Las Vegas as a Western City - Essay Example

?Donna Purcell Order #534131 07 May In What Ways Would You Characterize Las Vegas As A “Western” Las Vegas, “The entertainment capital of the world,” is one specific name given to the City of Las Vegas. Over the decades it has been given many names to compliment and aspire to its cultural background. “Sin City”, “Capitol of 2nd Chances”, “Marriage Capitol of the World”, and recently “Lost Wages” are among just a few of the cities’ given names. There are several contributors to characterizing Las Vegas as a “western” city. We can look at the word “western” as it applies to the development of the western world; which generally refers to all European and heavily cultured countries primarily located in the Western Hemisphere. We can also look at the world “western” as it refers to the locations of Las Vegas as in the western portion of the United States and referring to the western part of Nevada. Finally, we can characterize the word “western” as linked to the Old West, with a rich history of how Las Vegas began. This essay will attempt to characterize all three concepts of the word “western” and how it applies to the city of Las Vegas both now and linked to its broad history. The term “western culture” is used as a reference to a background of social normality’s, ethical values, traditional customs, religious beliefs, accepted political systems, and identified artifacts and technologies. The term has generally come to apply to countries whose history is strongly marked by Western European immigration or settlement, such as the settlement of the Americas. This can be applied to and characterized to Las Vegas as the settlers moved West in the Americas to settle new lands. The first settlers to enter the land now called Las Vegas were the Mormons. They traveled from Salt Lake City to Las Vegas mainly to protect the Los Angeles to Salt Lake City mail route in 1855. The first settlement consisted of a square building of sun-dried bricks, clay and grass called adobe. The Mormons planted fruit trees, planted gardens and mined lead for bullets from the mountains. Unfortunately, the settlement was abandoned in 1858 mainly due to Indian raids. A portion of the Mormon Fort still stands in Las Vegas near Las Vegas Boulevard North and Washington Avenue. Members of the Church of Christ of the Later Day Saints dedicated a Mormon Temple in Las Vegas in 1989, which is visible to the east of the city. The Mormon religion has been a very big influence in the historic roots of Las Vegas and its early beginnings. This characterizes the religious western influences that still remain. Las Vegas was discovered by accident by Rafael Rivera and the exact date is unknown. Rivera was a very experienced scout who rode west in search of water. He ventured into the unexplored desert, and by accident discovered Las Vegas Spring. Given the name “the Meadows” in Spanish, it was an abundant area of marshlands and vegetation. This discovery was able to shorten the trail from Los Angeles, and lent a positive aspect to hasten the rush west for California gold. Just 14 short years after Rivera’s discovery, John C. Fremont led an overland expedition to Las Vegas Springs in 1844. His name is present today in the city of Las Vegas with the Fremont Hotel-Casino and Fremont Street; the main thoroughfare in the heart of the city, another link to the western influences that began in Las Vegas. Any connection to the western world started with the mail routes and the pony express. In 1863 an Ohian named Octavius Decatur Gass began buying land and ranching it. He fell into financial disaster and mortgaged his land to Archibald Stewart. The ranch did really well for around five years, but Stewart died and his widow Helen was left to run the ranch. She worked the ranch with hired hands and provided a stopping point for travelers and provided postal services for the area. And today the name Gass is honored with a street name in Las Vegas. Railroad developers determined that the water-rich area of Las Vegas Valley would be a prime location for a town. The boom began for the modern day Las Vegas in 1902; when U.S. Senator William Clark bought the rights to the former Mormon settlement from Helen Stewart. For a mere $55,000, Clark bought 2,000 acres of land and water rights with the hopes of building a town around the railroad. Workers began to arrive in the summer of 1904 to begin work on the railroad. Clark began auctioning off lots he divided from his 2,000 acres for around $150 - $750 a lot. Clark was definitely a screwed businessman. He began promising those that bought lots a refund on their train ticket of $16. He also promised his lot buyers access to road, sewer and water by forming the Las Vegas Land and Water Company. Prospective buyers made their way to the area weeks in advance of the auctions. By May 1905, 3,000 settlers had arrived in Las Vegas. Auctions were very typical of that time. Clark sold more than 600 lots, at almost 500 percent profit of $265,000. However, some of the investors who had purchased lots abandoned them, convinced that Clark sold them worthless land. Many stayed, and those are the people responsible for making Las Vegas the Western boomtown it is today. The railroad maintenance shop employed 400 to 800 workers. More permanent forms of housing started to be built. Schools and pharmacies were built of brick and stone. “One of the biggest draws in the town was Block 16, where liquor, prostitution and gambling were legal.” It did not take long for Las Vegas to become a popular place. Another businessman, J.T. McWilliams tried to