The History of Las Vegas
Part 3 of 3
The construction of Hoover Dam finished in 1935. The first utility company to offer electricity from the Dam was Southern Nevada Power and Las Vegas was its first customer; the city became a beacon of neon lighting. Though the construction workers drifted away after their task was complete, Las Vegas became no quieter: the Dam itself, as well as its reservoir Lake Mead, both became tourist attractions – and where else was there to stay in the area but Las Vegas?
Then, in 1940, U.S. Route 39 was extended to Las Vegas, the second major road to connect to the city. But in 1941, another blow would come to the city’s thriving entertainment industry. The U.S. Army, having established a gunnery school near the city (which would eventually become Nellis Air Force Base) pushed to outlaw legal prostitution, and the city’s red light district closed for business – permanently. On the other hand, 1941 also saw the opening of the city’s first resort (El Rancho Vegas, opened by Thomas Hull), which would set the stage for an even more lucrative industry. In 1942 and onwards, many more resorts would follow.
El Rancho Vegas (picture courtesy of Flickr user Nevada Tumbleweed)
In 1946, Jewish gangster Bugsy Siegel and mob boss Meyer Lansky poured money through legitimate channels to build Las Vegas’ first hotel controlled fully by organised crime – the Flamingo. Though Siegel was eventually killed in a shoot-out after the resort lost money, it would set the standard for organised crime in the city. 1950 saw the beginning of a two-year investigation by Senator Estes Kefauver into the city’s entertainment industry. He reported that criminal money and control was tied inextricably into the city, and in particular the gambling industry, and that federal gambling control was necessary – only mob influence over Nevada Senator Pat McCarran kept the proposal from going through.
In 1951, nuclear weapons tests begin in Nevada; despite the (vastly underestimated) dangers of radiation, they become little more than another tourist attraction, as resorts offer high vantage points with bars selling atomic cocktails for a nice view of the mushroom cloud.
An example view from a Las Vegas Sky Room, perhaps (picture courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)
Between 1952 and 1957, organised crime in the city experienced its own boom. Many hotel resorts were opened, owned by boards of Mormon elders (for legitimacy), and crime bosses (for muscle and illegal profits). By 1954, Las Vegas was being visited by over 8 million people per year, providing a total of around $200 million, and world-famous performers were lining up to grace the city with their presence – Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra among them. The university of Las Vegas was established in 1957, and Howard Hughes (eccentric father of modern aviation) moved in, in 1966, quickly buying up his own hotel as well as several others. Hughes is said to be the father of the modern city, and was responsible for its development from a frontier, wild-west type locale to a modern, cosmopolitan metropolis.
Between 1970 and 1990, Las Vegas’ rate of development decreased substantially. After 1990, however, its expansion has only gone up, due to immigration. The recent boom in the resort industry has only led to more growth, and more hotel resorts being built in the city; this megaresort era began in 1989 with the construction of Mirage, and continued with a large number of other resorts.
A few Megaresort names for your consideration (created on Wordle.net)
In 2000, Las Vegas was declared the largest city founded during the 20th century, and in 2006, it was announced that it was the 28th largest city in the U.S, having a population of almost 552,000. In the decade since then, however, its economic success has experienced a downturn, due to the home mortgage crisis and the late 2000s recession. Whilst a slow recovery is predicted, there is little doubt that the city of lights, gambling, and entertainment can only expect more success in the new decade and, indeed, the new millennium.
Rich Hunt
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