Las Vegas - A Brief History

In 1829, an 18-year-old Mexican scout for the Antonio Armijo Trading Caravan was tasked with finding a new trade route from Santa Fe, New Mexico, to Los Angeles. In his search he came upon an oasis in the desert. With abundant wild grasses and an ample water supply, it was a perfect place for the traders to stop and rest during their arduous journey. His discovery was named Las Vegas — The Meadows, but knowledge of its existence remained primarily limited to the Mexicans and the indigenous Paiute population until explorer John Fremont put it on the map in 1844.

In 1855, Brigham Young ordered 30 missionaries to the Valley to build a fort and teach the Paiutes farming techniques. The Paiutes rejected the Mormon’s offerings and the fort was abandoned in 1858. The area remained sparsely settled until the arrival of the railroad.

In the summer of 1904, work on the first railroad grade into Las Vegas began. Thanks to the water supply, a town sprouted, consisting of saloons, stores, and boarding houses to accommodate the railroad workers. On May 15, 1905, the railroad auctioned off 1,200 lots in a 40-block area surrounding downtown, and Las Vegas was established as an unincorporated city. In 1909, it became the county seat for the new Clark County.

Railroaders were a hard drinking rough-and-tumble lot. The main problem the lawmen in those early days had to confront was dealing with the drunks and their drinking-related fights.

In 1910, Nevada passed an anti-gambling law so strict that it was illegal to even follow the western custom of flipping a coin for the price of a drink. Within weeks, however, underground gambling began to flourish.

On March 16, 1911, Las Vegas incorporated, covering an area of approximately twenty square miles. The city’s population was about 800. At the same time, Clark County had 3,321 residents.

By 1930, the population of Las Vegas had reached 5,165. Shortly thereafter, three events occurred that permanently altered the face of Las Vegas, and Clark County, and Nevada. As a side effect, they also lead to the initiation of Las Vegas Valley as a cash cow for organized crime families across the country.

First, on March 19, 1931, gambling was legalized in Nevada. A month later, six gaming licenses were issued in Las Vegas, the first going to Stocker’s Northern Club on Fremont Street.

Second, state divorce laws were liberalized. With easier residency requirements, “quickie” divorces could be attained in only six weeks. Short-term residents flocked to Nevada. In Las Vegas, many of them stayed at dude ranches, the forerunners of the sprawling Strip hotels of today.

And third, construction began on Hoover Dam, generating a population boom and boosting the Valley’s economy, which was in the grip of the Great Depression.

Small-town Las Vegas would soon be on its way to becoming the entertainment and gambling capital of the world. But the influx of people and money would later earn Vegas another name: Sin City.