Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada ... the 24/7 Entertainment Center
Las Vegas is a city that has much to offer ... maybe that’s even an understatement. It’s a city that’s a living dream, not to be taken seriously continually, especially when you step foot onto one of the many casinos. This glorious city is filled with excitement, rides/shows, and wealth.
Las Vegas was once used by the Paiute Indians as a seasonal place to visit. It therefore was not discovered, but re-discovered by a Mexican scout by the name of Rafael Rivera in the year 1829. The area became know as Las Vegas because of its reliable source of water and feed for hungry horses. The first structure built here, a quaint mission and fort, was erected in the 1850’s at a time when missions and forts were becoming scattered across the region. The city’s development “took off” in 1902 when the land known as Las Vegas was sold to a prominent railroad company. When tracks were added, the downtown was shortly subdivided into lots that sold at a rate of around 1200 per day. However, a monumental task was about to unfold that would forever change the history, and appearance of Las Vegas. Its name was Boulder Dam.
The Bureau of Reclamation set out to build what was then the largest Hydro-electric dam in the world to control the seasonal flood and provide power to the West. This project was to test the ability of Nevada and the nation during the time of the Great Depression. With un-employment rising, thousands of men descended upon the site chosen by the Bureau of Reclamation for the dam. Less than five years later a dam stood in the Canyon of the Colorado River, a magnificent dam that could “turn off” the Colorado River all together. The dam named Hoover Dam (then Boulder Dam) still stands today as a National Historic Landmark, providing electricity to Las Vegas and surrounding cities. The year of completion, 1931, also saw the beginning of a trend that would forever leave it’s footprint on this barren land.
In 1931 Nevada legalized gambling which allowed for the first of many casinos to be built on the strip, its name is El Rancho. Casinos in Las Vegas include everything from Arizona Charlie’s Hotel and Casino to the Wild Wild West Hotel and Casino. Some of the more famous Casinos include Caesar’s Palace Hotel and Casino, Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Imperial Palace Hotel and Casino, MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, Mirage Hotel and Casino, and more. Along with the rise in casinos came the rise of organized crime in Las Vegas. Mobsters like Bugsy Siegel came to Las Vegas. He built the Flamingo Casino which set the tone for its predecessors. The Flamingo was big and lavish, attracting scores of high roller as well as small spenders. With improved transportation, communications, and technology such as air conditioning, Las Vegas quickly became on of country’s most popular tourist destinations.
More recently, Las Vegas is trying feverishly to change its image to a more family-oriented resort destination. Theme parks built inside hotels, scaled volcanoes, million-gallon fish tanks and much more have been added to increase the number of tourist that come to Las Vegas each year. Further more theme parks, local land landmarks, ice-skating, IMAX theatre, a children’s Museum, were added or provided transportation to.
Attractions today include Hoover Dam, Recreation areas, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas Natural History Museum, Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay, and Stratosphere Tower. Las Vegas today may be most well knows for its boxing. Championship Boxing is a huge event in Las Vegas, attracting many. They also have Hockey, Basketball, Auto Racing, and Rodeo.
Las Vegas has built itself up from a single structure to one, if not the top entertainment capital of the world. After years of planning and design, Las Vegas now offers an adventure for the whole family. Thanks to the Hoover Dam and other projects, Las Vegas has the power and water supply it needs to continue to expand and build, setting no limits to how exciting your next trip to Las Vegas will be.
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