Vegas4Visitors Museum - Downtown Las Vegas


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Vegas4Visitors Museum: Downtown Las Vegas

Long before there was a Las Vegas Strip, Fremont Street in Downtown Las Vegas was the heart of all the action. Known as Glitter Gulch for its bright neon lights framing the narrow street, Fremont Street helped to define Las Vegas as the wild, flashy, and slightly sinful town that is so famous today.
80s Postcard 70s Postcard 50s Postcard 70s Postcard 50s Postcard 1931 Photo

Downtown Las Vegas

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80s Postcard
This photograph is undated but was probably taken in the late 1980s or perhaps early 90s judging by the vehicles on the street. Those vehicles in question are driving on what is now the Fremont Street Experience, a covered pedestrian mall.

Hotels pictured here include The Golden Nugget on the left, Binion’s Horseshoe on the right, and The Plaza at the end of the street, all of which are still in business today.

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70s Postcard
This colorful postcard is probably from the early 1970s. It clearly shows Vegas Vic, the "Howdy Pardner" cowboy above the Pioneer Casino with The Plaza, which opened in 1971, at the head of Fremont Street. Also barely visible are The Las Vegas Club and the Golden Gate, both still in business today. The casino at the foreground, The Mint, became a part of Binion’s Horseshoe in the 1980s.

The back of the postcard reads: "Looking west from casino center towards the new multi-million dollar Plaza hotel which boasts of having the largest gambling casino in the world."

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50s Postcard
In a postcard most likely from the early 1950s, you’ll see a hotel pictured on the left with the name "Sal Sagev" – that’s Las Vegas backwards by the way. This hotel was the first in Las Vegas and operated as The Golden Gate until 1931 when the Sal Sagev name was adopted. In 1955 the name was changed back to The Golden Gate.

The back of the postcard reads: "A colorful Helldorado parade making its way along the famous and historic Fremont Street. This fabulous Maytime spectacle is one of the nation’s most colorful parades."

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70s Postcard
The postcard is a nighttime view of Glitter Gulch, probably from the early 1970s. It was taken prior to the hotel towers being built at The Golden Nugget, which happened around 1973. On the left is The Mint, which became a part of Binion’s in the 1980s and the Hotel Fremont. Behind the Golden Nugget is The Four Queens.

The back of the postcard reads: "This fabulous "new look" on Fremont Street in the heart of the world’s largest gambling center is a sight to be long remembered. The new electric neon signs light up the sky with a great blaze of color."

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50s Postcard
Another Downtown postcard, this one is probably from the late 1950s judging by the cars on the street in front of The Mint, a hotel that became a part of Binion’s Horseshoe in the 80s. The Birdcage was a popular lounge of the era taken over by next-door The Mint in 1959. Also in the shot is the Boulder Club (also Binion’s now) and the Hotel Fremont (still in operation).

The back of the postcard reads: "Looking east along the busiest and most fabulous thorough-fare in the Great Southwest where the doors never close and anytime is play time."

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1931 Photo
The photo on this postcard is dated 1931 and shows Fremont Street looking northwest from roughly Las Vegas Boulevard. The building at the far end is the Union Pacific Railroad station where the Plaza Hotel now stands.

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