Las Vegas
Las Vegas was first put on the map by a scout called Rafael Rivera who around 1829 found a spring here. John C Fremont explored the area in 1844 (hence Fremont Street in Las Vegas). In 1855 Mormon Missionaries built a short-lived adobe fort in a place known as The Meadows where Las Vegas Creek provided water to irrigate crops. Las Vegas was built on land auctioned off by the railroad in 1905 and it became a city in 1911. By 1930 the population was little more than 5000 then in 1931 construction of the Hoover dam commenced and gambling was legalised. Las Vegas has been on the growth trail and continuously re-inventing itself ever since.
Gondolas outside The Venetian
Of the themed casinos The Venetian is our favourite. Purists will point out that the designers took major liberties with the geography of of Venice, after all the Rialto Bridge does not in reality connect the Doges Palace to the Campanile nor is the real Grand Canal split between two levels and filled with sparkling blue water. However the practicalities of building a casino with the flavour of Venice meant that some liberties had to be taken with the layout, and the effort that has gone into recreating key Venetian sights is very commendable. In comparison we were much less impressed by the Paris Casino, which completely failed to give us a flavour of Paris despite (or maybe because of) its somewhat off-colour Eiffel Tower.
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Casino floor, New York, New York Casino
The casinos aren’t keen on people taking pictures of their gambling areas. After all, you might be trying to beat their security, and some of their guests are sensitive about being photographed in such places. With the casinos along the strip linked by walkways it is a little difficult to enforce any ban. This photograph showing gaming machines galore was taken from the walkway through New York, New York. If you can spot any security or the faces of any gamblers, we would be amazed!
New York, New York casino at night
The casinos that we visited in 1981 were primarily huge gambling halls but by 1999 themed casinos had arrived of which, of which New York, New York is a good example. The Empire State Building, Chrysler Building, Grand Central Station and Statue of Liberty as just some of the New York sights replicated here. And while these hotels are still centred around casinos they also offer other means of keeping their guests amused. If you look to the left of the ‘Statue of Liberty’ you will see something curving towards it. Is it a beam to support this magnificent edifice? No, it’s a roller coaster that winds through the ‘skyscrapers’.
Bellagio
Remembering the rather basic casinos in Las Vegas in the early 1980s, there is only one word that can be used to describe Bellagio - “posh”, indeed don’t even think of calling it Bellagio’s. The huge lake in front of the hotel regularly erupts with a magnificent display of fountains dancing to music and the ‘Italian Village’ on the shore of the lake is actually a shopping centre for expensive branded goods. The up market image is reinforced by a Fine Art gallery displaying works by old masters. Bellagio is a prime example of how Las Vegas has broadened its appeal by increased standards of hospitality, entertainment and shopping and slightly less emphasis on gambling. Click on Tab 2 to see the dancing fountains at night from a room at Bellagio.
Caesar's Palace from Bellagio at night
In the foreground the lake of the 1998 Bellagio Casino and behind it the tower of Caesar’s Palace. The original Caesar’s Palace opened in 1966 but over the years it has been expanded and rebuilt several times. The Roman theme has set the tone for the more recent themed casinos. Caesar’s also developed the entertainment side and hence was probably the first casino that could genuinely call itself a ‘resort’. Frank Sinatra gave many shows here and at the time of writing Celine Dione and Elton John are regular performers at Caesar’s. We saw the Celine Dione show and were very impressed.
Four Queens and Fremont casinos, The Fremont Street Experience
When we visited in 1981 the casinos were mainly rectangular blocks festooned with lights. They were slightly run down places offering gambling, cheap food and cheap lodging. By 2005 we found that new themed casinos had spread down Las Vegas Boulevard (the Strip) and the Fremont Street area was unrecognisable having been rebuilt as a traffic-free covered mall called ‘The Fremont Street Experience’. If you don’t believe how much its changed, just click Tab 2 to see the Fremont in 1981.
Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort
This is the site of the 1855 Mormon Fort that was the first permanent structure in the area. Disagreement between the leaders of the Mormon missionaries resulted in the fort being abandoned after less than 2 years. The site subsequently became a ranch then it was used for concrete testing during the building of the Hoover Dam before being abandoned. The fort was restored in 1980 and in 1991 it became Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort State Historic Park. The fortifications are a reconstruction, but one of the original adobe buildings still stands. You can walk to the site if you are staying near Fremont Street, but from elsewhere it can be difficult without a car. Using the creaking Las Vegas bus service it took us 90 minutes to get there from the Strip!
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© Mike Elsden 1981 - 2025
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