compete with Clark, however, he did not think far enough ahead to purchase water rights. McWilliams’ community bustled but not without problems. Buildings made from wood caught fire very easily, and stockyards with livestock brought flies. His township failed because he could not provide water and sewer maintenance. The state was admitted to the Union in 1864 during the Civil War. The work on the first railroad into Las Vegas began in 1904. In its early beginnings it was a small tent town that sprouted boarding houses, stores and saloons. The railroad connected to the eastern track in October of 1904. This was a major development in bring the western technology of the railroad system to the western part of the United States. When the San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad linked with the Union Pacific, an historical first run was made from California to points east on January 20, 1905. In essence the railroad started it all. People could now travel across country, and Las Vegas began to grow as a major stopping point to the west. The Plaza Hotel located at Main and Fremont in downtown Las Vegas is the original site of the Union Pacific Railroad depot. The location is still used today by freight and passenger trains. It’s the only railroad station in the world located inside a hotel-casino. This is another characterization that links the old Las Vegas with the new western world. In 1911 the divorce laws were liberalized which made it very easy to become a resident. You could get a “quickie” divorce after six weeks of residency. Changing of the divorce laws in Nevada became a major factor in bring people into the Las Vegas area. This factor was part of the political system brought to Las Vegas by the western cultures. Dude ranches became very popular as temporary places to stay while you were waiting on a divorce. Dude ranches began the sprawling growth of Strip hotels. By the end of World War I, Nevada’s mining industry all but disappeared. Year 1922 brought about the national railroad strike, and in 1927 Union Pacific left town. The majority of residents worked for the railroad, so when the railroad left town so did the workers. Many businesses ended up going bankrupt. At this point, Las Vegas was struggling to survive and unsure of its future. Despite the problems with the railroad and the end of the gold rush, Las Vegas grows to a population of 5,165 by 1930. Las Vegas government and businesses began hearing rumors of plans for a dam project about 30 miles away in 1928. In 1931 the construction begins on Boulder Dam at the beginning of the Grand Canyon. The Dam was originally called Boulder Dam and renamed in 1947 after President Herbert Hoover. This one single part of Las Vegas’ history not only saved the city, but also has dramatically affected its population growth to the present. An influx of dam workers starts a population boom and brings economy to the valley through water. In the first quarter century up until 1905 Las Vegas is still known as a major railroad hub. Most of the small hotels, shops and businesses were concentrated on one street, Fremont Street. It was known for its lax enforcement of liquor laws during Prohibition, and its backroom Brothels in Block 16. The city expected the dam to attract big industry and manufacturing looking for cheap and available vacant land. They, however, were very disappointed. Las Vegas still lacked housing, water, power, and higher education and other major infrastructures needed. Major industry and manufacturing opted for other major western states. A major disappointment came in 1929 before the Boulder Dam project began. Secretary of the Interior visited the damn site and decided the crew of 5,000 workers would need to be closer to the damn site. It was his plan to build another town, and it would be called Boulder Canyon Federal Reservation. It was later changed to Boulder City. The government planned to house its workers in “a wholesome American community” of “flowers, schools and playgrounds” instead of Las Vegas that he called “a boisterous frontier town.” With construction beginning on the new Boulder City, it still did not stop the massive development of Las Vegas from taking off. By 1931 the city’s population increased to 7,500 in only one year. One year later, the Union Pacific Railroad makes its way back to Las Vegas spending $400,000 to make major improvements to its Las Vegas rail yard. In the same year the Clark County courthouse approved an $80,000 expansion plan to handle the influx of legal cases. The city struggled to handle the tremendous influx of people looking for work on the dam. Many ended up living in tents outside of town. The town was forced to seek government funding to feed and house the low-income people well into the mid 1930s. The Hoover Dam project cost the Federal Government $175 million. Money spent in the city of Las Vegas directly related to the project totaled $70 million by 1939. The New Deal of 1930 included paved roads, sewers, and a $300,000 federal building downtown. The city itself spent money from bond issues to improve police, sanitation, high schools and hospitals. Anticipation of the dam project brought other projects to improve the city. Consolidated Power and Telephone came into the city, but opted to form a separate power and phone company. The newly named Southern Nevada Telephone increased its network and long distance became part of Las Vegas’ living. Southern Nevada Power updated its technology and later hooked into Hoover Dam to bring cheaper power to the sprawling communities that were now forming. The first power was generated