Photo archive for May 15, 1905

The Hulls

El Rancho founder Thomas E. Hull poses with his wife Jerry Hull inside their resort shortly after its opening in April, 1941. Hull opened the El Rancho as part of his El Rancho hotel chain, which included hotels in Bakersfield and Sacramento, Calif. View photo

El Rancho Vegas aerial

The El Rancho Vegas awaits commuters on Highway 91 (which would later become The Strip) in this late 1940s photo. The El Rancho was the first hotel casino on The Strip to offer gaming, lodging and dining in one location. A long train car can be seen in the distance heading toward downtown. At the time, the economy of Las Vegas was still reliant on the railroad between Salt Lake City and Los Angeles. View photo

The Pair O' Dice Club

The Pair O' Dice Nite Club, sits aside Highway 91 in this 1930s photo. The Pair O' Dice was the first nightclub on the Las Vegas Strip. Its main attraction was gambling before gambling was even legal in Nevada. The property was bought and turned into the 91 Club in 1939, which itself was rebuilt as the Last Frontier in 1942. View photo

Hot Headliner

Clark County firefighters extinguish the last flickers of flame that engulfed the Caesars Palace marquee, March 27, 1980. The blaze erupted shortly after 12:30p.m. and caused $200,000 worth of damage. The 70-foot fluorescent sign was ignited by an electrical short as workmen were changing the headliner from Paul Anka to Tom Jones. Jones was the headliner two years earlier, when another small fire engulfed the sign. View photo

Mystery of the Riviera fire

Authorities work to put out the fire at the Riviera hotel's construction site, Aug. 9, 1989. Despite fire regulations becoming more strict after the MGM fire in 1980, fires still occur. The cause of this blaze remains unknown to this day. View photo

Melted Riviera sign

The marquee of the Riviera Hotel melts away after being exposed to the intense heat of a fire at the hotel's construction site Aug. 9, 1989. The cause of the fire is still unknown. View photo

After the Fire

The once elegant and glittering entrance to the MGM Grand Hotel lays in ruin in this Nov. 23, 1980 photo. The casino was devastated after an electrical fire ripped through it on Nov. 21, 1980. View photo

Fighting for Air

Guests of the MGM break the windows of their rooms in an effort to get fresh air, Nov. 21, 1980. MGM guests employed a range of techniques to avoid smoke inhalation. Some put towels underneath doors to block out the smoke, while others wrapped wet towels around their faces. View photo

Fire-damaged roof

Rays of light shine through the damaged roof of the MGM Grand Hotel illuminating the fire hoses that snake through the lobby. View photo

MGM chandelier

A chandelier is the only thing left unscathed after a fire guts the casino floor of the MGM Grand Hotel. The casino was not equipped with sprinklers because of budgetary reasons. Owners believed that since it was a 24-hour casino someone would notice a fire and sprinklers and alarms would not be necessary. Don Ploke / Las Vegas Sun View photo

Rev. Billy Graham consoles

The Rev. Billy Graham consoles a fire victim at the Las Vegas Convention Center, where an emergency medical station had been set up, Nov. 21, 1980. Graham praised the Las Vegas community for their quick mobilization and generous support for the victims of the blaze. View photo

saving lives

Paramedics attempt to revive a guest suffering from smoke inhalation, Nov. 21, 1980. The fire killed 87 people and injured 785 more. Smoke and poisonous gas inhalation and was the cause of death for the majority of the victims. Most of the deaths occurred in the stairwells because the stairwell doors would lock automatically after they were shut, trapping people inside. David Waite / Las Vegas Sun View photo

Helicopter rescue

An emergency helicopter lifts a guest off of the roof of the MGM Grand during the fire that devastated the building, Nov. 21, 1980. Helicopter pilots rescued over 300 people from the roof and balconies of the MGM. View photo

Surveying the damage

The owner of the El Rancho Vegas hotel, Beldon Katleman, (in white) examines the remnants of his hotel, after a fire on Friday, June 17, 1960 destroyed the establishment. The hotel was never rebuilt and the site was eventually bought by billionaire Howard Hughes. View photo

El Rancho Vegas windmill ablaze

Firefighters struggle to contain a blaze that threatens the iconic windmill of the El Rancho Vegas Hotel, but efforts were in vain, as fire soon spreads to the windmill. The hotel is the first official hotel casino to open on The Strip, but it's now an empty lot. View photo

Death of Bugsy Siegel

The Los Angeles Police photo of Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel after his murder in Beverly Hills, Calif., on June 20, 1947. Bullets were found throughout the house, including one which blew his left eyeball out of the socket and across the room. View photo

The Pink Flamingo

Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel's Flamingo Hotel is shown in this photo. Under Siegel's authority the hotel's construction was disorganized and the grand opening was a flop, forcing the hotel to close after less than a month of operation. View photo

Bugsy Siegel's Flamingo hotel

The Flamingo Hotel stands out in the barren desert in this November 1952 photo. The hotel set the bar for style and entertainment in Las Vegas, changing the city forever. View photo

Bugsy Siegal mugshot

Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel, shown here in profile, was one of the handsomest hoodlums of his day. No one who valued his life ever called him "Bugsy" to his face. In 1946 Siegel arrived in Nevada to finish building the Flamingo Hotel, beginning the golden age of Las Vegas. View photo

Sedan Crater

The Sedan Crater was formed when a 104-kiloton explosive buried under 635 feet of desert rock and soil was fired at the Nevada Test Site on July 6, 1962, displacing 12 million tons of earth. The crater is 320 feet deep and has a diameter of about 1,280 feet. The radioactive cloud rose 12,000 feet in the air and headed east then northeast toward the Mississippi River. The crater shown is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. View photo

Multiple Yucca craters

Air Force helicopters fly DOE radiation monitoring personnel over Yucca Flat during tests, in this now unclassified photograph. Yucca Flat, where most nuclear weapons tests are conducted, is dotted with more than 200 subsidence craters from underground explosions. View photo

The "Easy" atomic bomb test

The mushroom cloud of the "Easy" atomic bomb test rises above the Nevada Test Site on Nov. 5, 1951. Energy levels the equivalent of over 31 thousand tons of TNT were discharged by the bomb. View photo

Dog atmospheric test

The explosion from operation Buster Jangle's "Dog" atmospheric test rocks the Nevada desert in this photo. The 21 kiloton bomb was detonated on November 1, 1951. Soldiers participating in training exercises watched the explosion from only 6 miles away. View photo

Charlie nuclear bomb

The "Charlie" nuclear bomb is detonated on October 30, 1951, as part of Operation Buster-Jangle. According to the National Cancer Institute, it is estimated that the seven detonations of Operation Buster-Jangle caused about 2,300 cases of thyroid cancer, leading to 120 deaths. View photo

Baneberry nuclear test

The "Baneberry" underground nuclear test at Area 8 of the Nevada Test Site accidentally releases radioactivity above ground on December 18, 1970. The blast packed a nuclear punch a little less than half of the atomic bomb that destroyed Hiroshima during World War II. View photo

Miss Atomic Bomb

Copa Room showgirl Lee Merlin poses in a cotton mushroom cloud swimsuit as she is crowned Miss Atomic Bomb in this 1957 photograph. Above-ground nuclear testing was a major public attraction during the late 1950s, and hotels capitalized on the craze by hosting nuclear bomb watch parties, which usually included the dubbing of a chorus girl as Miss Atomic Bomb. Merlin was the last and most famous of the Miss Atomic Bomb girls. View photo

Lake Mead water level

Discoloration around the banks of lake mead shows how much the water level has declined over the years. Lake Mead is currently over half full, its water supply has been depleted due to an ongoing drought and the demands put on it by the growing community in southern Nevada. View photo

Bird of Lake Mead Bay

A bird rests in Las Vegas Bay on Lake Mead at sunset Friday afternoon, April 21, 2006. View photo

Water skiing on Lake Mead

Despite declining water levels, Kris Verville still finds enough water to kick up with his jet ski at Lake Mead on Oct. 6, 2004. Lake Mead is currently over half full, and its water level dropped approximately 80 feet between 1999 and 2006. View photo

Bali Hai

Golfers play the 7,002-yard, par-71 Bali Hai Golf Club on the Las Vegas Strip. View photo

New Years Fireworks

Fireworks explode over the Las Vegas Strip just after midnight Monday, Jan. 1, 2002. The photo is looking north at the south end of the Strip from the top of the Mandalay Bay hotel-casino. An estimated 282,000 visitors came to Las Vegas to celebrate the New Year in 2002. View photo

Welcome to Las Vegas

Cars zoom by the sign welcoming motorists to Las Vegas on Nov. 13, 1997. The sign's distinct shape and relatively small stature, 25 feet tall, set it apart from the other signs crammed along the Las Vegas Strip. Seven silver dollars back the seven letters of the word "Welcome" in affirmation of Nevada's nickname the "Silver State." View photo

Tourists inside a gondola

Tourists are treated to a Gondola ride in front of The Venetian Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip. The gondoliers often sing while transporting guests in true Venice fashion. View photo

Tourists on the Strip

Pedestrians crowd the Strip in this photo taken August 15, 2003. City planners installed elevated pedestrian walkways at several intersections along the strip to seperate pedestrian and vehicular traffic and to help prevent accidents. View photo

Oscar Goodman wins third term

Mayor Oscar Goodman celebrates after winning his third term as mayor of Las Vegas. He won the 2007 election by a landslide margin obtaining 84 percent of the votes, causing some to call him Las Vegas' most popular mayor. View photo

Oscar Goodman in court with Tony Spilotro

Defense lawyer Oscar Goodman, left, in court in with Anthony "Tony the Ant" Spilotro, the Chicago mob's feared overseer in Las Vegas. Spilotro controls the crime family's rackets empire here for more than a decade. View photo

Oscar Goodman and Tony Spilotro

Mobster Tony "The Ant" Spilotro and attorney Oscar Goodman walk side by side after a session of the Spilotro trial in 1986. Goodmam defends Spilotro against state and federal charges throughout Spilotro's life. View photo

1974 World Series of Poker

In this 1974 photo, left, Johnny Moss, Becky Binion and Puggy Pearson partake of some of the action at the World Series of Poker at Binion's Horshoe casino downtown Fremont Street in Las Vegas. View photo

1976 World Series of Poker

Even though 22 men entered the Seventh World Series of Poker at Binion's Horsehoe, it was Doyle Brunson that walked away victorious. To enter the tournament, held in 1976, players paid $10,000. Brunson walked away with $220,000. View photo

1979 World Series of Poker

In 1979, 54 participants paid $10,000 to enter the World Series of Poker. Hal Fowler won. That year is often referred to as the greatest upset in the history of World Series of Poker View photo

Charles and Delphine Squires celebrate their anniversary

Charles P. Squires and his wife, Delphine Squires, celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary in this Aug. 21, 1949 photo. As pioneer residents of Las Vegas, Charles and Delphine Squires were instrumental in developing Las Vegas from a desert railroad stop into the largest American city founded in the 20th century. View photo

Hitching Post Wedding Chapel

The Hitching Post Wedding Chapel is heavily advertised in this 1940s photo. In 1931 the Nevada Legislature relaxed the state's marriage and divorce laws and the wedding industry started to become a major factor in the Vegas economy. View photo

Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward

Actress Joanne Woodward and actor Paul Newman pose for cameras before cutting their wedding cake following the couple's Jan. 29, 1958 wedding at the El Rancho Vegas. They are still together today. View photo

Elvis and Priscilla Presley cut the wedding cake

Elvis and Priscilla Presley cut their wedding cake after exchanging vows in the Aladdin Hotel-Casino on May 1, 1967. View photo

Downtown mushroom cloud

A mushroom cloud from a nuclear test appears on the horizon of downtown Las Vegas, November 1951. Six atmospheric tests and one subterranean detonation were conducted for Operation Buster-Jangle at the Nevada Test Site in late 1951. View photo

Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme cut the cake

Comedian Joe E. Lewis looks on while singers Eydie Gorme and Steve Lawrence cut the first slice of their wedding cake at the home of El Rancho Vegas Hotel owner Beldon Katleman during their Dec. 29, 1957, wedding. View photo

Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme

Performers Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme share an intimate moment at their Las Vegas wedding, 1957. The duo were famous for their 10-year run as headliners at Caesars Palace, as well as performances at the Sands and Desert Inn. View photo

Hilton Fire front page

The front page of the Wednesday, Feb. 11, 1981, edition of the Las Vegas Sun on the Hilton fire. View photo

Moulin Rouge

Firefighters finish putting out the blaze at the Moulin Rouge Hotel on May 2, 2003. The hotel is the first fully inegrated hotel in Las Vegas and is only open for five months. The fire starter, a former employee, is sentenced to over four years in jail for the crime. View photo

MGM guests watch fire

Distraught guests look on as fire engulfs the MGM hotel, Nov. 21, 1980. The fire alarm of the MGM could only be activated manually and there were no alarms located near the casino, which was where the blaze started. Guests learned of the fire either by witnessing the smoke or through word of mouth. View photo

MGM Fire

Smoke billows out of the MGM Grand as the hotel is engulfed in flames on Nov. 21, 1980. Faulty wiring in an unused delicatessen is the cause of the worst disaster in Nevada history and the country's second-worst hotel fire. View photo

The morning after

Firefighters contain what is left of the El Rancho Vegas Hotel fire. No one was hurt in the June 17, 1960 blaze, but a piece of Las Vegas history was lost forever. It has been an empty lot ever since. View photo

MGM Entrance

Light cascades down on Firefighters as they sift through the rubble of the MGM Grand Hotel's lobby. The fire began Nov. 21, 1980 on the Casino floor, but quickly spread to the lobby and main entrance of the hotel. View photo

Firefighters rescue MGM guests

MGM guests stand on the balconies of their rooms as they await rescue. The high-rise hotel did not have sprinklers in the rooms, leading to federal and state safety standard changes. All guests were eventually evacuated, but 87 people were killed. View photo

Sahara fire

Guests hang back as firefighters work to put out the blaze at the Sahara hotel in 1964. This fire is a precursor to the devastating MGM Grand fire in 1980. View photo

Linda Lawson crowned "Miss-Cue"

Sands Copa Girl, Linda Lawson, is crowned "Miss-Cue" by military personnel participating Operation Cue at the Nevada Test Site, May 1, 1955. High winds caused Operation Cue to suffer from numerous delays, causing personnel to name it "Operation Miscue." View photo

The Sedan Crater

Members of the media survey Sedan crater. Detonated July 6, 1962, Sedan crater is 320 ft. deep, 1,280 ft. wide and moved 6.6 million cubic yards of soil. The 104 kiloton Storax Sedan event was a key test under Operation Plowshare which sought to utilize nuclear explosions for peaceful purposes like carving out lakes and rivers. The crater was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994. View photo

