The History of Las Vegas Casinos

When you think of Las Vegas you must be thinking of casino or a picture of a sea of neon forms in your mind as you imagine the infamous casinos, the strip and the loud signs advertising their goods to all.

Did you know however, that the first occupants of Las Vegas were Paleo-Indians? And that a lot of Vegas’ early history comes from petroglyphs that these people left behind more than 10,000 years ago?

The first person of European descent to discover the lush valley was a young scout called Rafael Rivera, who came upon the grasses and water supply with gratitude as it reduced the length of his journey by several days. The name “Las Vegas” means the meadows and this paints a very different picture of what Las Vegas must have looked like all those years ago. In the journals of John C Fremont, he describes two springs he had found and these became very popular, perhaps an early version of the Travel Guides we have today. On the strength of his writings, others flocked to the site.

Members of the Mormon Church chose Las Vegas to build a fort that lay halfway between Salt Lake City and Los Angeles, where they would gather supplies. Although it was abandoned, the ruins of the site can still be seen today where Las Vegas Boulevard and Washington Avenue join.

The mining industry started when an abundance of minerals and precious metals were found in the late 1800′s and when the State Land Act was introduced in 1885, farming became a popular way of life for settlers.

Las Vegas achieved recognition as a city in 1905 when one hundred and ten acres of land was auctioned off. The construction of the Hoover Dam in 1931 gave a much needed boost to the economy in the Great Depression and when gambling was legalised in 1931, history was made.