A Bit Of Vegas History

[queen of hearts]

What we call Las Vegas now, was actually at one time nothing more than marsh land with abundant water and vegetation.

Though as time passed on the marsh receded and the rivers disappeared beneath the surface leaving the land which was once wet and full of life to become a parched, arid area, then only the hardiest of animals and plants were able to survive here.

Though because water was trapped underground in this area, there were became a formation of an oasis in the desert. This is what we now call Las Vegas.

In 1829 a trader by the name of Antonio Armijo along with 60 others went along the spanish trail to Los Angeles though veered from the normal route taken. On Christmas Day about a hundred miles from the NE of what today we call Las Vegas, Rafael Rivera discovered Vegas Springs.

It is not documented but it is believed that Rafeal Rivera is the first known person who was not indian to set foot in the Oasis of Las Vegas Valley.


Nearly 14 years later John C. Fremont led an expedition and camped at the Las Vegas Springs in 1844. He is of course recorded in history along with finding his name up in neon lights and of course a street named after him called Femont street which is the main throughfare through Las Vegas.

In 1855 came the influence of mormon settlers. They begin building Adobe's and cultivated veggies as well as mining lead for bullets. They also planted fruit trees as well. Though due to indian raids the Mormon settlers abandoned their settlement. Though a part of the mormon fort is still standing today near the intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard North and Washington ave.


Then in 1890 railroad tycoons realized that Las Vegas Valley would be a great location for a railroad stop and facility as well as a town, thanks to the water rich valley.

Nevada known as the battle born state was admitted into the state of the union during the civil war back in 1864


Summer of 1904 work on the first railroad into Las Vegas began. The once tent town began springing store, boarding, homes and of course saloons.


Nevada was the very first state which legalized casino style gambling.


On October 1,1910 at midnight a strict law did go into effect in Nevada which forbid a custom of flipping a coin for the price of a drink.

In 1940 there was a construction boom of casino/hotels which were located on a two lane highway leading from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. This stretch of road of course is now called the Las Vegas Strip

In 1957 the first topless showgirls appeared in Las Vegas on the Vegas Strip.

[VegasLuvsMe]

That is some nice history of Las Vegas.

I bet a person could write a book just on the history of Las Vegas.

Many books may have already been published, but you could read up on the history facts of Vegas and write your own small book if you wanted to.

I would like to read books about the past and how hard it was for people to live a century or two ago.

I feel lucky to be born in the 20th century of modern man, and now we can go to Las Vegas to have fun in many ways.

[queen of hearts]

The history that I have read on Las Vegas has been amazing. How just a marsh has become the largest gambling area around, through many many struggles. It really is quite intresting which is why I just had to post a little bit about it.

All we see now is all of the lights and glamour, though there is much much more to Las Vegas than all of what is seen there today.

I found it intresting that in 1941 when the El Rancho was the only resort in Las Vegas and all types of performers like strippers, comedians, dancers, singers and even some instrumentalists all got themselves booked there in the resorts small showroom.


There is just so much history behind Las Vegas that you really could just cut out the facts which you personally find intresting and have yourself several books about it.

It is always intresting to look into the past of a place and find out just how it got to be the way it is today.

[vegasrocks]

Thanks for history lesson. I love history and learning about how things came about to be what they are now. It really interests me.

I really didn't know too much about Las Vegas at one point being marsh land. It sure has changed!

[VegasLuvsMe]

I love history too, about the old Western days and I love to watch good Western movies too.

With the part about learning history when I was young, hated it.
Would always get a D or F because I thought it was useless to know about the past, when I had to think about today.
And I would always forget the names of people. That hasn't changed.

Now that I'm older, I find history facinating.
How towns grew from a handful of people to thousands and millions over the years.

Also how our family use to own part of Time Square, but the great NY fire burned the records and the big NY bosses at that time needed proof of your claim on paper.

What would my life be like today, if the NY fire didn't happen?

That's History, and now all part of the past.
How did this help our family?
I guess just the knowledge of it would upset most people, but I just move on like nothing happened.