Priscilla bomb

The Priscilla nuclear bomb is detonated over Frenchman Flat on June 24, 1957. The test was one of a series of controversial nuclear tests codenamed Operation Plumbbob. The 37 kiloton bomb was detonated at 700 feet above the valley floor via hot air balloon. Operation Plumbbob sought to take advantage of the nuclear tests with training exercises, war games and lectures for military personnel on how the atom bomb would change the way wars would be fought, culminating in the actual explosions every 5 days during the late spring and summer of 1957. View photo

Elvis Presley and Liberace jam

Liberace and Elvis Presley trade jackets and instruments in an impromptu jam session at the Riviera on Nov. 14, 1956. View photo

Actor Rip Torn portrays Howard Hughes

Rip Torn employs all the details made public at Howard Hughes' death in his portrayal of the reclusive billionare in this Feb. 9, 1979 photo. Torn dons Hughes' old flight helmet and silk scarf for a return to Las Vegas--which Hughes once called "sacred ground. View photo

Elvis sign

Elvis Presley's signature neon sign still shines at the Elvis-A-Rama Museum in Las Vegas. Photographed on Friday, Nov. 5, 1999. View photo

Howard Hughes front page

This is the front page of the Las Vegas Sun from Feb. 10, 1975 featuring a story on bugging by Howard Hughes. It describes an affidavit by a former CIA agent who said bugs were placed in an attempt to put Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., in a compromising position in a Las Vegas hotel and phone taps on former Gov. Grant Sawyer, then Gov. Mike O'Callaghan and Sun Publisher Hank Greenspun. View photo

Elvis Presley backstage at the International hotel

Elvis Presley smiles for photographers backstage after a concert in 1970 at the International Hotel. View photo

Elvis Presley and Ann-Marget dancing on Viva Las Vegas

Ann Margaret and Elvis Presley dance together for the filming of MGM's "Viva Las Vegas." Their on-screen chemistry translated to off-screen romance as the two were involved in a highly publicized affair. View photo

Howard Hughes headshot

Howard Hughes raises an eyebrow at cameras during a headshot taken on Oct. 3, 1947. The UNLV College of Engineering is named in his honor, despite the fact he never paid the university all of the money he promised. View photo

Elvis in an MGM studio publicity photo

Elvis Presley is shown with his Gibson J-200 guitar in this 1957, MGM studio publicity photo. View photo

Howard Hughes bellow his XF-11

Howard Hughes stands below the second prototype of his XF-11 reconnaissance aircraft in this 1947 photo. The USAF declined to pick up the XF-11 project due to the difficulties involved in flying the plane, and the high cost of manufacturing it. View photo

Howard Hughes inside the cockpit

Howard Hughes sits in the cockpit of his prototype XF-11 reconnaissance plane in preparation the plane's maiden flight on July 7, 1946. The flight would end disastrously as Hughes ended up crashing the XF - 11, suffering third-degree burns, a crushed collarbone and 24 broken ribs as a result of the accident. View photo

Elvis Presley at the International Hotel

Elvis Presley is shown at the International Hotel shortly after he made his first public stage appearance in nine years on July 26, 1969. View photo

Howard Hughes in front of his H-1 racer

A young Howard Hughes stands next to his H-1 racer airplane in this 1930's photo. The H-1 was the first aircraft produced by Hughes Aircraft Corporation and Hughes would set the world airspeed record and break his own American transcontinental speed record in the H-1. View photo

Ella Fitzgerald's emotional performance

Singer Ella Fitzgerald gives an emotional performance sometime during the 1960's. She is arguably the most prestigious performer to ever grace the Las Vegas strip, winning 13 Grammy's and being awarded the National Medal of Art and the Medal of Freedom. View photo

Ella Fitzgerald promotional photo

Singer Ella Fitzgerald poses for cameras in this 1950s promotional shot. She performed at a variety of casinos in Las Vegas over the course of her career including the Flamingo, Sahara, New Frontier and Caesars Palace. View photo

Ella Fitzgerald on stage

Singer Ella Fitzgerald receives the spotlight in this 1960s live performance. Fitzgerald performed with Count Basie and Frank Sinatra for a series of shows at Caesar's Palace. Her performances with Sinatra are credited for bringing Sinatra out of his self imposed retirement of the early 1970's. View photo

The Aviator

Howard Hughes poses in front of the his record setting Northrop Gamma Monoplane in this 1930s photo. Hughes broke his first aviation record in the Gamma when he made the west-east American transcontinental run in 9 hours, 26 minutes, and 10 seconds. View photo

Spirits accompany Dean Martin at the Sands

A collection of spirits accompanies Dean Martin, Joey Bishop, and Frank Sinatra as they perform together at the Copa Room of the Sands hotel-casino in 1966. View photo

Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra sing at the Sands

Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin sing a duet together during a 1960s performance in the Sands' Copa Room. The Rat Pack was born when Sinatra joined Martin onstage to sing "Sleep Warm" at the Sands on Jan. 20, 1960. View photo

Dean Martin and his daughter Gail perform at the Sands

Dean Martin performs on stage with Gail Martin in the Sands Copa Room on August 1967. Gail was the daughter of Dino and his first wife Betty MacDonald. She followed her fathers footsteps and entered into the entertainment industry. View photo

Dean Martin's solo debut at the Sands

Dean Martin makes his debut in the Sands Copa Room on March 6, 1957. A year removed from his separation with comedian Jerry Lewis, many doubted Dino's ability to have a successful solo career. Despite the skepticism actresses Lucille Ball and Debbie Reynolds, comedian Jack Benny and Jack Entratter attended the act and can be seen in the audience. View photo

Dean Martin smiles for the camera

Dean Martin smiles for the cameras in this photo taken in March 1982. Martin first performed in Las Vegas in 1949 at the Flamingo hotel with Jerry Lewis. He continued performing there for 40 years until his final Vegas shows at Ballys in 1989. View photo

Harry Belafonte promotional photo

A late 1970s promotional photo of singer Harry Belafonte shows him staring into the camera. Belafonte was known for flaunting the laws of segregation that governed Las Vegas during the 50s. His magnitude as a performer enabled him to break racial barriers, helping to pave the way for a desegregated Las Vegas. View photo

Harry Belafonte at Caesars Palace

Singer Harry Belafonte gets the spotlight during a September 1969 performance with Lena Horne at Caesers Palace View photo

The Rat Pack backstage at the Sands

Sands general manager Jack Entratter, left, waits backstage with rat pack members Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra and Joey Bishop before a performance at the Sand's Copa room View photo

The Rat Pack in another Copa Room performance

Sammy Davis Jr. roars with laughter as he and fellow Rat Pack members Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra and Joey Bishop perform together at the Sands' Copa Room during the 1960s. View photo

Rat Pack postcard

A postcard shows the Rat Pack (from left Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop) posing in front of a Sands Hotel marquee bearing their names. Their performances at the Sands during the 60s marked the golden age of the group. View photo

The Rat Pack perform at the Sands

All five members of the Rat Pack, from left, Peter Lawford, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. and Joey Bishop, perform at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas, Jan. 20, 1960. Their gigs were often improvised and when one member of the Rat Pack was scheduled to give a performance, other members would show up for an impromptu show. View photo

The Rat Pack at the Sands' Copa Room

The Rat Pack, from left, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Joey Bishop, Sammy Davis Jr. at one of their many performances together on the stage of the Sands' Copa Room during the 1960s. View photo

Don Rickles serenades the audience

Comedian Don Rickles projects his voice into the microphone during one of his numerous performances. Rickles has also enjoyed success in television and film over his long career as an entertainer. Younger audiences would best recognize his voice as Mr. Potato Head's in the "Toy Story" series. View photo

Don Rickles promotional shot

Comedian Don Rickles smiles for a promotional photo shot. Rickles was so admired by his peers that when Frank Sinatra was asked to perform at Ronald Reagan's Second Inaugural Ball, Sinatra demanded organizers allow Rickles to perform with him. View photo

Don Rickles with pie on his face

Comedian Don Rickles and members of the band continue on with the show after taking pies to the face. He is as comfortable being on the receiving end of a joke as he is dishing out his brand of insult comedy. View photo

Don Rickles promotional photo

Comedian Don Rickles points and smiles during a promotional photo shoot. His witty brand of insult comedy earned the admiration of Frank Sinatra, who nicknamed the comedian "bullet head." View photo

Don Rickles smiles for the camera

Comedian Don Rickles grins wildly for the camera during a December 1982 performance of his show with singer Steve Lawrence. Rickles has performed in Las Vegas for 48 consecutive years and still performs there regularly to this day. View photo

The Beatles board the plane

The Beatles board their plane after performing two shows at the Las Vegas Convention Center on Aug. 20, 1964. Although the group was excited to see Las Vegas, the throngs of crazed fans forced the group to stay in their hotel rooms for the majority of their stay. View photo

The Beatles arrive at the Sahara hotel

The Beatles are ushered to their room at the Sahara hotel before performing at the Las Vegas Convention Center on Aug. 20, 1964. John Lennon dons sunglasses and stands in front, with Ringo Starr on the left and George Harrison, looking down behind Ringo. View photo

Sammy Davis Jr. at the Copa Room

Sammy Davis Jr. performs in front of a packed crowed at the Sands' Copa Room during the 1960s. View photo

Sammy Davis Jr. sings at the Sands

Sammy Davis Jr. gives an energetic performance at the Sands Copa Room. Despite losing an eye and nearly losing his life as a result of a 1954 car accident, Davis continued entertaining until the early 90s. View photo

Sammy Davis Jr. and Dean Martin at the Sands

Dean Martin (right) teases Sammy Davis Jr. during a 1960's performance. Dino would become famous for ridiculing his peers during his Celebrity Roasts, where he and a panel of famous friends would honor a celebrity with mercilessly funny insults. View photo

Elton John

Elton John performs at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace. View photo

The Rat Pack and Lucille Ball

The Sands celebrates its 11th anniversary with comedian Danny Thomas and actress Lucielle Ball, back, Sands manager Jack Entratter, Rat Pack members, from left, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Frank Sinatra, and comedian Gary Morton. View photo

Elton John at the Thomas and Mack Center

Elton John performs at the Thomas & Mack Center Thursday, Dec. 30, 1999. John and Tina Turner co-headlined a concert as part of New Year's festivities sponsored by Caesars Palace hotel-casino. View photo

Elton John performs at the Radio Music Awards

Sir Elton John performs "Your Song" during the Radio Music Awards at the Aladdin Theatre for the Performing Arts on Oct. 26, 2001. John also received the Legend Award during the show which was broadcast live on the ABC network. View photo

Celine Dion performs at the Billboard Awards

Celine Dion sings "That's the Way It Is" at the Billboard Music Awards show at the MGM Grand hotel-casino Wednesday, Dec. 8, 1999. The song was a cover of Roberta Flack's "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face." View photo

Peter Lawford and Sammy Davis Jr. dance

Rat Pack members Peter Lawford and Sammy Davis Jr. do a number together for a performance that occurred sometime during the 1960s. The duo collaborated numerous times, most notably co-producing and co-starring in the movies "Salt and Pepper" and its sequel "One More Time." View photo

Celine Dion at the Thomas and Mack

Celine Dion performs during her "Let's Talk About Love" tour at the Thomas & Mack Center Oct. 16, 1998. The tour consisted of 95 shows over a four-month period and took Dion to Australia, North America, Europe and Asia. View photo

Peter Lawford and JFK

Rat Pack singer Peter Lawford, left, poses with then presidential candidate, John F. Kennedy. Lawford was married to Kennedy's sister, Patricia Kennedy Lawford, and, along with the Rat Pack, campaigned heavily for Kennedy in 1960. View photo

Celine Dion promotional photo

Celine Dion poses for a provactive promotional shot. Dion's contract for her show "A New Day..." at Caesars Palace is the biggest contract ever negotiated for a live entertainment deal. Her show finished its run in December 2007. View photo

Peter Lawford at the Sands

Peter Lawford performs at the Copa Room in the Sands Hotel during the 1960s. Seated in the front rows of the star-studded audience are fellow Rat Pack members Sammy Davis Jr. and Dean Martin, actor Milton Bearle, actresses Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor, and singer Eddie Fisher. View photo

Blue Man Group at the Luxor

Members of Blue Man Group perform at the Luxor on Monday, April 21, 2003, in preparation of the release of their album "The Complex" on April 22. View photo

Blue Man Group at the Mandalay Bay

Members of Blue Man Group shoot paper into the audience at the sold-out "Las Vegas Salutes the Spirit of America" show benefiting the USO at Mandalay Bay Events Center on Sunday, Nov. 11, 2001. View photo

Blue Man Group promotional photo

The Blue Man Group pose for a promotional shot advertising their show "Live at Luxor" in January 2000. They performed at the Luxor from March 10, 2000 until Sept. 15, 2005 when they moved to the Venetian hotel. View photo

Frank Sinatra sings at the Sands

Frank Sinatra sings during one of his countless performances in the Sands' Copa Room. His performances were immortalized in the 1966 album "Sinatra at the Sands." View photo

Wayne Newton promotional photo

"Mr. Las Vegas" Wayne Newton smiles for this promotional shot. After 40 years and 30,000 shows, he still draws sell-out audiences View photo

Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin want free broads

The Rat Pack's Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra carry strike signs demanding "Free Broads" as apart of a gag during a show at the Sands' Copa room. Joey Bishop once commented on their image as womanizers, saying: "Do you believe these guys had to chase broads? They had to chase 'em away!" View photo

Wayne Newton with manager

Wayne Newton, accompanied by manager Jay Stream, responds to allegations that he has ties to the mob, June 22, 1981. Newton's purchase of the Aladdin Hotel came under the scrutiny of a series of NBC exposes, claiming he had used money provided by the mob to fund the purchase. View photo

Frank Sinatra sings at Caesars Palace

Frank Sinatra sings onstage at Caesars Palace during a June 1974 performance. Sinatra began performing at Caesars in 1968, after Howard Hughes' 1967 purchase of the Sands lead to a violent dispute with Sands hotel management over Sinatra's credit at the casino. View photo

Wayne Newton at the MGM Grand

Wayne Newton shown giving his all at the Hollywood Theatre in the MGM Grand. View photo

Frank Sinatra, Doris Day and Lauren Bacall at the Sands

Doris Day, left, Frank Sinatra and Lauren Bacall attend a show at the Sands hotel-casino on Sept. 15, 1966. Bacall and Sinatra were involved in a relationship after the death of Bacall's ex-husband Humphrey Bogart. Sinatra proposed to Bacall but he cut the romance short after the media made the engagement public. View photo

Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin take a break

Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra perform together and drink together at December 13, 1983 performance. That same month Sinatra was named as a recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors, a prestigious honor given to American performing artists. View photo

Wayne Newton millenum concert at the Stardust

Wayne Newton plays a guitar during his millennium concert at the Stardust hotel-casino Friday Dec. 31, 1999. The Stardust named a showroom after Newton, in honor of a 10-year contract he signed with the hotel. View photo

Wayne Newton beneath the Stardust marquee

Entertainer Wayne Newton waves beneath the sign at the Stardust hotel-casino after turning on its switch in Las Vegas on Thursday, Jan. 20, 2000. The hotel was demolished in March 2007. View photo

Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin at the Sands

Dean Martin looks on as Frank Sinatra sings a number during one of the Rat Pack's performances at the Sands' Copa Room. After Sinatra left the Sands, Martin continued to play at the Copa Room by himself, until becoming a longtime headliner at the MGM Grand. View photo

Wayne Newton's 25,000 show

Entertainer Wayne Newton performs his 25,000th show Jan. 16, 1996, before a sold-out audience at the Sheraton Desert Inn in Las Vegas. View photo

Wayne Newton jokes with audience

Entertainer Wayne Newton jokes around during a performance at the Stardust hotel-casino Nov. 8, 2001. "Mr. Entertainment" easily won over the Las Vegas audience before leaving on a weeklong United Service Organization tour to entertain troops involved in military operations in Afghanistan. That same year he was named Chairman of the USO Celebrity Circle. (File photo) View photo

Wayne Newton millenium concert

Wayne Newton rises from a hidden lift amidst fog and lasers as he rehearses his grand entry for his millennium concert at the Stardust hotel-casino Friday Dec. 31, 1999. Newton gave one concert New Year's Eve and two performances January 1 as a prelude to his engagement with the Stardust. View photo

Wayne Newton promotional photo

Wayne Newton brandishes a microphone and raises his fist in this promotional shot. Wayne Newton Boulevard was named in his honor. View photo

Bobby Darin at the Sands

Singer Bobby Darin performs for audiences at the Sands Hotel during the 1960s. He was the youngest performer ever to headline at the Sands when he performed there on Oct. 6, 1959. View photo

Bobby Darin promotional photo

Singer Bobby Darin smiles for cameras in this 60s promotional shot. The legendary performer was immortalized in the album, "Live From Las Vegas," recorded during a performance at the Flamingo hotel in 1963. View photo

Ann-Margret and Elvis Presley in "Viva Las Vegas"

Ann-Margret and Elvis Presley dance together for the filming of MGM's "Viva Las Vegas." Their on-screen chemistry translated to off-screen romance as the two were involved in a highly publicized affair. View photo

Ann-Margret with dancers in "Viva Las Vegas"

Actress Ann-Margret and a group of backup dancers show off their moves during the filming of a dance sequence for the movie "Viva Las Vegas." The sequence was filmed at the gym of the Southern Regional Division of the University of Nevada, which later became known as UNLV. View photo

Ann-Margret 2006 promotional photo

Entertainer Ann-Margret poses for a promotional photo that accompanied her 2006 tour. Her two Academy Award nominations, five Golden Globe and five Emmy nominations are a testament to her long and illustrious career. View photo

Tom Jones promotional photo

Tom Jones poses for this promotional photo advertising his performances on the strip. Despite the common perception of the casino circuit being the creative "kiss of death," Jones rose to super stardom during his years in Las Vegas. View photo

Tom Jones with Elcis and Priscilla Presley

Tom Jones poses with Priscilla and Elvis Presley for this photo, taken July 1, 1971. Jones credited Elvis for inspiring him to become a singer. The two became good friends, spending time together in Las Vegas until Elvis' death on Aug. 16 1977. View photo

Tom Jones at Caesars Palace

Tom Jones sings before the audience during a show at Caesars Palace in 1978. His fans were notorious for throwing their underwear and room keys on stage while Jones performed. His run at Caesars Palace was immortalized in the album "Tom Jones: Live at Caesars palace" released in 1971. View photo

Siegfried & Roy with tiger promotional photo

Siegfried & Roy show off their famous white tigers during an Oct. 1986 promotional shoot. View photo

Siegfried & Roy statue postcard

A postcard shows a bronze statue depicting Siegfried & Roy along with one of their signature White Tigers. The statue was erected in tribute of the duo and is located between the Mirage and Treasure Island on the Las Vegas Strip. View photo

Siegfried & Roy Beyond Belief poster

Siegfried & Roy are pictured on the cover of a souvenir program from their show "Beyond Belief" at the Frontier Hotel. Beyond Belief was the first show that treated the duo as more than just a specialty act, and it marked the beginning of the duo's rise to superstardom. View photo

Siegfried & Roy promotional photo

Siegfried & Roy pose with one of their famous White Tigers for a promotional shot advertising their show "Beyond Belief." View photo

Siegfried & Roy postcard

Siegfried & Roy greet audiences on this postcard advertising their show at the Mirage. View photo

Siegfried and Roy battles a dragon

Siegfried and Roy battle a fire-breathing dragon during a performance of their show at the Mirage Hotel's Siegfried and Roy Theater. View photo

David Cassidy at Preview Las Vegas

Entertainer David Cassidy addresses guests at Preview Las Vegas at the Thomas & Mack Center Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2000. The event brought together national and local experts to discuss the state of the Southern Nevada economy and predict potential future trends. View photo

David Cassidy anounces contract

Entertainer David Cassidy, left, laughs with Harrah's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Philip Satre on Wednesday, July 28, 1999, at Voodoo Lounge at The Rio as the pair announce a multi-year contract for the production "At the Copa." View photo

David Cassidy at the Rio

David Cassidy as "Johnny Flamingo" performs during "At the Copa" at the Rio hotel-casino Thursday, March 23, 2000. View photo

Barry Manilow at opening night

Barry Manilow performs during the opening night of his show "Manilow: Music and Passion," in this Feb. 24, 2005 photo at the Las Vegas Hilton. View photo

Barry Manilow at the Hilton

Barry Manilow performs shortly after announcing a long-term agreement with the Las Vegas Hilton on Dec. 14, 2004. The show, called Manilow: Music and Passion, continues to be performed at the Hilton to this day. View photo

Barry Manilow performs at Mandalay Bay

Barry Manilow kicks off his Live 2002! tour during the first of four sold-out shows at the Storm Theatre at the Mandalay Bay hotel-casino Thursday, December 13, 2001. The tour promoted his album "Here at the Mayflower," his first album of original material after a 15 year hiatus. View photo

Tony Benett at iBash '99

Tony Bennett performs at Pixelon.com's iBASH '99 during the October 29 launch of the Internet broadcast network, at the MGM Grand hotel-casino. View photo

Tony Bennett advertisement

An advertisement for a performance by Tony Bennett at the Dunes hotel-casino which appeared in the Aug. 5, 1961 edition of the Las Vegas Sun. View photo

Tony Bennett at the Sahara

Tony Bennett sings to audiences at one of his frequent performances in the Sahara hotel during the late 1970s. View photo

Tony Bennett sings at the Sahara

Tony Bennett toasts on stage during a Nov. 1979 performance at the Sahara. View photo

Lola Falana at the Aladdin

Singer Lola Falana showcases her diverse musical talents during a June 1980 performance of her show at the Aladdin. View photo

Lola Falana promotional photo

Singer Lola Falana poses for a promotional photo taken on Nov. 9, 1980. The "Queen of Las Vegas" earned the nickname for her lavish contract and ubiquitous presence on the strip. View photo

Lola Falana on stage

Singer Lola Falana entertains audiences during an August 1979 performance of her show at the Aladdin Hotel. She was paid a record $100,000 a week, making her the highest paid female performer in Las Vegas. View photo

Lola Falana sings at the Aladdin

Lola Falana sings into the microphone during a performance of her show at the Aladdin in 1980. At the time, Falana was second only to Wayne Newton in terms of weekly earnings on The Strip. View photo

Liberace at the Riviera

James Cashman, Sr (left) and Liberace (right) arrive at the grand opening of Riviera Hotel on April 20, 1955. Liberace was the headlining act of the Riviera throughout the 50's and 60's. View photo

Liberace glides across the stage

Liberace flaunts one of his glamorous costumes during a promotional photo shoot. His memorable performances were immortalized in the video "Liberace in Las Vegas" taped at the Las Vegas Hilton and released in 1980. View photo

Liberace promotional photo

Liberace smiles for a promotional photo, living up to his reputation as "Mr. Showmanship. View photo

Liberace on stage

Liberace dons one of his many extravagent outfits, while singing on stage during a performance at the Las Vegas Hilton on May 3, 1979. View photo

Liberace winks at the audience

Liberace winks at the audience while playing his grand piano. His big smile, infectious enthusiasm and flamboyant sequined outfits earned him the nickname "Mr. Showmanship." View photo

Liberace at one of his grand pianos

Liberace poses in front of a grand piano for a promotional photo advertising one of his numerous performances. His collection of rare and antique pianos, sequined bejeweled costumes, and countless items of memorabilia can be seen in the Liberace Museum in Las Vegas. View photo

Liberace arrives in a horse-drawn carriage

Liberace arrives at one of his shows at the Las Vegas Hilton, in an extravagant horse-drawn carriage. The singer's lavish costumes and stage props were funded by his $125,000 weekly salary. View photo

An elevating performance

An elevator causes Bette Midler to rise above stage during her "Divine Miss Millennium" tour at the Mandalay Bay Events Center Friday, December 31, 1999. View photo

Divine Miss Millennium

Bette Midler smiles at the audience during her performance at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, Friday, Dec. 31, 1999. This would be the second to last performance of her "Divine Miss Millennium" tour, which was timed to end on the first day of the New millenium Jan. 1, 2000. View photo

Changing Entertainment

Bette Midler unzips her dress in the middle of a song to reveal another outfit underneath during a performance at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on New Year's Eve Friday, December 31, 1999. View photo

Race track

Las Vegas Race Track before it was demolished to make way for the Las Vegas Convention Center and International Hotel. June 1958. View photo

Sands exterior

Cars line the Las Vegas Strip in front of the Sand Casino in this 1950s photo. The Sands opened on Dec. 15, 1952 and was the seventh casino to open on the Strip. The Sands was most famous as the home of the Rat Pack, and its Copa Room hosted many legendary performances. The hotel was imploded on Nov. 16, 1996 to make way for the Venetian Hotel. View photo

Greenspun and McCarthy

Hank Greenspun confronts Sen. Joseph McCarthy during a Republican rally at the War Memorial Building in Las Vegas in October 1952. McCarthy unintentionally calls Greenspun an ex-communist during the rally-- meaning to call him an ex-convict because of Greenspun's violation of the Neutrality Act by running arms to Israel. McCarthy exits the stage as Greenspun shouts, "Show me your proof." The quote becomes the rallying cry of McCarthy's foes. View photo

Sahara Pool

The Sahara's 14-story tower rises out of the desert as guests lounge around the pool in this 1960s photo. Real estate developer Del Webb bought the property from Milton Prell in 1961 and orchestrated a $100 million merger between his construction company and the California-Sahara Corp., creating the first publicly traded company to own casinos. View photo

Musical Star

Singer Andy Williams smiles for this promotional shot. He appeared alongside Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Gene Kelly, and Tom Jones in the 1979 special "Las Vegas: Palace of Stars." View photo

Longtime Caesar

Singer Andy Williams poses for a promotional shot in front of the American flag. Williams was the first star headliner at Caesars Palace, opening the Circus Maximus showroom on Aug. 5, 1966 and appearing there for over 20 years. View photo

A National Treasure

Singer Andy Williams smiles for cameras during a promotional photo shoot. His 18 gold, and 3 platinum certified albums led Ronald Reagan to declare Williams' voice a national treasure. View photo

Charles West

Charles West, doctor who was a pioneer in black community View photo

Ed Von Tobel, Sr.

Ed Von Tobel, Sr. View photo

Grant Sawyer

Grant Sawyer, former Nevada Governor View photo

Mike O'Callaghan

Mike O'Callahan, former Nevada Governor View photo

Hank Greenspun

Hank Greenspun, Las Vegas Sun founder View photo

Sam Boyd

Sam Boyd, casino owner View photo

Benny Binion

Benny Binion, casino owner View photo

Ralph Denton

Ralph Denton, attorney View photo

Boulder Station exterior

The clock tower of the Boulder Station hotel-casino obscures the resort's 15-story tower. View photo

Cannery exterior

The exterior of the Cannery offers a view the casino's entrance, as well as a glimpse of the hotel's classic blue-collar theme. View photo

Red Rock exterior

Red Rock Resort View photo

Las Vegas Strip

The Las Vegas Strip. View photo

Suncoast Exterior

Vehicles come and go from the front entrance of Suncoast, which is owned by Boyd Gaming. View photo

Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas

The fabulous welcome sign, designed by Betty Willis, was unveiled in 1959. Clark County officials placed the sign on an island on the southern tip of the Strip, but now the sign is further south because of the city's growth. View photo

Accardo's Riviera

A 1960s aerial photo shows the Riviera. Tony Accardo was the de facto owner of the property who took control when he learned that the previous owners had been skimming from the casino. View photo

Moulin Rouge showgirls

Moulin Rouge Hotel showgirls Barbara McCarey, unknown, Norma Talbert, Lorraine Ward, Ann Bailey, DeDe Young and Dee Dee Jasman pose for this May 1955 photo. The Moulin Rouge was the first fully integrated casino in Las Vegas, serving and hiring people of any ethnicity. View photo

Close Call

Investigators examine the remnants of Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal's car after a bomb destroyed the vehicle on Oct. 4, 1982. View photo

Dalitz with Elvis

Left to right: Moe Dalitz, Elvis Presley, Juliet Prowse, Wilbur and Tom Clark, Cecil Simmons. Joe Franks, pose on the set of "G.I. Blues" in Hollywood in 1960. View photo

Cars park outside the Silver Slipper Gambling Hall in this photo taken in the late 1950s to early '60s.

