1961 Union Pacific Brochure
The Union Pacific Railroad used to service passengers and freight to Las Vegas, with their main terminal located where the Plaza Hotel sits now in the downtown area.
This beautifully preserved brochure features articles, photos, maps, and facts about Las Vegas, Hoover Dam, Lake Mead, the Las Vegas Convention Center, and Union Pacific Railway service in general.
The Las Vegas section opens with the statement, "Ten million American tourists can’t be wrong. Each year that many vacationists travel to the fabulous Las Vegas recreation area…" Today, more than 40 years later, more than 40 million people visit Las Vegas each year.
It boasts of the Fremont Hotel tower, at 13 stories, as being a "skyscraper." Today, the Stratosphere Tower is about 9 times as large.
The brochure also claims a population for Las Vegas and surrounding areas of around 130,000. The 2000 census counted almost 3 million.
"Vegas Vicki" is the official welcoming greeter to Las Vegas in this brochure and she is surrounded by thirteen photos of classic hotels including The Sahara, The Thunderbird (which became the El Rancho and was torn down in 2000), The Riviera, The Desert Inn (closed 2000), The Sands (where The Venetian now resides), The Flamingo, The Tropicana, The Hacienda (now home to Mandalay Bay), The Dunes (now Bellagio), the New Frontier, and The Stardust plus images of a stage and lounge show.
As the brochure unfolds there are similar photos and info about Hoover Dam and Lake Mead, plus a large section on The Convention Center, which is about 4 times the size now that it was then. In the center is a large colorful map of the region.
Union Pacific turned over most passenger rail service to Amtrak in 1971. Rail service to Vegas ended in the late 90s.
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