Posts Tagged ‘united states’
The History of Las Vegas
The biggest casino in the world!! Las Vegas can be found in the western United States and is located in the state of Nevada. Las Vegas, Spanish for ‘The Meadows’, was originally discovered in 1829 by a party of explorers led by Antonio Armijo, a Mexican trader searching for a route to Los Angeles. Before the discovery of the valley the route, Las Vegas was referred to as the ‘journey of death’. However, exploration for water revealed an abundance of springs in the valley that reduced the journey by several days.
Las Vegas remained virtually unknown until 1844, when explorer John C. Fremont, made an entry in his travel log detailing how his expedition camped at the springs. Nevertheless, it was another ten years before Las Vegas became a permanent settlement for Mormon missionaries from Salt Lake City. They built a fort to create a mail stop between Los Angeles and Salt Lake City, becoming the first non-Indian settlement to do so. It was also the Mormons’ intention to teach farming to the Paiute Indians. However, in 1857 this was abandoned when the Paiutes raided the fort and rejected their teachings.
In 1902, U.S. Senator William Clark from Montana bought the rights to the Mormon settlement, along with water rights and 2,000 acres of land. It was his intention to develop a town and he managed to construct a railroad for steam locomotives.
The town was officially founded in 1905 and incorporated in 1911 with a population of only 800. Initially strict anti-gambling laws governed the state of Nevada but this all changed in 1931 when gambling was legalized throughout the state of Nevada. That same year divorce laws were liberalized in Nevada, making Las Vegas the place to obtain a divorce after only six weeks of residency.
It was after World War II that Las Vegas began to develop its reputation of ‘Sin City’. Hotels and casinos were developed and entertainment and tourism became the valley’s largest employer. Accordingly, by the 1960s wealthy businessmen were being attracted to the city. Billionaire Kirk Kerkorian was a major player in developing the modern city; he bought the Flamingo and in 1968 opened the biggest hotel in the world, the International Hotel.
Now, a hundred years after its conception, Las Vegas is the largest city of the 20th Century with a population exceeding two million. Wonderful resorts are still being created, all bigger and more luxurious than ever. Finally, Las Vegas remains the strongest contender for the world’s major international tourist attraction.
U.S Casino History
The casino in the United States has a long and often illustrious history. Gambling plays a part in American history from the beginning of the colonies, in the lore of the Wild West, in the history of the underground bars during prohibition, and more. Laws concerning gambling have changed over time, with growing prohibitions against gambling followed by a relaxing of laws.
Attitudes toward gambling varied in the early American colonies. Puritan-founded colonies, not surprisingly, disapproved most strongly of all forms of dice, cards and gaming. Colonies founded by the English were quite tolerant of gambling, and it was treated as an innocent pastime. By the early 1800′s, gambling, and even gaming houses, or casinos, had evolved in the newly founded United States. New Orleans, in particular, was a center for gambling, and casinos and saloons in New Orleans evolved games we still link with the old west, including poker and blackjack.
During the California gold rush, gambling was both legal and widespread, as government offices regulated and licensed the saloon and the casino. Faro, bluff, and dice games were popular. While New Orleans had been the gambling capital of America forty years earlier, San Francisco replaced it as the main site for gambling and casinos due to the free flowing gold of the California gold rush.
During the period between the late 1850′s and early 1900′s, California progressively criminalized gambling. It remained legal in Nevada until 1910; however, the casino never reached the glory in Nevada that it had in San Francisco. Gambling was also criminalized elsewhere in the country during this period. Needless to say, gambling did continue, but it was a phenomenon kept behind closed doors. During the era when gambling was widely illegal, casinos remained in operation in speakeasies, private clubs, and more.
Gambling once again began to be legalized in 1931, starting with Nevada. During the 1930′s, some 21 states legalized racetrack gambling. Gambling continued in Nevada, and with low stakes bingo elsewhere. Casinos began to spring up in Atlantic City, NJ in the late 70′s. In 1987, the Supreme Court made a fundamental decision allowing gambling on Native American reservations, and in the years since, casino gambling has spread throughout the country with modern and thriving casinos in many states. Riverboat casinos began to spring up on major rivers in many states during the same period, bringing gambling full circle to its early roots with riverboat gamblers on the mighty Mississippi in the early 1800′s.