Fireworks erupt from the roof of the Hacienda hotel-casino minutes before it is imploded on New Year's Eve Dec. 31, 1996. View photo

PEPCON Explosion

Fred Gibson Jr., president of Pacific Engineering Production Company of Nevada (PEPCON), explains the circumstances leading to the two explosions that destroyed the Henderson-based rocket fuel plant on May 4, 1988. View photo

Take Off at McCarran

The ground control tower of McCarran International Airport is silhouetted against a December sunset as an aircraft departs. Named after former Senator Pat McCarran, the airport saw 605,046 takeoffs and landings and more than 46 million passengers in 2006. View photo

Atomic Tourism

Photographers and reporters gather near Frenchman Flat to observe the Priscilla nuclear test, June 24, 1957. During the 1950s, the spectacle of nuclear testing attracted curious members of the public from all over the country, including media members and military personnel. Las Vegas capitalized on the test site's close proximity with beauty pageants, special events and bomb-viewing vacation packages. View photo

A gutted Desert Inn tower

October 23rd marks the 10th anniversary of the first implosion of a Desert Inn tower as the property began its transformation into the Wynn. The remainder of the hotel casino was imploded November 16th, 2004. --A gutted tower of the Desert Inn hotel-casino is shown Sunday, Oct. 21, 2001. Owner Steve Wynn announced he will build a new resort on the site called "Le Reve" (French for "the dream"). View photo

A losing gamble

Entertainer Debbie Reynolds pulls the handle of a slot machine inside the Debbie Reynolds Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas on Oct. 1, 1997. Reynolds would file bankruptcy later that year and sell the property for $10 million to the company behind the World Wrestling Federation. View photo

Strip traffic

Traffic crawls along southbound Las Vegas Boulevard. View photo

The first hospital

Two Las Vegas pioneers stand outside of the city's first hospital. The building was nothing more than a glorified tent. Patients requiring serious medical attention were sent by train to Los Angeles. View photo

The Slots of the Sands

Gamblers play five-cent Star Chief slot machines at the Sands Hotel and Casino during the late 1950s. Portraits of Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin and other performers hung along the back wall of the Sands to remind guests of the hotel's celebrity clientele. View photo

Sunset Station exterior

The entrance of Sunset Station as the sun goes down in Henderson. View photo

The Man with a Plan

Kerkor "Kirk" Kerkorian stands in front of the future International Hotel in 1969, which later became the Las Vegas Hilton. Kerkorian is known as the "father of the mega resort," building the MGM Grand, which set a new standard for size and luxury. View photo

Brunson

"Dolly" Doyle Brunson, right, of Fort Worth, Texas, looks at a trail of $100 bills he just won in the 8th Annual World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, May 12, 1977. View photo

Hail to the King

Elvis Presley wails into the microphone during a 1970 performance at the International Hotel. View photo

Showgirls of the "e;Lido de Paris"e

Showgirls of the "Lido de Paris" entertain audiences of the Stardust. The extravagant revue featured an on-stage waterfall, six hydraulic stages, an ice rink and a swimming pool. It was also the first stage show (outside of burlesque) that featured topless performers. View photo

Boulder Club

The Boulder Club beckoned its guests to enjoy the Old West. Here, men dressed in Mexican charro suits look on as western maidens play a game of roulette. Craps is being played at the next table. View photo

Boulder Junction

A large crowd celebrates the completion of the railroad at Boulder Junction (near the Hoover Dam) on Sept. 17, 1930. Work on the dam began in 1931. Dam workers were forced to stay in tents because Boulder City had not been completely built. That, combined with poor working conditions, led to a strike in 1931. The strike was soon quelled, and by 1932 Boulder City was established. View photo

Jackpot

A gambler at Caesars palace hits the jackpot on the progressive Million Dollar Baby slot machine on Aug. 5, 1984. Caesars Palace has been the site of more million-dollar slot machine jackpots than any casino in the world. The Million Dollar Baby slot machine's jackpot grows upward from $1 million until it is won. The winnings are paid in one lump sum, where most jackpots pay out as an annuity. View photo

Backstage

A backstage view of one of Las Vegas' spectacular shows that features lavish outfit and headdress-wearing showgirls. Despite their waning popularity, showgirls are still a treasured part of Las Vegas history. View photo

The Strip in the '70s

The late 1970's Strip. Culturally the city was going through a golden age with books and movies set in its environs, but new investment lagged as the city reeled from the loss of traffic from LA due to the 1973 oil crisis. Kirk Kerkorian is largely credited with maintaining the city's growth, opening the International Hotel and signing Elvis Presley then opening the MGM Grand Hotel. After Atlantic City legalized gambling in 1976 and swooped up the majority of east coast gaming business, few thought the region would grow much beyond its 1980 population of around 450,000. View photo

Hacidenda implosion

The Hacienda's implosion lights up the night on Dec. 31, 1996. The Mandalay Bay now sits on the property, and continues to be one of the most successful hotels on the Strip. View photo

Ready to press the plunger

Henry Nichols, left, a partner in the El Rancho acquisition, and Turnberry Place developer Jeffrey Soffer, listen to instructions from Controlled Demolition Inc. president Mark Loizeaux (not pictured) as they prepare to symbolically press down a plunger to implode the 13-story hotel-casino early Tuesday morning, October 3, 2000. The building, which belongs to Florida-based Turnberry Associates and has been vacant since 1992, was imploded by Las Vegas-based LVI Environmental Services Inc. and Maryland-based CDI. Turnberry Associates is currently building Turnberry Place, a $600 million high-rise condominium project, adjacent to the doomed El Rancho, but no plans for the land where the hotel sat have been announced. View photo

The Boardwalk reduced to rubble

The iconic Boardwalk casino is reduced to rubble in less than a few minutes on May 9, 2006. After the dust settles, construction will begin on the CityCenter Project. View photo

The beginning of the end

The Boardwalk hotel begins to fall during its May 9, 2006 demolition. The implosion itself takes place in less than five minutes. View photo

The Boardwalk on its last leg

The dust starts to rise as the Boardwalk is razed to the ground. The casino's property has been turned into part of MGM-Mirage's $5 billion CityCenter Project. View photo

The Boardwalk starts to colapse inwards

The 16-story hotel tower of the Boardwalk Casino starts its descent into demolition on May 9, 2006. The hotel had a Coney Island theme, complete with a non-working roller coaster. View photo

The Boardwalk starts to fall

The Boardwalk Casino begins to collapse during its implosion on the Las Vegas Strip. The casino initially opened in 1968. View photo

The Boardwalk prior to implosion

May 9, 2006 -- The 16-story hotel tower of the Boardwalk Casino seconds before its implosion on the Las Vegas Strip. The building was demolished to make way for the $5 billion MGM Mirage CityCenter project. View photo

Boardwalk tower implosion

The 16-story hotel tower of the Boardwalk Casino collapses during an implosion of the building in Las Vegas on Tuesday, May 9, 2006. The building was demolished to make way for the $5 billion MGM Mirage CityCenter project. View photo

The Northern Hotel

Mayme Stocker opens The Northern Hotel in 1920. People know her as the first to get a gambling license after gambling gets reinstated in 1931. In 1940 Stocker let others control the day-to-day business and the club changed names, and by 1945 Stocker leases the club to Wilbur Clark. View photo

Back in the day

Small town Las Vegas is shown in this photo from the 1920's. The city's a bit different now, but just like in the '20s, it's still growing at a steady rate. View photo

The Boulder Club lights up the night

The lights of the Boulder club light up the night, January 21, 1942. The Boulder Club had the first electric sign in town. It was installed in 1934 by Young Electric Sign Company (YESCO), starting a trend that still characterizes "Glitter Gulch". View photo

First plane arrives

The citizens of Las Vegas celebrate the arrival of the city's first airliner on April 17, 1926 when a Western Air Express plane stopped in Las Vegas to refuel and drop off mail. The plane was a Douglas M-2 biplane with a passenger capacity of one. It was piloted by Western's first pilot, Fred Kelly, a 1924 Olympics Gold Medal winner in the 200-meter race. View photo

First State Bank

The First State Bank moves from a tent to a building in this photo from the 1910s. By 1912 Las Vegas provided enough business to warrant building a more substantial home for the First State Bank. In 1913 its declared capital was $25,000. View photo

Arizona Club interior

The interior of the Arizona Club is shown in this 1910 photo. The tall man with hat and gray mustache is believed to be Sheriff Sam Gay. The other patrons (all male) enjoy a typical evening with banjo and fiddle music. View photo

Fifth Street Grammar School

Teachers and Children engage in some outdoor activities in front of the historic Fifth Street Grammar School. The school is one of the few remaining mission style buildings from its era and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988 . View photo

Inside the Arizona Club

The Interior of the Arizona Club is shown in this photo from the 1900s. Early Las Vegas establishments catered to rail yard workers from the depot as well as travelers. The man at the bar with his legs crossed is believed to be Wyatt Earp. Arizona Club owner Al James is behind the bar . View photo

Down Fremont Street

Fremont Street leads to Las Vegas' railroad depot in this 1914 photo. Because of the amount of traffic coming to and from the depot, Fremont Street became the commercial center of the new town. View photo

Block 16

The Gem, Arizona Club and Red Onion Club Saloon sit on the east side of North First Street in Las Vegas' notorious Block 16. One of the biggest draws in early Vegas was Block 16, where liquor, prostitution and gambling were legal. View photo

Salt Lake Depot

William Clark's San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad Passenger Depot is shown in this 1905 photo. The makeshift building was simply a derailed railroad coach, but it was quickly replaced by a more welcoming structure. View photo

Leaving Las Vegas

William Clark's Los Angeles/Salt Lake City railway runs through the early town site of Las Vegas. Clark used Las Vegas as a junction on the railway line. The city was officially founded in of 1905 when 110 acres of land were auctioned off to buyers. The plot of land would later become Downtown Las Vegas. View photo

Leaving Las Vegas

Politician and entrepreneur William Andrews Clark waves from a train leaving Las Vegas. The city of Las Vegas was established as a maintenance stop for Clark's Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad. The Las Vegas area was organized as Clark County, Nevada, named in Clark's honor. View photo

Fly By

A small airplane, silhouetted by the sunset, passes over the top of the Luxor as it comes in for a landing at McCarran International Airport. By the end of the decade nearly 40 million tourists a year come to Las Vegas, making it the word's most visited place. View photo

Runnin' Rebels

UNLV forward Larry Johnson escapes the reach of Duke's Alaa Abdelnaby while en route to the basket. The Running Rebels kept the game out of reach for the Blue Devils as well, winning the NCAA title with a record-setting 103-73 victory in Denver on April 3, 1990. View photo

The first Las Vegas newspaper

The Jan. 19, 1918 edition of The Las Vegas Age newspaper urges readers to "make Las Vegas the metropolis of Nevada." The Las Vegas Age was the first newspaper in Las Vegas, originally published in 1905 and operating until 1924. View photo

Bite of the Century

Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield clinch in the corner as referee Mills Lane rushes in to separate them during their heavyweight championship bout at the MGM Grand on June 28, 1997. Tyson bit off part of Holyfield's ear during the match, which resulted in Tyson's disqualification. View photo

Arizona Club exterior

The Arizona Club was one of the few saloons without a brothel when Block 16 first opened in 1905. In 1912, the Arizona Club was sold and the new owner built a second story to house a bordello. This earned the Arizona Club the nickname, "Queen of Block 16." View photo

End of an Era

The 31-year-old Aladdin crumbles to the ground on April 27, 1998, while the under construction Bellagio hotel looms in the background. The hotel's implosion cleared the way for the $1.3 billion Aladdin Project. However financial troubles caused the Aladdin to close. The property reopened in November 2007 as the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino. View photo

The Next Generation

Michelle Purnell, daughter of California Club executive Ralph Purnell, celebrates the California Hotel's new tower with hotel owner Sam Boyd, and son, Bill Boyd, during April 1984. The tower was erected just west of the original structure. View photo

Culinary Strike

Culinary workers march outside the Four Queens hotel on July 10, 1985 to protest low wages. The protest lasted 65 days, and in the end, the union lost out. Not only did the union lose six hotels, including the Four Queens, but the wage increase was nowhere near enough to compensate the workers for the losses they accumulated during the strike. View photo

Henderson from above

An aerial view of Henderson taken December 1984. Following the results of a 2007 census, Henderson surpassed Reno as the second largest city in Nevada with an estimated population of 240,614 residents. View photo

Close Call

Investigators examine the area surrounding the twisted remnants of Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal's car after a bomb destroyed the vehicle on Oct. 4, 1982. A metal plate directly underneath the driver's seat of the Cadillac diverted the explosion away from Rosenthal, saving his life. View photo

Tony "The Ant" Spilotro

Las Vegas mobster Anthony Spilotro sits in court, Feb. 10, 1983. Spilotro masterminded a burglary ring called the Hole in the Wall Gang with his brother Michael in 1976. Joe Pesci's character in the film "Casino" was based on Spilotro. View photo

Downtown

An aerial photo looking west towards downtown Las Vegas shows Fremont Street circa 1974. The street was closed to vehicular traffic in 1994 and covered by the 1,500-feet electronic-screen canopy of the Freemont Street Experience. View photo

A Tall Truss

The largest truss in the world is installed during the construction of Aladdin Hotel's $10 million Theatre for the Performing Arts on Feb. 28, 1976. The theater was the only part of the Aladdin that was not completely removed during the resort's 1996 renovation. View photo

The Handley Event

A canister is lowered down a hole at Pahute Mesa in preparation for a March 1970 nuclear test. At one megaton, the Handley event was one of the largest tests conducted at the Nevada Test Site. View photo

The Grand Old Man

Johnny Moss, wearing glasses, plays a round at the World Series of Poker. Moss is the first player to win two consecutive tournaments, taking the title in 1970 and in 1971. The "Grand Old Man" is also famous for his duel with Nick "The Greek" Dandalos, an east coast high-stakes gambler, who allegedly lost $4 million in a five month contest with Moss. View photo

Showgirls

Showgirls don elaborate headpieces in a 1978 stage production. Showgirls first appeared in Las Vegas during the 1950s at the Dunes, Sands and Desert Inn -- but it wasn't until the 1960s and 70s that they became a cultural icon. View photo

The World Series of Poker

A crowd of spectators gathers around a table during the seventh World Series of Poker held at Binion's Horseshoe in1976. Doyle Brunson ultimately walked away the champion, earning him the top prize of $220,000 and the first of his 10 World Series bracelets. View photo

Hoffa

Jimmy Hoffa celebrates the opening of Caesars Palace in Las Vegas 1966. His $10.5 million Teamsters loan helped to finance its construction. View photo

Alter-ego

Robert Maheu is pictured in this 1960s portrait. Despite the fact that Maheu was one of Howard Hughes most trusted advisers and even sometimes played the role of Hughes himself, he only communicated with the reclusive billionaire through memo or by telephone. View photo

