Mention the word Vegas and you’ll instantly think of the glamour, gambling, celebrity and crime associated with this world-famous mega resort.
It’s on most people’s bucket lists to visit and everyone who goes comes back with a story or three. But how did it acquire such a scintillating reputation?
Here we look beneath the glitzy surface of America’s playground to find out more about its short but rich history.
How did Vegas become Vegas?
Las Vegas was officially founded as a city on May 15, 1905. Prior to this, Vegas was a quiet little town in Nevada but when the newly-built railroad came along, suddenly Las Vegas was connected to all the major cities on the Pacific Coast. In no time, Las Vegas business was booming as stores, saloons and boarding houses sprung up all over the city.
In a city primarily occupied by railroad workers and ranchers, it’s no surprise that an appetite for provocative activities blossomed with many illegal speakeasies and bootleg casinos operating above the law to cater for men’s desires. It became an ideal breeding ground for organised crime with mobsters quickly establishing roots in the city to supply gambling, drinking and prostitutes to the workers.
Further growth came in 1931 with the building of the Hoover Dam which co-incided with the Nevada State Legislature legalising local gambling. Thousands of migrant construction workers flooded the area bringing with it a surge of new casinos, showgirl venues and bars opened by local business owners and Mafia crime lords over a three-mile dusty desert road, nicknamed the ‘Strip’ to attract workers into spending their hard-earned wages.
World War II stunted growth in Las Vegas but despite this, the cities first hotel, El Rancho Vegas, opened up on Highway 91 in 1941. One of the earliest strip resorts, the Flamingo Hotel, built by gangsters Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel and Meyer Lansky also opened on New Year's Eve, 1946.
Vegas in the Fifties
The real period of change for this desert metropolis came in the Fifties. Here Mormon banks and the Teamsters Union poured money into Vegas and built many famous casino hotels that weren’t just for gambling. Instead these hotels fostered the 'resort' idea, where visitors came to gamble, watch a show, see the stars and eat at the famous gourmet buffets. With the iconic "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign, created in 1959 by Betty Willis, there was huge growth in visitor numbers and the expansion of the city itself during this period, with many tourists attracted by the legions of stars that began performing at the resorts, making Vegas a celebrity destination in its own right. It was becoming a true holiday destination with the era of the Rat Pack, Liberace and Elvis just beginning.
How the Rat Pack transformed Las Vegas
Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop were a group of Hollywood singers and actors whose swagger, antics and camaraderie helped to put Vegas firmly on the tourist map in the Fifties.
They famously came together at the LA home of silver screen stars Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. Although the stories vary on how the ‘Rat Pack’ name came to be, the most popular version is that when Bacall’s husband and friends returned from a night out, she said they looked “like a goddamn rat pack” and the moniker stuck.
However, they never referred to themselves as such and reportedly preferred ‘the Clan’ or ‘the Summit’, but the media had other ideas and adopted the Rat Pack name which has stuck, even to this day.
Sinatra performed his first gig in Las Vegas in September 1951, at the Desert Inn. But it was at the Sands Hotel and Casino, which was the seventh resort to open on The Strip, where Sinatra and the Rat Pack became headliners at the Copa Room. At the height of their appeal it was reported that 34,000 people attended their show over a four-week season and from then their names became synonymous with the glamour and luxury of Las Vegas.
The Sands became the Rat Pack’s personal playground, both on and off stage and it became one of the wildest joints on the strip when they were in town. Martin was known as the group’s biggest partier whilst there are many legendary stories of Sinatra’s diva -like behaviour at the venue, which he went on to part own.
It’s hard not to focus specifically on Sinatra when talking about Vegas in the Fifties and Sixties. The mutual successes of both were so intertwined you couldn’t really have one without the other.
“He was the spark that changed Vegas from a dusty Western town into something glamorous.” - Former Nevada Lieutenant Governor Lorraine Hunt-Bono
His impeccable showmanship, style and swagger helped establish the city as the home of world-class entertainment and his shows cemented the image of Las Vegas as America’s adult playground, attracting visitors in their droves who were drawn in by his star power.
But as well putting Vegas on the map with his star appeal, Sinatra was also at the forefront of driving massive change integrating the city. In the Fifties, Las Vegas had been a largely segregated town and black people had to eat in separate dining rooms, even the performers. But when Frank advocated racial equality, he helped pave the way for the equal treatment of black entertainers in the city.
In fact in one story, Sinatra threatened to end the Rat Pack’s popular ‘Summit at the Sands’ show if fellow group member and friend Sammy Davis Jr. wasn’t allowed to live at the hotel with the rest of them. The hotel management gave into this demand and Davis Jr. was given a suite. In another instance, the singer invited fellow performer Nat King Cole to join him for dinner in the main dining room, where black people were not allowed to eat at the time and told the management that if African-Americans were not allowed in the dining room, he would have the entire waiting staff fired!
Vegas today
Whilst the glamour and magic of the Sinatra era has come to an end, Las Vegas is still the most popular casino resort in the world, with over 42 million visitors recorded in 2019, annually ranking as one of the world's most visited tourist destinations and still no 1 on the Forbes top 20 destinations for 2020.
It’s a popular setting for literature, films, television programs, and music videos and whilst many visit to get a taste of the glamour, the gambling, the gourmet food and the world class entertainment, there is also a lot more to Vegas than this.
It’s home to a National Park
Most people visiting won’t take the time to venture from the Strip, but the Red Rock Canyon is definitely one of the region’s many treasures to explore. Not too far away is the Grand Canyon and national parks such as Bryce Canyon, Zion, and Joshua Tree. Lake Mead, thanks to the Hoover Dam, is essentially part of the city and offers every recreational water activity imaginable. What’s more all of the above attractions make more-than-doable day trips.
There are plenty of great activities to try
Fab museums to explore include the Mob Museum, Neon Museum and the National Atomic Testing Museum. Meanwhile, the Springs Preserve offers a look at the Old West past and natural flora of Nevada.
It has the tallest observation tower in the US
At 1,149 feet tall, the Stratosphere Observation Deck is the tallest freestanding observation tower in the United States. With 360-degree views of Las Vegas and the surrounding desert, it’s not one to miss.
Re-create a vintage Las Vegas party at home
A trip to Vegas is not something all of us can afford to do, and whilst there are plenty of UK casinos you can visit, if you want to re-create the magic and sparkle of Fifties Vegas then why not host your own vintage Las Vegas party from the comfort of your own home.
Invite your friends to don their tuxedo’s and cocktail dresses, hire a roulette table for the night, create a list of iconic Vegas cocktails that are ready to go and make sure you’ve got all the Rat Pack and Sinatra classics to play in the background for an authentic feel. You can also research table designs and bespoke props such as Vegas backdrops, posters, light boxes and signs and even hire a red carpet to add to the retro feel.
Guest contribution from Game Lounge