Las Vegas started its rise to world fame in 1941 when hotelman Tommy Hull built the El Rancho Vegas Hotel-Casino across from the current Sahara Hotel on what would become known as the Las Vegas Strip. These industries continue to employ a significant number of valley residents. The Nellis Air Force Base site was located in the northeast, and the Basic Management Complex, provider of raw materials, was located in the southeastern suburb of Henderson. The isolated location, plentiful water, and inexpensive energy made Las Vegas ideal for military and defense-related businesses. In the same year, the construction of Hoover Dam brought an influx of construction workers, which started a population boom and gave the Valley’s economy, which was in the grips of the Great Depression, a needed boost.īy 1940 Las Vegas’ population had grown to almost 8,500, and at the end of World War II, the defense industry came to the valley. Freight and passenger trains still use the depot site at the hotel as a terminal - the only railroad station in the world located inside a hotel-casino.įremont Street in downtown Las Vegas, Nevada, 1948 Today, Jackie Gaughan’s Plaza Hotel stands on the original Union Pacific Railroad depot site at Main and Fremont Streets in Downtown Las Vegas. The railroad yards were located along what was then dusty Fremont Street. The railroad would become the principal industry in Las Vegas for the next 25 years. The railroad was completed in January 1905, connecting Las Vegas to Los Angeles and Salt Lake City. The valley soon became a resting stop, first for wagon trains and later for railroads. Further growth occurred when precious metals were discovered in the area, starting the mining industry in the late 19th century.Īt the turn of the century, the springs were piped into the town, providing a reliable source of fresh water. In 1885, the State Land Act offered land at $1.25 per acre, and farming became the primary industry for the next 20 years, using the local springs to irrigate their crops. ![]() The Paiute rejected their teachings, occasionally raiding the fort until it was abandoned in 1857. They soon built a fort that constituted the first non-Indian settlement in the region. In 1855, Brigham Young assigned 30 Mormon missionaries to the area to convert the Paiute Indian population. It was not until famed explorer Captain John Fremont traveled into the Las Vegas Valley in 1844 that anyone other than Spanish explorers, missionaries, and the Native Americans knew of the valley. Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort State Historic Park, Nevada
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