from the Hoover Dam in 1937. This is another major development that has given Las Vegas its characteristic and technological western culture. Construction actually began on Boulder City in March of 1931 by Six Companies, Inc.; the same firm awarded by the federal government to build the Hoover Dam. The beginning payroll for the dam was $500,000 per month, and Las Vegas insisted that the federal government require Six Companies to pay its workers in U.S. currency. Normally workers would be paid in scrip, which would be accepted only in Boulder City. Nevada Legislature legalized casino gambling in March 1931, which brought open and legalized casinos. The dam workers began spending their money after work and on payday. The dam project quickly became a major tourist attraction. Thousands of visitors spent money in the hotels, casinos, and other local businesses. Enormous number of visitors flocked into Las Vegas. In 1932 alone 100.000 people visited the dam site, and 200,000 visited the city of Las Vegas. By 1934, over 300,000 people visited both the construction site and Las Vegas. Overall in the 1930s, 75 percent of all visitors to the area saw the dam site and the city of Las Vegas. The construction of the Hoover Dam project made if possible to provide crucial water supplies to the Las Vegas area then, and for decades to come. The Colorado River Compact awarded seven states bordering the Colorado River 7.5 million-acre shares of water. The water supply from Lake Mead made it all possible. Without the Hoover Dam project, Las Vegas would never have been able to develop its large planned communities, and never have been able to grow to its population of 2,000,000 by the year 2000. The Hoover Dam along with the railroad has been the most prevalent major contribution to the cultural, ethical, political and technological growth of Las Vegas as a western city. A little known fact in the history of Las Vegas shows that gambling was outlawed during the first decade of the 20th century. On October 1, 1910 a strict anti-gambling law became effective in Law Vegas. It even made flipping a coin for the price of a drink illegal. However, the law only lasted a short three weeks. But during the three weeks, gamblers quickly set up underground games that allowed customers in with the proper password. Phil Tobin approved a legalized gambling bill based on the need to raise taxes for the public schools. Today 43 percent of all state tax revenues are generated by gambling tax revenues. And more than 34 percent of the state’s general fund goes toward public education. Ironic as it may be, the “sin city” culture has brought prosperity to Las Vegas and characterized it as a major development in making it a western Metropolis. The Great Depression of the 30s brought with it a depressed state for most of the country, however, Las Vegas flourished because of it. Las Vegas was actually insulted from the economic hardships that tormented most Americans in the 1930s. The Union Pacific Railroad created jobs and money due to its’ development, legalized gambling, and the construction of Hoover Dam 34 miles away. Major growth of Las Vegas stalled considerably when World War II broke out. However, a major development created by Tommy Hull, by building the El Rancho Hotel-Casino in 1941; which is now vacant land across from the Sahara Hotel. Also, during World War II, Nellis Air Force Base grew into a major military installation. It became the training ground for the ace fighter pilots. Today there are still thousands of military personnel, civilian employees, military dependents and retirees who have connections with Nellis. Early hotels that started the “world-famous strip” included the Last Frontier, Thunderbird, which is still standing as the Arubu Hotel & Spa, and Club Bingo. The El Rancho was engulfed by fire in June of 1960. As time passed, new owners came in; demolition, renovations and name changes absorbed the identity of many of the older hotels and casinos. One of the most well known early resorts was the Flamingo Hotel, built by the mobster Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel. He was a member of the Meyer Lansky crime syndicate. The Flamingo opened in 1946 with its pink neon sign and pink flamingos on the lawn. Siegel was murdered six months later in his girlfriends’ Beverly Hills, California home, by an unknown gunman as he sat in the living room. A movie about his life came out in 1992 entitled “Bugsy”. This prompted the opening of the “Bugsy Celebrity Theater” in November of the same year. After many name changes and owners, the Flamingo is now owned and operated by the Hilton Hotel Group. Flamingo Hilton is its proper name. The El Rancho along with other 1940s resorts decorated with a western theme. The Flamingo was modeled after the resort hotels in Miami. The name Flamingo is the only thing that has survived the 1940s growth. The final end of the Flamingo of the 1940s came in 1993 when the Hilton Corporation unveiled its plans to build a $104 million tower addition at the Strip resort. The newly built addition opened in 1995. The architectural plans included demolition of the fortress-like “Bugsy-suite” and bulletproof office used by the gangster before his death. The last of his living quarters, the Oregon Building, was bulldozed in December of 1993. By 1950s, Wilbur Clark, who was once a hotel bellman in San Diego, opened the Desert Inn. Two years later the Sahara opened on the site of the Old Club Bingo. The Sands Hotel opened the same year. Both of these hotel names have survived the growth of Las Vegas, but have gone through many years of ownership