YESCO, the 104-year-old company known for creating, repairing, and maintaining internationally recognizable signs, announces it has completely refurbished the iconic “Wendover Will” neon cowboy sign with LED technology.
Retained by the City of West Wendover—which is located on Nevada’s eastern border—YESCO was tasked with replacing 1,184 feet of neon tubing with principal flex and RGB flex LED lighting to mimic the sign’s original look and feel. The new LED lighting also requires less maintenance and is more energy efficient than the neon tubing.
The seventy-one-year-old landmark was also refreshed with a bright new coat of paint to match the original color scheme. Additionally YESCO removed the existing letters at the base of the sign and installed new letters with the inclusion of the illuminated “Downtown” pan channel letters.
The neon cowboy sign is named after the City of West Wendover and William Smith, who founded the Stateline Casino.
At sixty-three feet tall, “Wendover Will” was named the “world’s tallest mechanical cowboy” by the Guiness Book of World Records. It was one of the first signs YESCO created in Nevada.
In 1952, YESCO commissioned designer Pat Denner to create “Wendover Will” for the Stateline Casino, just after he completed Las Vegas’ iconic “Vegas Vic” sign located on Downtown Las Vegas’ Fremont Street.
“From building the original ‘Wendover Will’ in 1952 to refurbishing it in 2023, YESCO is profoundly grateful to be tasked with the care and improvement of this legendary sign,” said Jeff Young, executive vice president of YESCO.
