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Welcome to Las Vegas! hotel Casino Discount
From its
earliest beginnings, Las Vegas has catered to the traveler. A nomadic
tribe of Indians called the Paiutes settled the area around the turn of
the last millennium and occupied most of the area from Mt. Charleston to
the Colorado River. Several traders and explorers including Jedediah Smith
in 1826 and John C. Fremont in 1844 traveled through the area and made
contact with the Paiutes.
By 1851,
Mormon president, Brigham Young, in his endeavor to create the State of
Deseret stretching from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles, made Las Vegas one
of his important stopovers. To this end, he sent missionaries to colonize
the region and convert the Paiute. The location they selected to establish
their fort was on a promontory overlooking the Las Vegas Valley, which is
now the corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Washington. The Old Mormon Fort
still has remnants of its original building, and is in the process of
being restored. Eventually the settlement disbanded and most of the Mormon
settlers returned to Utah.
However,
a mining boom in 1865 at nearby Mt. Potosi fostered a new influx of
travelers, mainly miners who used Las Vegas as a center for food and
supplies. Las Vegas essentially thrived for the next 60 years because of
the railroad; it played host to travelers by providing entertainment and
liquor.
World War
II increased the Las Vegas economy even more. In 1940, an air base was
established (now known as Nellis Air Force Base) in the northeast part of
town
Over the
past two decades the hotel industry has re-invented itself again and
again. Just when everyone was predicting a severe depression, especially
when Atlantic City emerged as a gambling destination in the early 80s, Las
Vegas managed to come up with a new twist. Even today, with the
proliferation of gambling in many of the 50 states, Las Vegas only seems
to become more popular. Its latest ventures have been in theme hotels,
starting with the Mirage in the late 80s, followed by the Excalibur.
Treasure Island, the Luxor and the MGM Grand soon followed. And more
recently the Stratosphere and the Monte Carlo were built. The newest
include the fabulous Bellagio and the Paris Las Vegas. The Venetian and
Mandalay Bay are also new and exciting venues. When will the boom end?
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