PCP - 360 Vintage Vegas: Jackie Gaughan & the El Cortez

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There are a collection of men who helped build the city of Las Vegas during its formative years that didn’t have colored pasts.  Their origins are not linked to organized crime and their stories aren’t the sort of things people make movies about.  However they would become the shining examples that the gaming industry could not only exist without the Mob but could continue to grow. A fact that was established in 1941 and continues to endure to this day.  The El Cortez is the city’s oldest hotel casino to continuously operate under the same name and only the 2^nd casino ever added to the nation’s historical preservation list.  It’s also the only casino on that list still open to this day.  This is the story of the people and the properties that shaped Downtown Las Vegas.

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Famous Cheating – In July of 1968, it was discovered that the Pioneer club was using an incomplete deck of cards at a blackjack game.  Owners were fined $10k and allowed to reopen with slot machines only. (Las Vegas Behind the Tables part 2)

Twitpic of the week

Oh exterior theming, how we love, and in some cases, miss thee.  I get why Imperial Palace needed remodeled; I think we can all agree on that.  Would it have been cooler if they kept the theme?  I submit the answer to almost always be yes.  Logically I’ve accepted and celebrate what they did to her.  But Harrah’s detheming from riverboat to mardi gras theme hardly requires the loss of the riverboat theme.  Oh well.  We have photography, shared this week by @las_when so we can fondly recall yesteryear while not being shackled to it when progress and evolution is required.

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The original Eiffel tower is made of wrought iron. The one at Paris hotel and casino is made from welded steel and is structurally stronger. (sincitytalk.com) 

Twitpic of the week

 It's truly remarkable what Fremont East has evolved itself into.  Especially when you consider there was a time when the Fremont East signage was best used as a warning to pedestrians who may have accidentally wandered too far from the beaten path and almost into a certain mugging.  Today, it's charming, densely populated with a variety of quality food options and bars.  El Cortez is no longer the finish line to safety but a classic Vegas experience.  The repurposed neon enhances the atmosphere now instead of just providing additional exterior lighting to help witnesses identify assailants for later line up recollection.  Say what you will about the cult like atmosphere at Zappos, they did what no one could before them; make Fremont East not only a safe place to visit but a place people want to visit.  Thank you @ElCortezLV for reminding us.

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