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History of Las Vegas
Las Vegas History
Vegas Interactive Map
Old Las Vegas Photos
History of the Strip
History of the Las Vegas Strip
Las Vegas developed in 1905 as a major midway point on the railroad between Salt Lake City and Los Angeles.
Then in the 1940's, the success of the El Rancho Las Vegas Hotel triggered a small building boom including construction of several hotel-casinos fronting on a two-lane highway leading into Las Vegas from Los Angeles.
Entertainment, along with gambling, built Las Vegas' reputation as a play land getaway of the world. When the El Rancho Vegas was the only resort on the Las Vegas Strip in 1941, singers, comedians, strippers, instrumentalists, dancers and a wide variety of performers were booked to entertain hotel guests in the resort's small, intimate showroom.
The Las Vegas hotel casinos that followed copied the successful star format for a number of years, eventually adding Las Vegas promo codes to the mix as well.
The Las Vegas Boom
When Las Vegas Started Booming
The stretch of road where the El Rancho Hotel in Las Vegas planted itself evolved into today's Las Vegas Strip. Early hotels included the Last Frontier, Thunderbird (Still standing as the Arubu Hotel & Spa) and Club Bingo.
In the late 50's the casinos really start rising. In 1957, the Mint Casino was added and the Golden Nugget Las Vegas installed its neon, Victorian styled, bull-nose facade.
The famous neon lights in Las Vegas were populating downtown and the Strip. Las Vegas was officially booming.
Lucky Strike, in late 1962, added its tower sign - arguably the most outdated 'new' structure ever built in Las Vegas (using styling more suited to a 1940s pulp science fiction magazine - than the Space-Age 60s).
Recent Vegas History
Recent Las Vegas History
In early 1962, Binions added its much more modern and futuristic facade, which has remained stylish even up to 2007.
In the late 1960's, the Golden Nugget bought out the Lucky Strike in Las Vegas and extended its casino all the way to First Street.
In 1988, Binions, likewise, bought out the Mint and extended its casino and facade down to First Street.
In 1991, the Golden Nugget tore off its neon facade and modernized its look with a Beverly Hills' style and palm trees on Fremont.
Today, the constant development on the Las Vegas Strip has created one of the most modern and revolutionary skylines on Earth.
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Old Las Vegas Videos and Photos
Las Vegas is the most populous city founded in the 20th Century. Even though this city rose from the desert so recently, the history of Las Vegas is still a fascinating story to tell. Below are some of our best Las Vegas photos from the early days of Las Vegas. There are also a couple old Las Vegas videos from the 50's and 60's. This is a great way to see what the modern city of Las Vegas looked like back 50 years ago. Las Vegas has now famously evolved into a modern metropolis where the most cutting edge trends in architecture, food and clubbing begin.
1950's Las Vegas Video
1960's Las Vegas Video