Las Vegas: A Centennial History

Wilbur S. Shepperson Series in Nevada History

by Eugene P. Moehring, Michael S. Green

The meteoric rise of Las Vegas from a remote Mormon outpost to an international entertainment center was never a sure thing. In its first decades, the town languished, but when Nevada legalized casino gambling in 1931, Las Vegas met its destiny. This act—combined with the growing popularity of the automobile, cheap land and electricity, and changing national attitudes toward gambling—led to the fantastic casinos and opulent resorts that became the trademark industry of the city and created the ambiance that has made Las Vegas an icon of pleasure.            This volume celebrates the city’s unparalleled growth, examining both the development of its gaming industry and the creation of an urban complex that over two million people proudly call home. Here are the colorful characters who shaped the city as well as the political, business, and civic decisions that influenced its growth. The story extends chronologically from the first Paiute people to the construction of the latest megaresorts, and geographically far beyond the original township to include the several municipalities that make up today’s vast metropolitan Las Vegas area.

296 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Rory]

Maybe after I become a resident of Las Vegas and ransack the Nevada history sections of my local libraries will I try this book again, but I can't get through it right now. The history is there, it's important to me, but it's so dryly written as to discourage anyone from wanting to learn what Las Vegas was like long before what it is today. It won't discourage me, but it's not worth it.

[Quail Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite the subject material, the book is somehow bland. The organization is bad, which makes it a bit difficult to piece things together. However, there is a lot of good historical content.