The Many Lives of Las Vegas: Photos

The Tudinu, or Desert People, originally lived throughout the southeastern Nevada region in territory that stretched into California and Utah. They were the ancestors of the Las Vegas Paiute, who are the predominant tribe in the area to this day.

“Outsiders who came to the Paiutes’ territory often described the land as harsh, arid and barren; however the Paiutes developed a culture suited to the diverse land and its resources,” the official tribe website states.

Largely nomadic, their knack for living off the land is still renowned. “We talk a lot about the Indigenous tribes in the past tense, and that's not the case,” Berger says. “Paiute are still very active and very strong in their presence in Las Vegas.” Today, the tribe has adapted its land development expertise to modern enterprises, including cannabis production.

As a midpoint for the San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad Company running between California and Utah, the area started as a rest stop for trains. Despite its desert setting, underground aquifers provided water, making it a coveted location.

On May 15, 1905, a railroad company auctioned off 110 acres of land bordered by Stewart Avenue, Garces Avenue, Main Street and Fifth Street. This became Las Vegas Boulevard, officially establishing the city. One plot at Fremont and Main Street went for $1,750, where Las Vegas’ first hotel, the two-story Hotel Nevada, was built. For $1 a night, travelers could enjoy a room with top-notch accommodations of the day, such as steam heat radiators, ventilation systems and electric lighting. Now called the Golden Gate Casino, visitors can spot a small brass knob that opens a door to reveal its original exterior, Berger says.

As more travelers came through, restaurants, bars and hotels opened, and the land continued to be auctioned off by blocks. “Even as early as 1905, there were plenty of things to do that kept people active while making the trek through Vegas on their way from Point A to Point B,” Berger explains.

One of those blocks inadvertently established the reputation of Sin City. The Arizona Club, which opened in 1905, served legal alcohol and had a brothel. But Las Vegas’ wilder side was confined to Block 16, a district that echoed the Old West with its saloons and brothels.

The frivolity didn’t last long, as gambling was banned in 1909. Prohibition also came to Nevada a month earlier than the rest of the country, enacted in December 1918. The outlook for Las Vegas’ nightlife remained bleak once the Great Depression began in 1929.

In an attempt to inject a boost of morale during the Depression, the Nevada Legislature legalized gambling in 1931. That same year, the state lowered the residency requirement for divorce to six weeks, sparking its status as the go-to state for quick divorces. Then in 1933, prohibition ended. That trio of legal changes ushered in the gambling entertainment era, which many refer to as Las Vegas’ Golden Age.

At the same time, about 36 miles southeast of Las Vegas, construction on the massive Hoover Dam (known at the time as Boulder Dam) started in 1930. Its primary purpose was to mitigate flooding as Rocky Mountains’ snow melted into the Colorado River. The 660-foot-thick structure, equivalent to a 60-floor building at 726 feet high, was completed in 1935.

The large-scale infrastructure project wasn’t just impressive to hear about, people wanted to see it. Combined with the fun that Vegas now welcomed, it also offered sightseeing. As the city built its tourism reputation, the country also entered—and emerged from—World War II. By 1945, Americans went from rationed supplies to newfound prosperity, as soldiers returned from war with disposable income.

Coast to coast, travelers partook in great American road trips, with Vegas as one of the most definitive destinations. The bright lights of the big city started to go up, each trying to outdo the next with bigger and bolder neon signs fighting for travelers’ attention. “That sentiment is still very much alive today as you drive the Strip or Downtown,” says Berger.

Establishing itself as the flashiest destination in the nation, Las Vegas was ready to take on showbiz. Of course, musical entertainment had long been part of the casino scene-setting, but the city started attracting big-name talent.

Piano showman Liberace was one of the first with his debut at Hotel Last Frontier in 1944. By 1955, the Riviera resort paid him $50,000 a week. Instead of just another stop on musicians’ tour schedules, Vegas became their home away from home, launching the concept of residencies.

