History of Las Vegas, Nevada

History of Las Vegas , Nevada

2008

Las Vegas , translated from Spanish as the meadows ' was discovered and thus established in 1829 by the Mexican merchant Antonio Armijo , who led a trade caravan of 60 men creating a trade route to Los Angeles Ironically , what historically was established as a mere transition point on a route , became one of the most remarkable places in the United States , a pearl in a desert ' Practically , the rapid growth of Las Vegas as both a tourist destination and a community is directly related to the

development of the image of Las Vegas . Even though Nevada was the last state to outlaw gambling in 1909 and the first state subsequently to legalize gambling in 1931 , Las Vegas city fathers were more concerned with the divorce laws than reinstating gambling , and throughout most of the 1930s , gambling remained a sideline for Las Vegas . But the eighth wonder of the world , as Boulder Dam was then billed "began to funnel a torrent of tourists " to the Las Vegas Valley (Boorstin , 1987 :3 . Las Vegas leaders envisioned their town as a Nevada Palm Springs . Alan Hess in his book Viva Las Vegas , observes "They began to promote their characteristic western identity , the desert scenery , a social mix of laissez-faire government and neighborly hospitality embodied in speedy divorces and easy gambling (Hess , 1993 :19 . In 1932 , a year after the legalization of gambling , the then-luxurious , three-story Hotel Apache opened in downtown Las Vegas . With a motif of Native American...