UNLV

A 1962 aerial shot of the University of Nevada Las Vegas, which, at the time, was called Nevada Southern, shows all five of the university's original buildings. Maude Frazier Hall (front left), Archie C. Grant Hall (front right) and the Lily Fong Geo Science building (back right) all exist in their original form. The Dickinson Library (center) was renovated and turned into the William S. Boyd School of Law and the Marjorie Barrick Museum (back left) was renamed the Harry Reid Center of Environmental studies. The campus is now made up of nearly 90 buildings. View photo

Hoover Dam worker

A young Hoover Dam laborer smiles for the camera. View photo

The Jump

Evel Knievel jumps the Caesars fountains on New Years Eve in 1967. On his landing, Knievel came up short -- crushing his pelvis and femur and fracturing several other body parts. The crash was later aired on ABC and launched Knievel's daredevil career. In 1989, Knievel's son, Robbie, successfully jumped the fountains which have remained in front of the hotel through its many renovations over the years. View photo

A Hughes Takeover

One of the world's wealthiest and most powerful individuals came to Las Vegas under the cover of darkness during Thanksgiving weekend 1966. By the time he left Nevada on Thanksgiving 1970, Hughes had become the state's largest private employer, largest casino owner, largest property owner and largest mining claims owner. Hughes was influential in sweeping the mob out of controlling Vegas casinos and helping the Nevada Legislature pass the Second Corporate Gaming Act. View photo

Neon City

The sun sets on the western themed Pioneer Club in this 1950s postcard. The casino utilized the roof of an adjacent property to advertise its location with the help of the extra large "Vegas Vic" . Of all the neon signs in the photograph, "Vic" is the only one that remains in use today. View photo

The Moulin Rouge

The Moulin Rouge opened May 24, 1955. The Moulin Rouge was the first fully integrated hotel in Las Vegas, attracting prominent performers such as Pearl Bailey and Louie Armstrong -- who were allowed to perform on the Strip but were banned from gambling or staying at hotels there. View photo

Roxie's Raided

Prostitutes attempt to hide from cameras following a raid on Roxie's brothel on April 28,1954. Sun editor Hank Greenspun hired New York investigator Pierre LaFitte to uncover the prostitution ring and the bribery scheme that protected it. Greenspun used Lafitte's findings to write a series of articles exposing the corruption of former Sheriff Glen Jones, who was receiving kickbacks from the brothel. View photo

Minsky's Folies

A burlesque cowgirl seduces audiences and actors alike during the first topless show in town, "Minsky's Folies," at the Dunes. Harold Minsky moved the show to Las Vegas in 1957 after his show was driven out of New York for being too raunchy. View photo

Alamo Airport

Two rows of biplanes line Las Vegas' Alamo airport in the late 1940s. The airport was established in 1942 by aviator George Crockett. In 1948 the airstrip was purchased by Clark County and was named Clark County Public Airport. Just a few months later it was renamed again -- this time as McCarran Field View photo

Bugsy Siegel

Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel is captured in this 1928 New York Police mug shot. Siegel built the Flamingo Hotel in 1946. While the lavish hotel's opening on Dec. 26, 1946 was a disaster, the Flamingo began making money in the spring of 1947 -- paving the way for other mob run hotels on the Strip. View photo

Tow and Go

A truck tows a big boat down Fremont Street in front of the Oasis Cafe and the Frontier Club. Originally called the Fortune Club, the Frontier Club later became the Lucky Strike -- which was famous for its cheesy sci-fi looking sign. View photo

A Colossal Contract

Henry Jo Kaiser signs a contract on March 11, 1931 for the federal government to start building the Hoover Dam with the help of contractor Six Companies Inc. Six Companies Inc. was a joint venture between Bechtel Corporation, Kaiser Industries, and several smaller construction companies across the West. The project started on April 20, 1931 and finished on March 1, 1936. It cost $49 million and is the second highest dam in the country. View photo

The Strip in the '50s

An aerial view of Highway 91 in the mid-1950s shows the isolation of the Flamingo and Dunes hotels (near the bottom of the photo) from the rest of Las Vegas. The large golf course, now the Wynn Golf Club, is one of the few plots of land that has maintained its boundaries throughout the years, although it's layout and landscaping have seen significant alterations. View photo

Charles West

Dr. Charles I. West, President of the Las Vegas NAACP chapter, who helped facilitate the desegregation of the Strip. View photo

Ed Von Tobel, Sr.

Ed Von Tobel Sr. bought one of the first plots of land in Las Vegas in 1905, and served on the first Clark County Commission. View photo

Grant Sawyer

Grant Sawyer, Governor of Nevada from 1959 to 1967. View photo

Preperation for "Lido de Paris"

Choreographer Donn Arden walks dancers through a number in preparation for a performance of "Lido de Paris" at the Stardust Hotel. Arden produced some of the strip's best shows such as "Hello Hollywood Hello," the original "Jubilee" at Bally's, and is credited with discovering magicians Siegfried & Roy. View photo

Hoover Dam model

A model of the Hoover Dam in December 1989 shows the visitors center and parking garage. In 1988 and 1989, U. S. Highway 93 on the Nevada side of the dam was realigned and a new bridge built to carry traffic over the pedestrian walkway, linking the parking garage and the visitor center. An $87.9 million visitors center was completed on June 21, 1995. View photo

Sam Boyd

Sam Boyd, owner and founder of the Boyd Gaming Corporation. View photo

Southwest view of the Visitors Center

A diagram of the visitors center at the Hoover Dam shows the site from a southwest perspective. The Hoover Dam has become a pop culture icon having a large role in the movie "Fools Rush In" and "Transformers." In the original movie "Superman," a man-made earthquake causes the Hoover Dam to burst open. View photo

Hoover Dam blueprint

This schematic shows Hoover Dam and its power plant, diversion tunnels, spillways and penstocks on both the Nevada and Arizona sides. The dam restrained the Colorado River in Black Canyon. View photo

Hoover Dam map

A map of Hoover Dam shows how the concrete dam fits into Black Canyon, including the powerhouse where water churning through turbines in 17 power generating units produces electricity for Nevada, California and Arizona. The dam was built to protect farmers in Arizona and California as well as produce electricity from the raging Colorado River. View photo

Tour over Hoover Dam

A Grand Canyon tour plane passes just southwest of Hoover Dam. Air tours carry thousands of visitors each year over the dam, the Colorado River and the mountains formed by the river. View photo

Hoover Dam generators

This photo, taken Aug 18, 1981, shows a row of generators lining the inside of the Hoover Dam power plant. At center are the tops of some of the turbines which generate the massive electric power created when water pours down through the turbines. It produces 2,080 megawatts of electrical power, enough to meet the needs of 1 million to 1.5 million people for a year. View photo

Visitors at the Hoover Dam

Hoover Dam guide Tom Gailey, gives the dam's 25 millionth visitor, Leroy Zimmerman, a V.I.P. tour of the dam. Zimmerman and his family, on a month-long vacation from Myerstown, Penn., were also given a photo album/scrapbook of the dam and a free lunch. The Hoover Dam hosts about 10 million visitors each year. View photo

Traffic on the Hoover Dam

A time lapse photo from the north-east side of Hoover Dam shows traffic moving across the dam at night. The Federal Highway Administration estimates that each day as many as 17,000 people cross the dam on U.S. Highway 93. View photo

Hoover Dam at night

A tranquil view of Hoover Dam at night. Each year about 10 million people visit Hoover Dam. It's maintained by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and became a National Historic Landmark in 1985. View photo

Worker in a tunnel

Workers install the ceiling of Diversion Tunnel No. 2, during the construction of the Hoover Dam. Many workers suffered from carbon monoxide poisoning generated by the machines and later died. Six Companies Inc. blamed most of the deaths on pneumonia and and was spared any responsibility. Many of these workers remain undocumented on the official death list. View photo

Pipe for the Hoover Dam

A piece of pipe is towed along to the Hoover Dam. In 1981, the dam is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Lake Mead, the reservoir that was created behind the dam, is named after construction foreman Elwood Mead. Mead oversaw the construction of the whole project. View photo

Boat behind the Hoover Dam

A boat is shown floating downstream behind the Hoover Dam in this Jan. 10, 1932 photo. Boats are often used to transport men and supplies up and down the canyon during construction. View photo

Scale workers

In April 1933, high scalers work to drill holes that contain dynamite on the rock wall on the Nevada side of Black Canyon. The work was dangerous, hard labor, often in temperatures above 100-degree heat. Workers earned about 50 cents an hour. View photo

Arizona side of the Hoover Dam

Diversion Tunnel No. 3 on the Arizona Side of Hoover Dam is shown under construction. The Hoover Dam sits in between Nevada and Arizona and divides the Colorado River. The project is built to help keep silt and sediment out of the Colorado River, and functions as a power plant as well as a dam. The reservoir behind the dam creates Lake Mead. View photo

Visitors Center diagram

A diagram of the visitors center at the Hoover Dam shows the site from the northwest. The visitors center is completed on June 21, 1995 at a cost of $87.9 million, almost double the cost of the dam itself. View photo

Construction worker with a jackhammer

An unidentified worker applies a jackhammer to rock in Boulder Canyon where Hoover Dam stands today. The worker wears a rope harness to keep from falling hundreds of feet from the side of the canyon. The dam stands just over 726 feet tall, and in spite of precautions, 114 people died during construction, according to official records. View photo

Couple in the snow

At least one person's enjoying the snow in this picture of the ice cream shop in Boulder City. Las Vegas is known for its extreme temperatures from the last recorded snowfall in 1979, to record heat in 2006. View photo

Temporary camp

A temporary camp set up to house the workers building the Hoover Dam. The construction company is contracted to build Boulder City for the workers, but it's not finished by the time construction starts. The city is finished in 1932 but does not allow gambling, prostitution or alchohol. Boulder City legalized the sale of alcohol in 1969, but remains the only city in Nevada that doesn't allow gambling. View photo

Maintenance work

On Oct. 1981 maintenance workers overhauled a stainless steel turbine runner in the A7 generator in the Arizona wing of the Hoover Dam Powerhouse. Turbines from the 17 power generating units produce enough electricity to meet the needs of dozens of cities in California, Nevada and Arizona. View photo

Hoover Dam sign

A sign erected at the entrance to the Boulder Canyon Project Federal Reservation, the site of Hoover Dam, on Dec. 1, 1931. The project is originally planned to be built in Boulder Canyon, hence the name, but is eventually moved 8 miles down to Black Canyon. The dam is named after President Herbert Hoover, but for many years goes by the name Boulder Dam. View photo

Swing shift lines up

A picture shows the swing shift at the Hoover Dam lined up at the paymaster's window on Jan. 25, 1932. Men working on the dam were paid on the 10th and 25th of each month. Each worker earns about 50 cents an hour during the Great Depression. View photo

Pouring concrete

Workers are shown pouring concrete at Hoover Dam. Refrigerated water from the Colorado River cools the tubes within the concrete to help remove heat generated by the solidifying process. Only one worker has officially been buried at the dam. He falls into the river and is dragged to the bottom. His body is later found stuck inside one of the temporary structures called cofferdams. View photo

Boss Doc

The man in the middle of the photograph, known as "Boss Doc,'' is superintendent of a crew at Hoover Dam. This crew built the center section of the power house, machine shops, seismograph room, clock room and battery room in the summer of 1935. View photo

Chorus line girls at the Last Frontier hotel

Girls of the "chorus" line at the Last Frontier Hotel take over the bar while Frontier employee Johnny Dixon toasts, as dealer Tim Holean and shift manager Whitney Schugart look on in this 1946 photo. View photo

Workers and a truck-mounted drill

Workers smile for the camera in this picture showing a truck-mounted drill. The drill is used in the upper portion of the diversion tunnels. The diversion tunnels redirect the Colorado River around the construction site. Four tunnels are drilled, two on the Nevada side and two on the Arizona side. All are 56 feet in diameter and have been sealed since construction completed. View photo

Black Canyon

Lights illuminate Black Canyon at the Boulder Dam construction site. The immense project demands attention from workers day and night. Many of them worked eight-hour shifts, seven days a week with no holidays. Work continued around the clock during construction. View photo

Hoover Dam mess hall

Workers dine at the mess hall during construction of the Hoover Dam. The Boulder City Construction company hired the Anderson Brothers Supply Company to feed the workers. By 1936, the brothers served approximately 7,400,000 meals, averaging over 4,300 per day. View photo

Packing concrete into the Hoover Dam

A gang of puddlers pack wet concrete into the base of Hoover Dam as an eight cubic-yard bucket spews out 16 tons of concrete at a time. The dam is a concrete gravity-arch which is designed to resist overturning, sliding and crushing at the toe. It's mass inspires safety and stability upon first glance. View photo

Explosion at the Hoover Dam

An explosion occurs during the construction of the Hoover Dam. Workers, called high-scalers, are suspended from the Black Canyon wall and would drill holes into the rock with 44-pound jackhammer drills. The holes are then loaded with dynamite in order to clear Black Canyon down to bedrock. View photo

Hoover Dam framework

Boulder Dam's framework shown from the downstream side as its construction gets underway. The Hoover Dam project is awarded to Six Companies Inc. The chief executive of the company develops many of the techniques used to build the dam. Due to the furious pace the workers were subjected to, the project is finished two years ahead of schedule in 1935. View photo

Heat exchanger

HENDERSON -- Aug. 29, 2006 -- Pipes for a geothermal heat exchanger stick out of the ground at Burkholder Middle School in Henderson. Water from the heating and air conditioning system at the school will be circulated through pipes in 300 individual holes drilled to a depth of 285 feet to cool the water in the system. When the school building is completed it should realize significant energy savings over a comparably designed building. View photo

Not just for rain anymore

Adrianna Sanchez, 9, left, uses an umbrella to shield herself and her brother Julian Sanchez, 8, from the afternoon sun as they walk along Bonanza Road near 20th Street Sunday, September 28, 2003. Their mother Marissela Martinez does the same as she walks behind them. View photo

Drink up

Scott Cadger of Southwest Gas takes a drink while working out in the heat in Southwest Las Vegas on Aug. 2, 2004. Cadger, who was installing a gas meter at a new home, keeps himself hydrated while working the majority of his shift outside in the heat. View photo

Lake Las Vegas aerial

Sediments from flood waters flowed into Lake Las Vegas after a severe thunderstorm dumped more than 3 inches of rain on the Las Vegas Valley on July 8, 1999. Annual rainfall in the valley typically reaches 4 inches. (Aerial photo from KLAS-TV helicopter) View photo

Flooding in the Flamingo Wash

The floodwater began raging July 8, 1999. The storm left a car stuck at Spencer Street and the Flamigo Wash and forced a man to wade through the rising waters. View photo

