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Vintage Vegas Pics

Discussion in 'Misc. Vegas Chat' started by blackjack, Dec 6, 2005.

  1. blackjack

    blackjack Monkey!!

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    We all have access to the various web sites that have pics of old Vegas such as the UNLV archives, but what about the personal pics & stories? Last March Jimbucc posted these pics of the old Marina Hotel (now MGM West Wing/Emerald Tower) from his 1978 trip. With his permission, I re-posted them in hopes of seeing if anyone else cared to share some old memories. Anyone have any old pics or stories to tell???

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  2. Perry Spring

    Perry Spring Tourist

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    I wish I had such memories and pictures to share....


    I often think about the old hotels, and wish I could have seen them.

    Those are some great pics, thanks for sharing them.
     
  3. Sonya

    Sonya Queen of VMB

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    Those old pictures are so fun! I don't personally have any old Vegas pictures as I didn't start visiting until I was almost 30. My dad might have some slides from "back in the day". I'll have to ask him.

    He has great stories about driving into Vegas from Salt Lake City and seeing a great show while eating a really inexpensive surf and turf meal. I can't remember all the people he saw back in the early 1960's, but there were some really amazing people he saw for buying a steak dinner for under $10!
     
  4. Coaster Kikky

    Coaster Kikky Tourist

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    I'll have to dig up some old pictures I took in 1976 (dating myself here, I know... I was young though!) on a drive down Fremont Street, pre-canopy, pre-street being pedestrian only. I didn't think at the time the pictures would come out as I didn't have a flashbulb (magic cube anyone?) but with all the bright lights, they came out great. I remember Vegas Vic actually waved and Vickie kicked her heel up back in the day.
     
  5. blackjack

    blackjack Monkey!!

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    Well it took a while, but we finally have some more vintage pics to post thanks to Andy (wizard950). These are all dated 1968.

    I put some comments below the third pic to enhance the historic value...

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    Aside from the fact that this is a great shot of the Sands...

    On the left of the picture you can see the Colonial House Motel. This was located on the grounds and directly to the right of the Desert Inn (about where the main entrance to Wynn is now). The Colonial House was the idea of Wilbur Clark who opened the Desert Inn in 1950. It opened in 1953 and was the only hotel at the time with no gambling at all. The lounge was a frequent late night gathering spot of the local entertainers an occasional celebs who would go there after their shows to unwind. The $3.95 steak you see advertised on the sign started in the Gold Room in 1966 and included your choice of Prime Rib, New York Strip, or Porterhouse. The cost of a room in 1970 was $7.00/night.

    On the right of the picture you can see a sign for the Little Church of the West. This church was originally located on the grounds of the New Frontier. It was built in 1942 and still remains as the oldest existing structure on the strip. It had to be moved three times to avoid implosions and currently sits across the street from Mandalay Bay. It has been home to many celebrity weddings but perhaps is best known for the wedding scene in Viva Las Vegas between Elvis & Ann Margaret.

    http://www.littlechurchlv.com/


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    Andy - Thanks for sharing the pics!!
     
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  6. doctor_al

    doctor_al VIP Whale

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    That first shot of Caesars is to die for. Nice job, wizard!
     
  7. Sleepless

    Sleepless Sassy Sally's lives on...

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    Too cool. Now I need to look through my old pics to see if I have anything good to share (nothing as good as these, I'm sure).
     
  8. vegasbound

    vegasbound VIP Whale

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    Excellent pictures!!! Thanks for sharing!
     
  9. evesixer

    evesixer Guest

    Those are great! Very interesting to see how much can really change in 20 years or so. Unreal.
     
  10. blackjack

    blackjack Monkey!!

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    More Useless Trivia

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    I've been examining this pic and from what I can gather, it was taken approx. where Luxor is now facing north. To the left of the Trop sign in red appears to be the Golf Club Motel and left of that a Mobile gas sign. These would actually be across Tropicana where the Marina was built in '75 and where MGM currently stands.

    The Golf Club Motel was located next to the Tropicana Country Club. The only info that I can find on it is that it was owned by Bill Hoffered. He and professional golfer Tony Lema dreamed of opening a lounge together but Tony (age 32) & his wife Betty were killed in 1966 when their chartered twin engine plane ran out of gas & crashed (ironically onto a golf course) on route from Cleveland to Chicago. In 1970, Bill completed the dream and opened the 19th Hole Lounge at his Golf Club Motel.
     
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  11. blackjack

    blackjack Monkey!!

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    CK Pics

    Becky (Coaster Kikky) sent me some pics of Fremont from a 1976 trip. They were dark but any vintage pics are good Vegas pics. Of historical significance, aside from the street traffic and lack of a canopy, is the Mint that eventually became part of Binion's.