Famously, Elvis Presley hit a rough spot in his career and needed to do something bold. On July 31, 1969, he stepped onto the stage at the International Hotel, wowing audiences with a 75-minute set that included hits like "Blue Suede Shoes" and "All Shook Up.” For the next seven years, he performed 636 sold-out shows at the venue, but he wasn’t the only artist who rocked into the Vegas scene.

Also painting the scene was Frank Sinatra, who made his Desert Inn debut in 1951. “He was the spark that changed Vegas from a dusty Western town into something glamorous,” former Lieutenant Governor Lorraine Hunt-Bono told Smithsonian Magazine in 2013. He helped usher in his Ocean’s 11 costars Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop, as the Rat Pack, who became synonymous with their performances at Sands Hotel and Casino.

Other key performers included Lena Horne and Debbie Reynolds. The residency format was especially advantageous to someone like Reynolds, who had an established movie career and two young children. The residency allowed her to stay in one place and perform while raising her family.

The gambling culture remained dominant in Las Vegas, with the Strip’s hotels following a very simple philosophy: veiling time and reality. That meant tiny windows, if there were even any, as well as cigarette smoke-filled casino floors.

Every resort was designed with the casino as the centerpiece, so that no matter where you wandered, you somehow ended up back near a machine or table. Resorts explored fun themes, such as Caesars Palace decked out in Greco-Roman decor in 1966, which prioritized grandeur over authenticity, what Berger calls “replicature.”

Then came the Mirage in 1989. As the first new hotel on the Strip in 15 years, it went to the extreme, marrying a hotel complex, casino and entertainment venue all together. For example, instead of building a black box theater that could be easily redressed for different acts, they banked on the success of its Siegfried and Roy show with a theater made specifically for the act, trap doors and all.

Waterfalls and lagoons were added outside, including an exploding volcano show every 15 minutes. Upon opening, the 29-floor resort with 3,044 rooms was the largest hotel in the world, officially ushering in the age of megaresorts.

More followed: the Excalibur in 1990; Treasure Island and Luxor in 1993; and Paris Las Vegas, Mandalay Bay and The Venetian in 1999. Caesars Palace added its Forum Shops in 1992 to keep up with the trend—and made waves by opening celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck’s restaurant, Spago. Ninety-nine cent shrimp and cheap all-you-can-eat buffets were replaced with fine chef-driven dining.

When the Bellagio opened in 1998, it also changed the business model. Aiming to bring in more profit beyond the casino floor, resorts emphasized upscale retail and entertainment like Cirque du Soleil, meant to keep people on the property. Traveler demographics also shifted, as the breadth of activities made Vegas more family-friendly. Property owners started hiring Disney Imagineers and the like, resulting in resorts like Treasure Island, complete with a pirate ship show in front. “Now it was appropriate to bring your kid to a casino town,” Berger says.

Nowadays, athletics run the town, especially as pro teams make themselves at home. First was the National Hockey League team, the Vegas Golden Knights, founded in 2017, who won the Stanley Cup in 2023. The following year, the Women’s National Basketball Association team, the Las Vegas Aces, joined and won the WNBA finals in both 2022 and 2023.

The completion of the Allegiant Stadium in 2020 solidified Las Vegas’ burgeoning reputation, making it the home field of the Las Vegas Raiders after their move from Oakland. The city also showed that it could host the biggest American sporting event of the year, welcoming in fans to the Super Bowl in 2024.

While Vegas had hosted its first Formula One race back in 1981, then known as the Caesar Palace Grand Prix, it only lasted until 1982. But even F1 returned in 2023 with the Las Vegas Grand Prix, a 3.853-mile route featuring 17 turns.

“Las Vegas is a place where big ideas become reality,” Hill says. “People come here with bold visions, and the city has a way of bringing them to life, often at a scale you can’t find anywhere else.”