Search and Rescue prod for a car

July 17, 1990. Search and Rescue officers prod into flood waters to determine whether or not a vehicle is trapped against the bridge at Swenson Stteet. A 25-year old woman had drowned the previous day when flood waters swept her car into the the Flamingo Wash. Storms throughout July of 1990 caused $8.7 million in damage to infrastructure. View photo

Flooding on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard

The rain began to come down harder Aug. 18, 1989, causing the streets to flood on Martin Luther King Boulevard. The water started to rise to the point that the sidewalks were unable to be seen. View photo

Flooded house

It is somewhat rare for flooding to occur in newer residential areas thanks to required flood planning and design. At the time of this August 13, 1979 photograph, with a population just over a half-million, few considered flooding a major economic threat. View photo

Snow-covered palm tree

Snow covers a palm tree on Sahara Avenue near Fort Apache Road during the early morning of December 30, 2003. View photo

Hoover Dam pipe

A man stands inside of a penstock pipe, used during the construction of the Hoover Dam. The 30-foot diameter pipes dwarf the worker, and shows the grand scale of the project. In fact, there is enough concrete inside the dam to pave a two-lane highway from San Francisco, Calif. to New York, N.Y. View photo

Big Snowfall

Five-year-old Kathlene Meyers catches flakes during a rare winter snow in Las Vegas in 1930. The last big snowfall came on Jan. 31, 1979 when 7.4 inches accumulated. Normally standing snow only occurs near the valley's neighboring mountains. View photo

Snow on Caesar

Snow falls around a statue of Julius Caesar in front of Caesars Palace early Tuesday morning, December 30, 2003. Las Vegas receives snowfall of an inch or more once every 5 years. View photo

Skier near the Strip

Near the Strip, a skier enjoys one of the valley's few snows. A winter storm dumped 7.4 inches of snow on the valley floor on January 31, 1979. The next day, during his show at the Aladdin Hotel, comedian Gabe Kaplan quipped "Las Vegas has always been my favorite ski resort." View photo

Black Jack at the Cannery

Dealer Em Kongmun cleans up after hitting a 21 against T.J. Walton and his wife Cindy during the opening of the Cannery Casino Hotel, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2003. The Cannery is another casino designed for locals, and also includes a buffet, steakhouse and movie theater. View photo

Opening of the Sun Coast

A group of gamblers use the slot machines during the grand opening of the South Coast at Las Vegas and Silverado Ranch Boulevards on Thursday, Dec. 22, 2005. There are just under 200 thousand slot machines in Las Vegas. View photo

Megabucks

Dan Healy and his wife Margaret Healy try their hand at winning Megabucks at Sunset Station. Megabucks is a progressive dollar slot machine, which means that the more money people put in, the bigger the jackpot gets. Jackpots hit have ranged from $7 million to $39 million. View photo

Flood on Western Avenue

Swamped motorists on Western Avenue attempt to push their stalled vehicle. Before the 400-mile flood control system was installed, the majority of storm drainage was carried along on major roads toward a natural wash. Arterials are still a major component of the system, collecting and moving flood water downstream. View photo

High-Wire, High Stakes

Trapeze artists, high-wire acts and serialists are showcased at the Circus Circus midway stage above the casino floor. In his 1971 book Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Hunter S. Thompson said about the Circus Circus, "The ground floor is full of gambling tables, like all the other casinos . . . but the place is about four stories high, in the style of a circus tent, and all manner of strange County-Fair/Polish Carnival madness is going on up in this space." View photo

Lady Luck

Guests pack the tables at the Lady Luck Casino. The Lady Luck opened as Honest John's in 1961 and was also known as the Park Plaza Lady Luck. In 2007 the hotel and casino was purchased by CIM Group for $20.4 million. View photo

Sharing in the Revelry

A gambler at the Sands casino gets lucky on a slot machine and a group of bystanders share in the revelry, sometime during the late 50's. (UNLV Special Collections) View photo

Bugsy Siegel

Sharply dressed, blue-eyed Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel stands for this photo. Siegel was a well-known friend and associate of mobsters Meyer Lansky and Charlie "Lucky" Luciano. He is often credited as the father of modern Las Vegas. View photo

Homeless in Las Vegas

A homeless man crosses Las Vegas Boulevard into North Las Vegas on Feb. 15, 1999, showing that it's not all glitz and glamour in “Sin City.” View photo

Lighting up the Sands

Guests crowd the table games pit at the Sands Hotel's main gaming area in 1959. On the left and right sides, men can be seen holding flash bulbs to illuminate the back of the normally darkened room. Guests often wore their finest attire for a night of gambling and drinking in Las Vegas. View photo

Lighting up the Sands

Guests crowd the table games pit at the Sands Hotel's main gaming area in 1959. On the left and right sides, men can be seen holding flash bulbs to illuminate the back of the normally darkened room. Guests often wore their finest attire for a night of gambling and drinking in Las Vegas. View photo

Showgirls of "Lido de Paris"

Stardust showgirls entertain the audience during a 1980 performance of the iconic "Lido de Paris" production show. The Lido de Paris enjoyed one of the strips longest runs, opening in 1958 and running continuously until 1992. View photo

The showgirl and the lion

Peggy Kubena looks into the eyes of Caesar the lion during a 1978 performance of "Casino de Paris" at the the Dunes Hotel. View photo

Lucy Lewin poses for the camera

Lucy Lewin of the June Taylor dance troupe poses for cameras following a performance at the Flamingo Hotel in 1949. June Taylor was known as one of the best choreographers in show business, winning an Emmy in 1955 for her chorus-line routines on The Jackie Gleason Show. View photo

Boulder City Golf Course

An aerial view of Boulder City shows the entire municipal golf course. The Boulder City Golf Course has been around since 1973, and is owned and maintained by the city. The 6,600-yard, par-72 course offers a traditional layout with minimal risk of damaging houses. View photo

Allen Sachs

Allen Sachs View photo

Lucy Lewin poses for the camera

Lucy Lewin of the June Taylor dance troupe poses for cameras following a performance at the Flamingo Hotel in 1949. June Taylor was known as one of the best choreographers in show business, winning an Emmy in 1955 for her chorus-line routines on The Jackie Gleason Show. View photo

Valerie Perrine's showgirl start

An early photo of actress Valerie Perrine shows her beginnings as a Las Vegas showgirl in Stardust's "Lido de Paris." Perrine is best known for her role as Miss Eve Teschmacher in Superman I and II, but she received an Oscar nomination when she played Honey Bruce in the 1974 film "Lenny". View photo

MAX bus

The new Metropolitan Area Express (MAX) rapid transit system vehicle hits the streets following an unveiling ceremony at 3258 North Las Vegas Boulevard on Wednesday, June 30, 2004. The vehicle, provided by the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada, offers commuters a new and larger form of public transportation. Each MAX vehicle can carry up to 120 passengers and uses a cutting-edge optical guidance system to precisely direct it near each MAX station. View photo

Lucy Lewin poses for the camera

Lucy Lewin of the June Taylor dance troupe poses for cameras following a performance at the Flamingo Hotel in 1949. June Taylor was known as one of the best choreographers in show business, winning an Emmy in 1955 for her chorus-line routines on The Jackie Gleason Show. View photo

Arizona Charlie's Decatur entrance

Arizona Charlie's Decatur was the first casino in the Arizona Charlie's franchise. The resort was originally a bowling alley run by Bruce Becker, son of influential Las Vegas businessman Ernest Becker. Becker expanded the bowling alley into an $18 million hotel-casino in 1987, naming the place after distant cousin "Arizona" Charlie Meadows. View photo

CAT bus depot

Buses pick up awaiting passengers from The Downtown Transportation Center Monday, Sept. 15, 2003. The DTC serves as the central transfer point for public transportation in Las Vegas, servicing the fleet of 338 fixed route buses and 272 paratransit vehicles of the Citizens Area Transit system. View photo

Sorkis Webbe

Sorkis Webbe View photo

Copa Girl shows off the Sands

A Copa Girl poses in front of a Sands Hotel marquee advertising Dean Martin and Count Basie. View photo

Lucy Lewin poses for the camera

Lucy Lewin of the June Taylor dance troupe poses for cameras following a performance at the Flamingo Hotel in 1949. June Taylor was known as one of the best choreographers in show business, winning an Emmy in 1955 for her chorus-line routines on The Jackie Gleason Show. View photo

Jerry's Nugget exterior

The oil derrick of Jerry's Nugget casino towers over the building in this photo. Jerry's Nugget was founded on the site of the Town House Bar in 1964. The owners soon bought the Bonanza Club, a casino on an adjacent property in 1968. The Bonanza was the original home of the oil derrick now at Jerry's Nugget, it was once the tallest sign in Las Vegas. View photo

Tropicana Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard

The Intersection of Tropicana and Las Vegas Boulevard is one of the busiest in the world. The intersection is home to four major hotels: the Excalibur, the MGM Grand, the Tropicana and the New York - New York. The intersection also provides access to McCarran International airport and is the first exit off of the I-15 for traffic coming from Southern California. Elevated pedestrian walkways were constructed across each of the streets in order to reduce the high number of accidents that occur at the intersection. View photo

One of the Santa Fe's many entrances

The classic southwestern style comes to Las Vegas at the Santa Fe hotel. A family-friendly resort, the hotel offers a newly renovated 60-lane bowling alley and 16-screen movie theater, as well as restaurants with something for everyone. The hotel also offers night-time excitement with the Prince tribute show "Purple Reign," and the inside the night club Chrome. View photo

Rampart entrance

The entrance to the Rampart casino reflects the hotel's tuscan theme. It originally opened in 1999 as The Regency, but changed its name to The Rampart Casino and the JW Marriott Las Vegas Resort and Spa. The hotel and spa is run by JW Marriott, while the casino itself is run by Cannery Casino Resorts, both companies work together to operate the resort. View photo

Texas Station exterior

The exterior of Texas Station doesn't show the casino's cowboy theme that's so prevalent inside the casino. The casino opened in the mid-90s by Station Casinos, and remains a popular location with the locals. It has an 18-screen movie theater, bowling alley and a Kids Quest hourly childcare center. View photo

Lucy Lewin poses for the camera

Lucy Lewin of the June Taylor dance troupe poses for cameras following a performance at the Flamingo Hotel in 1949. June Taylor was known as one of the best choreographers in show business, winning an Emmy in 1955 for her chorus-line routines on The Jackie Gleason Show. View photo

Lucy Lewin poses for the camera

Lucy Lewin of the June Taylor dance troupe poses for cameras following a performance at the Flamingo Hotel in 1949. June Taylor was known as one of the best choreographers in show business, winning an Emmy in 1955 for her chorus-line routines on The Jackie Gleason Show. View photo

The Strip in 2004

An aerial view of the Las Vegas Strip, looking south from Treasure Island, August 19, 2004. The late 1990s and early 2000s saw a construction boom on the south Strip with new resorts and tower addition projects. Pools and lush landscaping replaced the sandy desert highway of the early Strip. View photo

Tragedy at the MGM

An emergency helicopter hovers above the burning MGM Grand on Nov. 21, 1980. The fire killed 87 people and injured 700 more making it the worst in Las Vegas history. The blaze, which was caused by an electrical spark, changed building safety codes across the nation. View photo

Roulette at the Sands

Guests try their luck at roulette while gambling at the Sands Hotel in this 1950s photograph. The hotel initially started off as a small casino with only a few hundred hotel rooms, but because of the resort's high-profile entertainment and attractions it became extremely popular. View photo

Arizona Charlie's Boulder exterior

Located on the Eastside of Las Vegas, Arizona Charlie's Boulder offers one of Vegas' only 24-hour bingo parlors. The casino was built on the site of Sunrise Suites Hotel that had a completed but unused casino. Arizona Charlie's owner Carl Ichan bought the bankrupt property for $43 million in January of 2000 and spent a further $10 million upgrading the acquisition. The property quickly opened as Arizona Charlie's East in May 2000. View photo

The Strip in 1985

A 1985 aerial view of Las Vegas Boulevard. Traffic lights were not installed until well after the Strip was established. Today the Wynn occupies the block between the Sands Avenue and Desert Inn Road. The Sands, Lobster House and small hotels on the bottom right have been replaced by the Venetian and sister property the Palazzo. View photo

The Bellagio

The Fountains of the Bellagio erupt in this Jan. 1, 2000 photo. Upon its opening, the Bellagio became the largest and most expensive hotel in the world, once again upping the ante for Las Vegas casinos. View photo

Multi-tasking

Guests at the Sands play Craps on a floating table inside of the resort's pool. The huge Sands pool offered tourists another option for daytime entertainment. Guests would swim and relax during the day, then gamble and watch shows at night. The hotel, however, was willing to accommodate those who wanted to multi-task. View photo

Sam's Town exterior

Locals casino, Sam's Town offers $1.00 Coors beer. It opened in 1979, and it's the first casino designed specifically for locals. Located on Boulder Highway, Sam's Town also hosts the Sam's Town 300 NASCAR race held every year in Las Vegas. The Killers' second album "Sam's Town" is named after this hotel. View photo

Mike O'Callaghan

Mike O'Callaghan, Governer of Nevada from 1970-1978, and an editor at the Las Vegas Sun. View photo

Monkey Business

Although there was no formal dress code, guests were expected to dress their finest at the Sands Hotel in the 1950s, even chimpanzees it seems were not exempt. View photo

The Maxbus

A Civis System bus, built by Irisbus of Lyon, France, is displayed at the CAT bus yard Thursday, Sept. 12, 2002. The diesel-electric hybrid bus steers itself while the driver controls the acceleration and braking of the vehicle. View photo

Gambling at the Apache

Gamblers enjoy a game of Roulette at the Apache Casino during the 1930's. During the construction of the Hoover Dam, the Apache was the stopover for many Hollywood celebrities including Clark Gable. View photo

"Minsky Folies" dancer

A burlesque dancer showcases an extravagant headpiece as part of a "Minsky Folies" performance at the Dunes Hotel. The Minsky Folies was the first topless show offered by a hotel in the state of Nevada. View photo

Fiesta Rancho exterior

The sign of the Fiesta Rancho lights up as dusk falls over the hotel-casino. The Fiesta Rancho was the first ever Fiesta casino. It was owned and operated by the Maloof family until Station Casinos Inc. bought the property in January 2001 and franchised the Fiesta name. View photo

Fiesta Henderson tower

The 224-room hotel of the Fiesta Henderson rises above the resort's parking lot. The Resort was originally the Reserve hotel-casino, which struggled to turn a profit in its short history. When Station Casinos, which was losing money at the time, acquired the property in 2001, many were unsure of how successful the casino would be. Reporting record profits in 2005, Station casinos funded a $70 million expansion of The Fiesta. View photo

