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El Rancho Vegas

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Location
  
Las Vegas, NV 89109

Opening date
  
April 3, 1941

No. of rooms
  
220

Destruction date
  
1960

Destroyed by
  
Fire

Architect
  
Address
  
2500 Las Vegas Blvd.

Theme
  
Western

Opened
  
3 April 1941

Number of rooms
  
220

El Rancho Vegas wwwonlinenevadaorgsitesdefaultfilesstyles75

Closing date
  
June 17, 1960; 56 years ago (June 17, 1960)

Similar
  
Silver Slipper, New Frontier Hotel and, Dunes, Westward Ho Hotel and Casino, Boardwalk Hotel and Casino

El rancho vegas fire


El Rancho Vegas was a hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip. It was located at 2500 Las Vegas Boulevard, at the southwest corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Sahara Avenue, and opened on April 3, 1941. Until 1942, it was the largest hotel in Las Vegas with 110 rooms. On June 17, 1960, the hotel was destroyed by fire. In 1982, the former Thunderbird Hotel was rebranded El Rancho Casino, creating some confusion.

Contents

El Rancho Vegas About the El Rancho Vegas exhibit

History

El Rancho Vegas Centennial Celebration of Las Vegas Gaming

In 1940, James Cashman, a businessman, asked Thomas Hull, the owner of the El Rancho hotels, to build a chain in Las Vegas. Hull saw the potential of the resort, as he saw all the out-of-state license plates during a visit to the resorts potential site. Construction of the El Rancho Vegas began in 1940, and the resort opened on April 3, 1941. El Rancho Vegas was the first resort on the Las Vegas Strip. It was designed by architect Wayne McAllister, who constructed the resort with a Spanish-style exterior with a cowboy, frontier-type of interior for $500,000. El Rancho Vegas offered horseback riding, a large swimming pool, and top shows in its theater called the Opera House. When it opened, El Rancho Vegas's dining room was the largest in Las Vegas. The casino consisted of four table games—two blackjack tables, one roulette table, and one craps table—and seventy slot machines.

El Rancho Vegas El Rancho Vegas Wikipedia

In December 1944, William Wilkerson leased the El Rancho Vegas from then owner Joe Drown for six months. Wilkerson paid Drown $50,000 for the six-month lease. Wilkerson would later go on to build The Flamingo Hotel. In September 1945, El Rancho Vegas was sold for $1.5 million to Los Angeles businessman Walter Guzzardi. The resort went through several changes of ownership before Beldon Katleman, who received a share of ownership upon the death of his uncle, Jake Katleman, in 1947, bought out the remaining shareholders and became the proprietor of record. Katleman used $750,000 to improve the resort, and El Rancho Vegas became the largest casino in Nevada.

El Rancho Vegas El Rancho Vegas Wikipedia

Shirley Bassey made her American stage debut here in 1957. Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward were married at the El Rancho Vegas in 1958. The wedding was held in the suite of (and completely paid for by) the casino's owner at the time, Beldon Katleman. Stripper Candy Barr was headlining at El Rancho Vegas in 1959 when she was arrested by the FBI after her appeal on a marijuana conviction originating in Texas was rejected by the US Supreme Court.

El Rancho Vegas El Rancho Fire

Big entertainers who performed regularly at the El Rancho included Sophie Tucker (a mainstay), Jimmy Durante, Julius LaRosa, comedians Joe E. Lewis and Buddy Hackett, opera star Roberta Sherwood, actresses Jane Russell, Eartha Kitt, Rita Moreno, Gloria DeHaven and even Zsa Zsa Gabor.

Fire and closure

El Rancho Vegas 1000 images about EL RANCHO VEGAS VINTAGE on Pinterest Resorts

On June 17, 1960, while Harry James and Betty Grable were performing a late show on stage, the hotel was destroyed by a fire. There were no deaths or injuries. Despite vows to rebuild the El Rancho Vegas after the fire, the plans never materialized. In 1970, billionaire Howard Hughes purchased 60 acres (24 ha) of the land. In 1978, the remnants of the old resort were demolished.

El Rancho Vegas El Rancho Fire

The Hilton Grand Vacation Club timeshare now occupies a portion of the land while the Las Vegas Festival Grounds takes majority of the land.

El Rancho Vegas El Rancho Vegas Vintage Casino Chips from Old Vegas Chips

References

El Rancho Vegas Wikipedia