The 1930's were in a way, the birth of Las Vegas. The city wasn't built in the 30's, no that's not the case, but until this time the city really held no place in the minds and eyes of America or the world abroad. It was just a dusty spot of the map that didn't offer anything that other more well known cities did.
The turning point was when the congress authorized the construction of a new dam. Now knows as Hoover Dam, the originally named Boulder Dam brought thousands of workers to the Las Vegas area & changed Las Vegas' history forever.
It's pretty easy to envision. At the time that the dam was built, gambling had be re-legalized. There were thousands of men, away from their families, with disposable pay that they had gotten from their job building this new dam. They had nothing to do at night & were alone, so how better to spend their time than to cruise the strip & spend a few bucks in the casinos?
Of course, this wave of workers left upon completion & the city had to work to find other visitors to fill their hotels and casinos. Luckily, the dam played a part in getting people to the area. Coined the "Eighth Wonder of the World", the Boulder Dam (now the Hoover), brought droves of tourists into the Las Vegas area. They had to stay somewhere, and Las Vegas was more than happy to accommodate them in their hotels.
Compared to today's standards, Las Vegas of the 1930's was still just a spec on the map. Even with all the attention the area received due to the building of the new dam, the number of tourists and people coming to Las Vegas in the 1930's was nowhere near what it is today or in other eras of its' history. The 1930's definitely marked the beginning of the city's popularity, however, and cannot be overlooked when examining the city's long and colorful history.
It wasn't until the 1940's, during World War II that Las Vegas began to build the reputation that it's known for today. With the incorporation of some important and well know figures of the time, Las Vegas was able to build on it's already small fame & bring in loads more attention to start to become what we know it to be today.
In 1941, the El Rancho Vegas was build. This luxurious hotel was build on what's now known as the South Vegas Strip. It's founder and owner Bugsy Siegel popularized the hotel with Hollywood celebrities, and it became the destination for many of the time's big Hollywood names.
The El Rancho was just the start of the booming luxury hotel industry in the city. More and more hotels were opened, each one hoping to outdo it's competition with lavish amenities. This was the start of Las Vegas' rise to become the entertainment capital of the world. Throughout the 1940's Las Vegas was the premier destination for Hollywood stars.
It was this Hollywood connection that made the town shine in the eyes of the public. In addition to the droves of Hollywood elite, there also came the mob connection. This is something that Las Vegas is not proud of today, but well know underground gangsters, such as Siegel, were building more and more hotels in Las Vegas, something that can't be ignored in its' history.
These hotels were hosting some of the biggest entertainment names on their stages, making Vegas the entertainment capitol of the world. Big names such as Jimmy Durante, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, Bill Robinson, Sonja Henie, and more all contributed to such fame. The 1940's were the decade that really drove Vega's fame home to the American public. After this period, Vegas was forever synonymous with fame and glamor in America, something that it pride's itself on today.
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