Star Chief

A 1959 Jennings $1 Star Chief slot machine is shown in this photo. These self-serve mechanical devices featured the latest in gaming technology like blinking lights and jam-resistant coin slots. The chief's head was provided for good luck. View photo

Inside the Mermaid Lounge at Silverton

The Silverton casino is located a few miles away from the Strip on Blue Diamond Road. It has several interesting features including the Mermaid Restaurant and Lounge. The lounge contains an 117,000 gallon saltwater tank that contains 5,000 different species of fish. Open 24 hours daily, guests are able to enjoy the aquarium and even watch the fish eat while they enjoy their meal. View photo

Faro

Patrons of the Las Vegas Club partake in a game of faro (misspelled ferro in the photo). The dealer dealt two cards per turn from a standard deck of 52, and the object was for players to predict which cards would appear. The first card would win for the bank, and the second would win for the player. Because of the game's almost even odds, it is no longer offered at modern casinos. View photo

Henderson Pavilion

Located at Green Valley Parkway and Paseo Verde Drive, Henderson Pavilion is the largest outdoor amphitheater in Nevada. The outdoor entertainment venue hosts musical performances as well as seminars and speeches. View photo

Joe Agosto

Joe Agosto View photo

Birth of the Mega-Resort

A postcard shows the grounds of Steve Wynn's mega-resort, The Mirage. The Mirage set a standard of extravagance Las Vegas had never seen before. Wynn used actual gold to give the windows of the Mirage their shimmer. Cosmetic features, such as the volcano and the 9-story-high waterfall set the resort apart from other hotels of the time. View photo

First Nevada Gaming License

The first Nevada Gaming License was issued to Mayme Stocker and J.H. Morgan in 1931. They opened the Northern Club in 1936. View photo

Vegas Pioneers

Charles P. Squires and wife, Delphine Squires, celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary in this Aug. 21, 1949 photo. As pioneer residents of Las Vegas, Charles and Delphine Squires were instrumental in developing Las Vegas from a desert railroad stop into the largest American city founded in the 20th century. View photo

Hawk helicopters

HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters line up for an exercise at Nellis Airforce Base, March 1985. The Pave Hawk is designed for combat search and rescue operations but has been used for civil search and rescue missions after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the Boxing Day Tsunami of 2004. View photo

Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal

Casino Executive Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal smiles for this portrait. Rosenthal secretly ran the Stardust hotel for the Chicago mafia and was famous for being the first to put a sports book inside of a casino. The movie "Casino" is based on the events surrounding Rosenthal's presence in Las Vegas. View photo

Sam Giancana

Sam Giancana View photo

Sabre jets maneuver above Las Vegas

Four F-100 Super Sabre jet fighters maneuver high above Las Vegas. The jets were delivered to Nellis Air Force Base on June 1, 1956, the same day the world famous Thunderbird Air Demonstration Squadron was stationed at Nellis. The Thunderbirds quickly adopted the F-100 as part of their act. View photo

Hoover Dam

Water erupts out of the spillways of the Hoover Dam in this photo taken during the 1930's. The seventeen turbine-generators housed inside the dam are capable of producing up to 2,080 megawatts of electricity. This is enough energy to supply Nevada, Arizona and most of California. View photo

The Hitching Post

The Hitching Post Wedding Chapel saturates itself with advertisements in this 1940s photo. In 1931 the Nevada Legislature relaxed the state marriage and divorce laws and the wedding industry became a major factor in the Las Vegas economy. View photo

The Entertainment Director

Mobster Joe Agosto graces the marquee of the Tropicana Hotel as the resort's "entertainment director." The Kansas City native pulled a lot more strings than the ones on his violin during his time in Las Vegas. View photo

The first Convention Center and the Landmark Hotel

The first iteration of the Las Vegas Convention Center, a flyng saucer-inspired circular building with a shiny metal roof, can bee seen in this March 2, 1965 aerial shot of Las Vegas. In front of it is the incomplete 31-story Landmark Hotel. Early suburban development can also be seen in the distance. View photo

Folies Bergere

A Folies Bergere performer poses for the camera during a 1977 performance at the Tropicana's Tiffany theater. View photo

West of Fremont

A view of the intersection at Fremont and Second Street, looking west, greets incoming travelers to Las Vegas, during the 1920s. The Union Pacific Railroad Depot can be seen in the distance. View photo

Close up aerial of the Strip

A 1964 aerial view of the Las Vegas Strip shows the Desert Inn and New Frontier hotels. The control tower-like Landmark hotel wouldn't open until 1968 after it was purchased by Howard Hughes. Hughes himself would come to live in the penthouse suite of the Desert Inn in 1966, where he would negotiate purchases that would change the face of Las Vegas. View photo

Old Fremont

Two Las Vegas residents loiter around Fremont Street in this photo from the early 1920s. The Las Vegas Hotel and the Atherton Whisky can be seen in the background. View photo

The Boozy Burros

The bartender and patrons of this early Las Vegas saloon appear unconcerned with the two burros at the bar in this 1905 photo titled "The Boozy Burros". The image was later replicated on numerous postcards depicting the scene. View photo

The Gateway to the Boulder Dam

A sign, erected by the local Elks club over Freemont Street, welcomes Secretary of the Interior Ray Lyman Wilbur, calling the fledgling city "The Gateway to the Boulder Dam" in this 1929 photo. Wilbur visited Southern Nevada to view the site of the Boulder Dam. View photo

The Strip in the '60s

Development along the Las Vegas Strip came at a time when the nation was just beginning to embrace a complete car culture. Trolleys and commuter rail systems were being pulled out of major cities to make way for retrofitted freeways and extra lanes. Planners considered Las Vegas a fresh start for a revolutionary type of city building. The Strip was designed to function without traffic lights or stop signs as this 1968 picture shows. View photo

Tony Cornero

Tony Cornero View photo

The Western Air Express Depot

The Western Air Express depot in Las Vegas awaits incomming flights, 1926. The plot of land chosen as an airport was originally called Anderson field. It changed name to Rockwell field after being purchased by brothers Leon, and Earl Rockwell. The Rockwells transformed the field into an airstrip, but later sold the property, forcing Postmaster Robert Griffith to open a new airstrip which would later become Nellis Airforce Base. View photo

Fremont Street

Cars cruise down Fremont Street as guests relax at the Union Plaza pool. The Plaza opened in 1971, and became the largest downtown casino, replacing the Union Pacific Railroad depot. The hotel was also influential for employing female dealers, who were banned by the city for more than a decade. View photo

Timely Delivery

Western Air Express Pilot Fred Kelly poses with his wingman and Las Vegas Postmaster Robert Griffth in this April 17, 1926 postcard. The letter on the back of the postcard read: "Dear Betty: This is Bob Griffith standing on the ground. This [postcard] should go out on the first air mail plane to leave Las Vegas for the West, 2:30 p.m. today. Everybody will be out to see them change mail and get away! I am feeling fine and will be down soon. Sincerely, Mr. E. E. Smith." View photo

Shenker's Dunes

A 1960s aerial photo of the Dunes. Shenker was a major shareholder of the resort until it went bankrupt in 1985. View photo

Expansion and Indictment

The marquee of the Aladdin hotel advertises the Jackie Mason Show in this Aladdin hotel postcard. Part owner Sorkis Webbe was indicted for a $1 million scheme during the hotel's expansion in 1979. View photo

El Rancho Vegas burns

The iconic windmill of the the El Rancho Vegas Hotel topples during the June 17, 1960 fire that destroyed the hotel. Firefighters struggled to preserve the windmill, but efforts were in vain. The hotel was the first official hotel casino to open on The Strip, but now an empty lot stands in its place. View photo

Giancana's Sands

An aerial shot of the Sands from 1966. It's alleged that Frank Sinatra was a casino front man for Sam Giancana in the mob-owned Cal-Neva Lodge in Lake Tahoe. View photo

Sands Slots

Customers try their luck at the slot machines of the Sands casino. People flocked to the Sands during the casino's heyday because of the casino's reputation as a super suave hotel. View photo

Wheel of Fortune

David Reimondo places his bets as the Roulette wheel spins during the grand opening celebration of the Klondike casino in Henderson, Friday, Oct. 1, 1999. The European roulette wheel only has 37 pockets, while the American wheel has 38. View photo

First Issue of the Sun

This is the front page of the first edition of the Las Vegas Morning Sun published Saturday, July 1, 1950. The headline "U.S. 'All-Out' In Korea War" was significant considering President Truman discouraged naming the conflict a war, preferring the euphemism "police action." View photo

Moe Sedway

Moe Sedway View photo

"Oceans 11"

A poster for the original 1960s film "Ocean's 11," starring the Rat Pack. The movie is one of the only films to star the whole group together, the other film is Sergeants 3. The movie differs from the remake, in that due to unforeseen circumstances, the men are left with no money, while the remake clearly has them getting away with the money. View photo

Moe Sedway Playing Cards

Moe Sedway plays Farabank (Old Tiger) at the Golden Nugget Casino. Sedway was a known associate and lieutenant for mobster Meyer Lansky. View photo

Rosselli's Tropicana

An aerial shot of the Tropicana. After initially being sent to Los Angeles to control the mob's interest in Hollywood, Johnny Rosselli was moved to Las Vegas to oversee the construction of the $50 million Tropicana. View photo

Moe Dalitz

Moe Dalitz View photo

Cornero at the Meadows

Tony Cornero sits far left at The Meadows Casino. The owner of the Stardust Hotel and Casino, dropped dead on July 31, 1955 while shooting craps at the Desert Inn. View photo

Young Blue Eyes

A young Frank Sinatra snaps his fingers while performing on stage in this undated photo. Sinatra's ties in Las Vegas go back to 1941 when he appeared in the film "Las Vegas Nights" as an uncredited singer in the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra. His Vegas stage debut did not occur until 1951. View photo

Car Bomb

Investigators examine the area surrounding the twisted remnants of Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal's car after a bomb destroyed the vehicle on Oct. 4, 1982. A metal plate located directly underneath the driver's seat of the 1981 Cadillac diverted the explosion away from Rosenthal and saved his life. View photo

Showgirl Lucy Lewin poses

Lucy Lewin of the June Taylor dance troupe poses for cameras following a performance at the Flamingo Hotel in 1949. June Taylor was known as one of the best choreographers in show business, winning an Emmy in 1955 for her chorus-line routines on The Jackie Gleason Show. View photo

Meyer Lansky

Meyer Lansky View photo

The Hub of the Big Wheel

Comedian Joey Bishop speaks to guests during the taping of his talk show "The Joey Bishop Show". Bishop was regarded as one of the more inconspicuous members of the Rat Pack, but he was highly respected within the group. Frank Sinatra went so far as to call Bishop "the Hub of the Big Wheel." View photo

Sachs and Tobman

Stardust hotel-casino owners Al Sachs and Herb Tobman confer with their attorneys as they appear in 1984 before state gaming regulators who alleged that $1.6 million had been skimmed from the casino on their watch. Sachs and Tobman eventually agreed to surrender their licenses and pay a then-record $3.5 million fine. View photo

Flamingo 1947

The Flamingo Hotel is shown in this photo from 1947. Under "Bugsy" Siegel's authority the hotel's construction was disorganized and the grand opening was a flop, forcing the resort to close after less than a month of operation. Siegel's mismanagement of the Flamingo eventually cost him his life. (UNLV Special Collections) View photo

Welcome to Henderson

A mail truck heads south on Boulder Highway Tuesday, March 13, 2001. The city's official slogan is, "Henderson - a Place to Call Home," but it is also known as a "city of destiny" after a prediction made by President John F. Kennedy. View photo

Benny Binion

Binion's Horseshoe owner Bennie Binion is shown in this March 1978 photo. Binion's is the first downtown casino to have carpeted floors, free drinks for all players and limo service to and from the airport. View photo

The Will Mastin Trio

Sammy Davis Jr. (center) performs with his father Sammy Davis Sr. (left), and "Uncle" Will Mastin (right) as the Will Mastin Trio at the New Frontier, May 30, 1955. Sammy Davis Jr. got his start in the entertainment business as a member of the trio when he was just 3-years-old. (Las Vegas News Bureau) View photo

Preparing for a combat exercise

Exhaust from planes obscure the Stratosphere Tower as they leave to participate in the Red Flag air combat exercise Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2002 at Nellis Air Force Base. Red Flag is a two-week aerial war simulation exercise with more than 100 aircrafts from six countries participating. Nellis hosts four Red Flag exercises throughout the year. View photo

Lansky's Flamingo

The Flamingo's Champagne Tower and glittering marquee advertises upcoming entertainment acts at the swanky casino. Meyer Lansky was a major backer at the resort - both before and after his good buddy, Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel, was murdered in 1947. View photo

Ready for takeoff

One of the Nellis-based F-111As is readied for taxiing by assistant crew chief Sgt. Marvin L. Niekamp on June 18, 1968. The aircraft was flown for the first time since being restricted from flying on May 8, 1968. View photo

Snapping his Fingers

Sammy Davis Jr. snaps his fingers during one of his countless performances in Las Vegas. The city honored Sammy on Feb. 15, 2007 with his own star on The Las Vegas Walk of Stars. (Sun photo by Lee Zaichick) View photo

Joint readiness exercise

Chief Master Sgt. J. Dehorty mans his post during joint readiness exercise Brave Shield 17. Dehorty is a member of the Air National Guard and assigned to the 162nd Combat Communications Squadron. His sympathetic staff made his sign. View photo

Simulated missle site

A simulated surface-to-air missile site shows the Star of David configuration most associated with the SA-2 missile. Nellis Air Force Base houses more than 150 aircrafts and a Warfare Center responsible for advanced combat training, tactics development and operational testing. View photo

The Spilotro Brothers

Mobster Anthony Spilotro, left, and his brother, Michael, leave the federal building in Chicago after a bond hearing in 1986. In June of that year the bodies of the Spilotro brothers were found buried in an Indiana cornfield. Sand inside of the lungs of the bodies lead investigators to conclude that the pair had been buried alive. View photo

Pre-flight check

Nellis Air Force Base Staff Sgt. Andrew LaFreniere does a pre-flight check and talks to the pilot of the $2.5 million F-4C Phantom II jet aircraft. Sgt. LaFreniere won Airman of the Year in 1967. View photo

