The Mustang Ranch was a 104-room bordello on a 440-acre spread near Reno, Nevada. It was established by Joe Conforte, a onetime cabdriver, in 1955. Sixteen years later, he won a court case that paved the way for the legalization of prostitution in Nevada -- where whether to sanction or forbid the establishments is left up to county government. Twelve of the state's 17 counties now permit the operation of bordellos. The Mustang closed in 1999, when the owners were convicted of fraud, but it was quite a ride (pardon the really bad pun) in the intervening years.
Visitors to the Ranch were buzzed through a gate in a 10-foot fence with the famous pink "World Famous Mustang Ranch" sign. The buzzer signaled the prostitutes to line up in the red-wallpapered lobby for pairing off. Inside were sumptuous public rooms adorned with red velvet and leather armchairs and private chambers with names like Cowboy's Dungeon. Prices started at $40 per hour, but could easily grow to $200 or $300 per hour depending on the customers tastes.