Las Vegas 2025
By Bruce Shawkey My major trip this year was to Las Vegas, Nevada, to see the Wizard of Oz at the Sphere. Las Vegas has an interesting history, and here is a synopsis. Modern Las Vegas officially began in 1905, when land near the railroad tracks was auctioned off to create a town serving the San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad. The railroad connected Los Angeles and Salt Lake City, making Las Vegas a strategic stop for supplies and passengers. Las Vegas became an incorporated city in 1911. At this time it was a small desert town of only a few thousand residents, supported mainly by railroad jobs and agriculture. Hoover Dam and the Birth of Gambling (1930s) The Great Depression transformed the city. Two key events in 1931 changed Las Vegas forever: Nevada legalized gambling and construction of the Hoover Dam. Thousands of workers flooded into the area to build the dam, creating demand for entertainment, hotels, gambling halls, and legalized porostitution. Las Vegas ...