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  12. doctor_al

    doctor_al VIP Whale

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    Nice. In addition to the Mint, the old LVC and old Nugget signage are among my vintage downtown fave's.
     
  13. blackjack

    blackjack Monkey!!

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    Strip 1968-1993

    I found some pics that I took in 1993 buried in a box in my attic. The rest will follow but this one is interesting as it was taken from almost the exact spot that Andy took his strip shot in 1968:

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  14. RossW

    RossW North of the 49th

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    Seeing that old Coin Castle sign brings back some good memories. The bride, (then GF) and I went in 99.
    We won a pile at the Coin Castle on the Dollar slots. We were the golden children.
    I think we won about 700 or 800 bucks combined.
    Those old dollar slot machines worked better than ATM's that afternoon.
    The slot attendant did well too. We both tipped her on every win.
    She kept sending us to certain machines and a few pulls later ……KA-CHING.
    My hands were black from scooping up the coins.

    1999, the good old days, when LV wasn't as tight as bark is to a tree when it comes to winning a bit
    on a slot machines.

    These days the town wants all your money, and hardly even gives you a few wins here and there
    to keep you interested when you sit down in front of a machine. :grrr:

    They have tightened it up a few notches if you ask me. I guess that's why some only play table games...
     
  15. Coaster Kikky

    Coaster Kikky Tourist

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    Many thanks Ron!! Yes, my pics are dark, but what impresses me is they were taken on one of the cheapest little cameras around, with no flash. That camera took a lot of good pics on that trip. Also of historical significance - the Golden Nugget with neon... Steve Wynn banished neon as soon as he took over. Oh and although the pics don't show them, Vegas Vic and Vickie's limbs actually moved back then!
     
  16. VegasAddict

    VegasAddict MIA

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    I will post some old pics of my grandparents and friends in the old Vegas.. Give me a few days, I will go back to my hometown for the 4th.
     
  17. Coaster Kikky

    Coaster Kikky Tourist

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    I was just taking a good look at that Tropicana shot (taken near where Luxor is now, looking north-northeast)... what astounds me is this: no traffic lights!! Of course, look again and there's also NO traffic! LOL Incredible what has happened in 38 years.
     
  18. blackjack

    blackjack Monkey!!

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    I'm looking forward to seeing those pics!!
     
  19. blackjack

    blackjack Monkey!!

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    1993

    Not so vintage, however I found the pics from my first Vegas trip. I thought I went in 1992 but these pics are dated in the photo album as September 1993. I had way too many pics of Excalibur & Mirage because, being a young newbie in the early '90s, I had no appreciation for the history - something I will always regret.

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    Arriving at the airport. Noticeably missing are Mandalay Bay, New York New York, and Monte Carlo.

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    The old Aladdin and Dunes - The Dunes had closed earlier in the year. A week after this pic was taken fire broke out at the vacant property and a month later the tower on the left was imploded in a Steve Wynn televised spectacle set off by a cannon blast from the Britannia at Treasure Island. The old Aladdin closed in 1997 and was imploded in April 1998.

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    Looking north past Excalibur the Arco gas station along with Rodeway Inn are where New York New York would be today. Gas was $1.18/gallon. :blink:

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    Entrance to Caesars

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    Desert Inn with headliner Don Rickles.

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    Fashion show Mall with Sands across the street.

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    Cruising Fremont at night. Exactly one year later Fremont closed to vehicle traffic and construction began on the Fremont Street Experience.

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    Luxor final construction just a few weeks before opening.

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    The "S" shaped track of the original Luxor/Excalibur monorail that entered into the side of Luxor where the entrance to the two towers would be today.

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    The strip facing south standing across from Desert Inn.

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    The strip facing north.

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    Another strip shot facing south looking at Desert Inn where Wynn sits today.

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    MGM from I-15. That's the Dunes golf course in the foreground. Today this view would be blocked by NYNY and Monte Carlo.

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    Finishing touches being put on the new MGM which would open three months later. Three years later the Lion entrance was removed as part of a $45 million face lift.

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    This picture was taken a year later showing the completed Lion. In the lower left corner you can see a construction trailer. Inside was a scale model of New York New York for public viewing. The site had been cleared of the gas station and Rodeway Inn but construction had not yet begun.

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    The Rodeway Inn on the site where New York New York sits now. The only reason I took these pics was to show the temp that day, otherwise there is not alot of info out there about the motel.

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    The Mirage volcano with the Sands tower across the street. Probably my favorite pic from that trip.

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    Another Sands pic from the east side of the strip.

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    Sands at night.

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    The Holiday Casino shortly after Harrahs purchased the property. In 1997 the riverboat theme was abandoned and Carnival Court took it's place.
     
    Last edited: Jun 27, 2006
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  20. doctor_al

    doctor_al VIP Whale

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    Nice pics. The porte cochere in the Caesars pic is ... awful.