A look before jumping

Airmen look before leaping out of a plane over the Nevada landscape. Nellis Air Force Base is named in 1950 after 1st Lt. William Harrell Nellis, a southern Nevada man who died in the Battle of the Bulge in 1944. Originally, the base consisted of a dirt runway, water well and small operational shack. View photo

The Last of the Pack

Comedian Joey Bishop poses for cameras after a stand-up performance. Bishop was the last surviving member of the Rat Pack, until his death on Oct. 17 2007. View photo

Taxis at McCarran

Taxis at McCarran International Airport line up in the chute as they wait to pick up arriving passengers early Friday morning, Aug. 17, 2001. View photo

Billy Wilkerson

Hollywood Reporter magazine founder and nightclub owner Billy Wilkerson poses for this undated photo. After attempts to build his ambitious Flamingo Club ran into financial trouble, Wilkerson turned to mobster Meyer Lansky who offered $1 million to complete the Flamingo in exchange for interest in the resort. Wilkerson was later muscled out of the project by Lansky representative Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel. View photo

Last of the Pack

Comedian Joey Bishop poses for cameras after a stand-up performance at the Plaza. Bishop was the last surviving member of the Rat Pack, until his death on Oct. 17 2007. (UNLV Special Collections) View photo

Stand and salute

Officers stand and salute at Nellis Air Force Base on Sept. 24, 1985. The 14,000-acre base currently holds nearly 12,000 military personnel and civilians and contains more squadrons than any other Air Force base in the world. View photo

Thunderbirds soar over the Nevada desert

The Thunderbirds came to Nellis Air Force Base in 1956. The name thunderbird refers to a southwest American Indian tradition of a majestic eagle or hawk that shakes the earth with its thunderous wings and shoots lightning from its eyes. View photo

Ralph Denton

Attorney Ralph Denton holds a photo of Pat McCarran in his office Monday, September 13, 2004. View photo

Hank Greenspun

Sun publisher Hank Greenspun. View photo

Tony Accardo

Tony Accardo View photo

Morris Shenker

Morris Shenker View photo

Fireworks at the Hacienda

Fireworks erupt from the roof of the Hacienda hotel-casino minutes before it is imploded on New Year's Eve Dec. 31, 1996. View photo

One last bit remains

The south end of the Hacienda hotel-casino remains standing after the rest of the building was imploded on Dec. 31, 1996 to make way for the Mandalay Bay hotel-casino. View photo

The Augusta tower falls

The Desert Inn's 15-story, 300-room Augusta tower crumbles as it implodes about 2 a.m. as seen from the New Frontier hotel-casino Tuesday, October 23, 2001. View photo

Desert Inn implosion

The last building finally collapses during the Desert Inn's implosion on Nov. 15, 2004. The building was demolished to make room for a new Wynn tower. View photo

The start of the implosion

The final buildings of the former Desert Inn begin to fall as they are imploded early Tuesday morning, Nov. 15, 2004. This photo is taken from the 15th floor of the New Frontier hotel tower. View photo

Last building standing

The final buildings of the former Desert Inn await implosion late Monday, Nov. 15, 2004, to make way for a second planned hotel tower adjacent to the Wynn Las Vegas. View photo

After the implosion

Workers look over debris from the final buildings of the former Desert Inn after they were imploded early Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2004, to make way for a second planned hotel tower adjacent to the Wynn Las Vegas. The $2.4 billion first phase of the megaresort is scheduled to open April 28, 2005. View photo

Last sign standing

A cloud of dust billows around the El Rancho sign after the hotel-casino was imploded early Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2000. Even though Turnberry Place now covers the original sign, the El Rancho is still clearly seen. View photo

The El Rancho before implosion

The El Rancho hotel-casino from the Circus Circus parking garage before it was imploded on Oct. 3, 2000. View photo

Side view of the El Rancho implosion

A side view of the El Rancho's Oct. 3, 2000 implosion. The building was demolished to make room for Turnberry Place, a set of high-rise luxury condominiums. View photo

The El Rancho is razed to the ground

The 13-story El Rancho hotel-casino tumbles to the ground early in the morning on Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2000. The building, which belongs to Florida based Turnberry Associates and has been vacant since 1992, was imploded by Las Vegas-based LVI Environmental Services Inc. View photo

Watching the El Rancho implosion

A crowd gathers on Circus Circus Drive across from the El Rancho hotel-casino before the building was imploded on Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2000. View photo

Spectators come to watch

People line up in the parking lot of the New Frontier awaiting the implosion of the final buildings of the former Desert Inn early Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2004, to make way for a second planned hotel tower adjacent to the Wynn Las Vegas. The $2.4 billion first phase of the megaresort is scheduled to open April 28, 2005. View photo

Texas Dolly

Legendary poker player Doyle Brunson plays in the World Series of Poker HORSE tournament on July 12, 2006. Brunson, "Texas Dolly," has been a professional poker player for more than 50 years and has won many tournaments and millions of dollars in his illustrious career. His book "Super System" is regarded as the authoritative poker strategy manual. View photo

Las Vegas Monorail

A Las Vegas Monorail train leaves the Las Vegas Convention Center station during testing in 2004. The Monorail opened on July 15, 2004, but had to be closed from September to December due to several severe malfunctions. Despite the costly shutdown, planners intend on adding an additional track that connects the existing system to McCarran International Airport and the Thomas and Mack Center at UNLV. View photo

The Spaghetti Bowl

A view of the Spaghetti Bowl interchange taken from a KLAS-TV helicopter in 2006. The Spaghetti Bowl is where State Route 564, I-215, I-515, U.S Route 93 and U.S Route 95 converge. Las Vegas' record growth and the ensuing traffic problems created the necessity for interchanges and bypasses like the Spaghetti Bowl. View photo

Comming Up For Air

Tony Glenn from Quality Towing comes up for air after attaching a towing cable to a car that was caught in floodwaters at the Charleston underpass on October 27, 2000. While Las Vegas doesn't get much rain, when the skies open up flash floods are always a possibility. View photo

Goodman Wins

Las Vegas Mayor-elect Oscar Goodman is congratulated on June 8, 1999 after beating City Councilman Arnie Adamsen in the mayoral race. Goodman has served three consecutive terms as mayor of Las Vegas. View photo

Sahara Fire

Firefighters work to put out a blaze atop the Sahara hotel on Aug. 25, 1964. Built-up grease was the cause of the fire, and the water damage forced the hotel to close the main casino, the Conga Room and the Casbar. The Conga room was relocated upstairs to keep hotel guests entertained while the other damaged rooms were repaired. View photo

Lightning behind Black Mountain

A lightning bolt strikes behind Black Mountain and the District at Green Valley Ranch during a July 17, 2006 thunderstorm. View photo

Aerial of North Las Vegas

An aerial view of the North Las Vegas Airport taken from Joe Maridon's 1942 WACO UPF-7 biplane April 8, 2002. The airport is the second busiest one in Nevada, serving as a base for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department in addition to operating scenic and general aviation flights. View photo

Lightning over the Strip

Lightning bolts strike over casinos on the south end of the Strip on July 17, 2006. Thunderstorms are fairly common during the summer months in Las Vegas. View photo

Poolside in North Las Vegas

Families frolic inside the pool at the Silver Mesa Aquatics Complex in North Las Vegas. The pool opened on May 19, 2002 and includes a recreation center and an adjacent park. Local high school swim teams in the area train at the center. View photo

Valet at the Cannery

Valet driver, Harvey Foutz waits for guests in front of the Cannery during the resort's grand opening, Jan. 2, 2003. View photo

Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard

Traffic traverses Martin Luther King Boulevard at sunset on Jan. 20, 2002. The photo is taken from Cheyenne Avenue, and shows the seemingly never-ending construction that's so prevalent on Las Vegas roadways. View photo

Gambling School

Les Johnston gives instruction on the rules of craps to Amy Nugent, Joseph King and Eric Tippelt during a gambler's seminar at the Sunset Station Friday, Jan. 17, 2003. Craps is a dice game, where players bet on the outcome of one or multiple rolls of the dice. View photo

Acting like a Dealer

Actor Dustin Hoffman deals a card to actor Elliot Gould, during the CineVegas International Film Festival celebrity blackjack tournament at the Palms hotel Saturday, June 15, 2002. Hoffman later accepted the festival's inaugural Marquee Award. The award honors an actor who has an impressive body of work in both independent and mainstream films. View photo

Gambling in Paris

Gamblers try their luck at the Paris hotel. The Paris boasts a two-thirds scale Arc de Triomphe, a replica of the La Fontaine des Mers and the front of the casino is a mix of the Paris Opera House and Louvre. It's also known for having some of the best casino bathrooms on the Strip. View photo

New homes

A sea of new homes sprawl across North Las Vegas on Saturday Jan. 17, 2004. The area that is often called, “the community of choice,” continues to grow and attract new residents daily. View photo

Henderson mayor drives CAT bus

Henderson Mayor Jim Gibson navigates a CAT bus through an obstacle course Thursday, April 10, 2003 during a preview of the annual Bus Rodeo. View photo

Fremont Street canopy

The Fremont Street Experience glows under its canopy as thousands of tourists patronize the businesses and casinos located on the historic street. View photo

Jet on the runway

A Southwest Airlines jet passes by the Luxor hotel as it heads down a runway at McCarran International Airport Monday, July 14, 2003. View photo

Southcoast tower at night

The South Coast hotel tower shines brightly behind a neighborhood in the southwest part of the valley Thursday, Dec. 22, 2005. In July 2006, businessman Michael Gaughan liquidated all his Boyd Gaming holdings in exchange for full ownership of the South Coast. He renamed the resort the South Point in October 2006. View photo

Atrium inside Henderson City Hall

An overview of the atrium inside the Henderson City Hall expansion Thursday, Dec. 4, 2003. The expansion consisted of a six level, 219,000 square foot add on as well as a complete remodeling of the already existing 55,000 square foot City Hall and was a recipient of the Project of the Year award from the Nevada Chapter of the American Public Works Association. View photo

Mayor on parade

Henderson Mayor Jim Gibson, standing left, waves from a float with members of the city council and their families during a parade on Water Street in downtown Henderson, April 26, 2003 to commemorate the city's 50th anniversary. View photo

Aria

People react as they watch the first showing of “Aria,” a light and sound show created by artist Jennifer Steinkamp and composer Jimmy Johnson for the Fremont Street Experience. The show was part of a ceremony that included the dedication of five refurbished neon signs for the Neon Museum. View photo

Area 51

Guests watch “Area 51,” at the Fremont Street Experience Light and Sound Show Monday, June 14, 2004. “Area 51” was one of two shows that premiered after the $17 million upgrade to the Light and Sound Show “Viva Vision.” The upgrade included the installation of 12.5 million LED lights on Fremont Street's 90-foot high, 500-yard long canopy. View photo

Recording the show

Sasha Rodriguez of San Diego uses a digital camera to take a video during the light show at the Fremont Street Experience Sunday, Nov. 3, 2002. The canopy is 90-feet tall, and spans 1,400-feet from Main Street to 4th Street. View photo

Showgirls at the Fremont Street Experience

Showgirl Polina McDowell watches “The Drop,” one of two shows at the Fremont Street Experience Light and Sound Show Monday that premiered following a $17 million renovation, June 14, 2004. The upgrade, named “Viva Vision,” was a technological update to the show created by LG CNS Co., Ltd., of South Korea. View photo

Raptor on display

The latest generation of fighter technology, the F/A-22 Raptor, sits on static display as the famous Thunderbird Air Squadron fly their Thunderbird Diamond over the runway during the "Aviation Nation" air show at Nellis Air Force Base, Nov. 16, 2003. View photo

El Dorado Energy plant

A solar panel array generates electricity at the El Dorado Energy plant in Boulder City. The plant is about 17 miles from downtown on U.S. 95 south of the Eldorado Dry Lake Bed. View photo

Boulder City homes

Homes in Boulder City are photographed near Lake Mead on Sept. 7, 2000. Boulder City initially opened to house all the Hoover Dam workers, and has since taken measures to maintain small town life using a controlled growth ordinance. The ordinance limits the amount of home, business and hotel permits issued each year. View photo

Entrance to Boulder City

Signs in Boulder City at the intersection of U.S. 93 and Buchanan Boulevard welcome guests to the town. The city prohibited gambling at its inception and is one of two cities in Nevada where gambling is illegal. In 1969, Boulder City legalized the sale of alcohol. View photo

Fremont Street during the day

A view of the Fremont Street Experience taken from the bridge between a parking garage and Neonopolis. A federal appeals court ruled that the city of Las Vegas and operators of the Fremont Street Experience can't ban people from distributing leaflets, collecting signatures or circulating petitions up and down the walkway. View photo

Fremont Street at Las Vegas Boulevard

The intersection of Fremont Street and Las Vegas Boulevard shows Neonopolis and the Fremont Street Experience. Neonopolis was part of a 10-year renovation program for the downtown area. View photo

Simulation at Nellis

Airmen simulate rescuing a downed pilot as an A-10 Thunderbolt jet aircraft provides close air support for an HH-60G Pavehawk helicopter during a Capstone firepower demonstration at the Nevada Test and Training Range Friday, July 19, 2002. About 2,000 spectators, along with some top officials from the Air Force, were on hand to watch personnel in warplanes and helicopters demonstrate their bombing and rescue operation skills. View photo

Outside Jerry's Nugget

Auto body shops, used car lots and Jerry's Nugget mark the entrance to North Las Vegas. The casino has been a North Las Vegas staple since 1964 and remains a local favorite. View photo

South of the Strip

The Dunes and the under-construction Caesars Palace can be seen in this aerial photo of Las Vegas, 1962. The Dunes along with its 18-hole golf course would later become the Bellagio, while Caesars, although very different, is still with us. View photo

Future auction site

Future Las Vegas locals come out to bid in this May 15, 1905, auction that sold lots on what would become the Las Vegas townsite. View photo

Arizona Club postcard

This photo shows both sides of an Arizona Club postcard from the 1900s. The images on the postcard are from photos taken in 1906, which were subsequently colorized for the card. View photo

Looking into the Future

Artists C.S and E. M. Forncrook's conception of future of the Las Vegas Valley after the completion of the Boulder (Hoover) Dam, 1927. While the Hoover Dam was instrumental in the development of Vegas, the Forncrook's could not have conceived of the impact legalized gaming would have on Las Vegas. View photo

Green Valley Ranch exterior

The Green Valley Ranch resort in Henderson. View photo

• About Us
• Contact Us
• Advertising
• FAQ
• User Agreement
• Privacy Policy
• Awards
• My Account

• Greenspun Media Group
• Vegas Inc
• Las Vegas Weekly
• Las Vegas Magazine

© Las Vegas Sun, 2024, All Rights Reserved