changes. From 1950 until 1955, the Riviera Hotel, the Desert Inn, Hacienda, Tropicana, Stardust, Royal Nevada, and the Dunes joined the building boom of the 50s. Entertainment along with gambling, built Las Vegas its reputation as a play ground getaway. Visitors began to flock to the city not only for gambling, but also for entertainment and site seeing. It became a mecca for top name entertainers. The Stardust was the first to present a stage performance as its main entertainment feature. Elvis Presley opened at the International Hotel, which is now known as the Las Vegas Hilton, in 1969. During the 1980s, a tremendous growth spurt developed, and the annual population increased seven percent. This causes the population to double between 1985 and 1995. As Las Vegas comes into the year 2000, the US Census reports the population at almost 500,000 residents. Characterization of Las Vegas as a modern city in the year 2000, brings many changes and more growth. There are 500 churches, 799 acres of parks, 7 television stations, and 12 radio stations. Las Vegas has become the largest metropolitan city in the US that began in the 20th century. Las Vegas now includes a cultural and historical experience as well as gambling and entertainment. This includes the Wynn Art Museum as one of the major cultural centers. The Smith Center for the Performing Arts has also contributed major cultural developments to the modern city. Las Vegas has been a major developing aspect, bringing civilization, cultural development, economic stability, technological developments and social norms to the western part of the United States. Its location, west of the Rockies, brought settlers to the area in earlier days. Many travelers to Las Vegas don’t realize that a cowboy culture lies just outside of Las Vegas. There are many remnants of old long gone ghost towns from the gold rush era. One of those is Goldfield Ghost Town, which was once Nevada’s largest city after gold was discovered in 1902. It was known for its luxury, which was seldom seen in any mining town. Goldfield once has over 20,000 residents at one time. The mind produced around $10,000 a day in gold in the year 1907. There are also a few that are right outside Las Vegas such as Goodsprings. This was a mining camp for lead and zinc, which lies about 35 miles southwest of Las Vegas. Abandoned railroad grades and mine workings are a few of the sites you will see there. Goodsprings served as an important town for all of the surrounding mines. Just 13 miles west of Goodsprings is another ghost town called Sandy Valley. All of these towns play an important part in the history and development of Las Vegas, as the characteristic modern day western city, it is now. Anyone who visits Las Vegas doesn’t wants to miss the true cowboy experience of traveling out in the actual desert to the Red Rock Canyon. Fortunately, this can be seen along with the Hoover Dam. But Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area extends from North of Mt. Potosi to the north of Spring Mountains. It gets its name from the Red Rock colored sandstone formations. This also gets you out into the desert where you can use your imagination to see how it really was to live there in the 18th century up until today. A simple drive through this area shows you the general landscape of the old west. In the early years of the development of the Las Vegas Strip, “No” was the word; “no cover, no minimum, no state speed limit, no sales tax, no waiting period for marriages, no state income tax, and no regulation of gambling as it’s know today.” However, today the only “No” remaining is the no state income tax and no waiting period to obtain a marriage license. Some of the casinos have a “no cover charge” policy. The federal government forced Nevada to adopt speed limit laws for their own safety. In the 60s, multiple coin slot machines came on the scene. Gradually, over time, as the jackpots and payoffs have grown, we have seen mega slot machines grow from a few hundred dollars to $10,000,000 jackpots. The 70s brought video machines, and now feature poker, keno, blackjack, bingo and craps. Some machines also now accept credit-card gambling. The years has developed Las Vegas from a pioneer desert town, to a thriving cultural area during the gold rush, to what it has become today. We see how its characteristics have brought Las Vegas full circle into the 21st century and the year 2011. The three major aspects that have been a determining factor in the development of Las Vegas over the years are the railroad, legalization of gambling and the building of the Hoover Dam. Its location in the Western part of the United States has been a small part in giving Las Vegas its “western” characterization. It will be very interesting to see if Las Vegas develops new western characteristics in the new millennium. Entire Websites: Church, Foster, “Umatilla: hot sun, cold beer, cowboy culture.” 15 August 2004. Web. 07 May 2011. http://oregonlive.com/. Red Rock Canyon, Web. 07 May 2011. http://www.sunsetcites.com/. Ghost Towns, Web. 07 May 2011. http://lvlg.com/lasvegas/attracts/. History, “City of Las Vegas.” Web. 07 May 2011. http://lasvegasnevada.gov/. People and Events. “Las Vegas an Unconventional History.” Web. 07 May 2011. http://pbs.org/. Forts Built; Farmers Settle; Hoover Dam Built. “Las Vegas: History.” Web. 07 May 2011. http://city-data.com/. Western World. Web. 07 May 2011. Hoover Dam’s Impact on Las Vegas. Web. 07 May 2011. History of Las Vegas. Web. 07 May 2011. Ghost Towns & Almost Ghost Towns Near Las Vegas. Web. 07 May 2011. http://www.insidervlv.com/. Read More