dedicated to Knievel's next most famous jump - the one over the Snake River Canyon in 1974. It didn't work, but the room, called the Snake River Experience, will display Knievel's actual Skycycle X-2.
"We're excited for the opportunity to move the Evel Knievel Museum from Topeka, Kansas to Las Vegas," said Mike Patterson, who co-founded the museum with Lathan McKay and James Caplinger.
Additionally, the property will house a Mothership Coffee Roasters and a heavy metal-themed pizzeria concept by Las Vegas hospitality business owner, Branden Powers.
The pizza spot is sure to cause confusion among tourists because, just over a mile away, there's Evel Pie, a pizza place dedicated to Evel Knievel. Established by Powers in 2016, it features memorabilia gifted by Evel's other son, Robbie. Robbie died last year at 60 years old due to pancreatic cancer.
Powers is no longer the owner of Evel Pie.
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Source: www.casino.org
