The final Las Vegas location of this week continues the arid theme common for the era. The Sands Hotel was a modest start, just a few hundred rooms along with the casino, but it hosted the filming of Ocean’s 11, which is considered the birth of the Rat Pack. They performed at the legendary Copa Room stage at the Sands, among many other stars of the era.
The description states:
THE SANDS
A Place in the Sun
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA
The newest luxury hotel in Las Vegas, world renowned for its head line entertainment, luxurious living accommodations and complete shopping and amusement facilities.
–The statement above noting that the Sands was the newest at the time of the photo points to the photo dating from 1953. In the end, even though it was expanded with a landmark circular tower, the Sands was demolished and replaced with the Venetian on the same site.
Tag: postcard
Hotel Flamingo, Las Vegas, Nevada
The Hotel Flamingo was the first luxury resort on the strip, and it’s early history is deeply entwined with the influence of the mob, including such famous figures as Bugsy Siegel and Meyer Lansky.
The description states:
THE SHOWPLACE OF THE NATION
FLAMINGO HOTEL, LAS VEGAS NEVADA
This is a view of the grounds of the Famous Flamingo Hotel, showing in the center of its beautiful landscaped gardens.
–The resort still exists, but has been extensively reconstructed several times since this image, so there is literally nothing left of what you can see here. The image is from the 1950s.
Hotel Sahara, Las Vegas, Nevada
We move away from Fremont St. to the early developments along the strip. The Hotel Sahara anchored the north end of the early Strip, and was the last of the pre-1969 hotels to be demolished. It hosted many famous performers, not least of which were the Rat Pack, a group of entertainers including Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis, Jr.
The description states:
HOTEL SAHARA
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA
The last word in modern luxury hotel construction. Famous stars appearing nightly to entertain. Renowned for fine food and luxurious living.
–The hotel expanded many times over the years, but was finally closed in 2011, and will be replaced with a mega-resort on the same site. This image is of the hotel just shortly after its initial completion, and dates from the 1950s.
Horseshoe Club, Fremont St., Las Vegas Nevada
Proceeding down Fremont Street in Las Vegas, we finally come to the Horseshoe Club. Looking at the previous postcard, you can see the same Hotel Apache sign in the far background on the left, as is shown on top of the club building in this picture. The Hotel Apache and Eldorado Club were purchased by Benny Binion and restyled the Horseshoe Club.
The description states:
THE HORSESHOE CLUB
FREMONT STREET — LAS VEGAS, NEVADA
The new Horseshoe Club is another notable showplace of Las Vegas, Nevada. The Tourists, visitors, and Las Vegans, have found here the perfect combination of restful atmosphere and all the modern conveniences for relaxation. There is a restaurant serving de luxe meals at low prices, one of the largest bars in Nevada, nearby parking, and all games of chance for which Nevada is famous.
–Now it is called Binion’s Horseshoe, and anchors one end of the Fremont Street experience. Since the description indicates the club is new, it is possible to date this card to the 1950s.
Fremont St. and South Main St., Las Vegas, Nevada
From the train station we walk quickly through Union Plaza and emerge at Main Street and the head end of Fremont Street, shown in the image today. On the right is the Sal Sagev Hotel (Las Vegas spelled backwards), which has been reconstructed,restored and renamed the Golden Gate Hotel and Casino. Across the street is the Overland Hotel, now the Las Vegas Club. The sky is no longer visible on Fremont, as the street has been covered with an arching screen that serves as a backdrop to a nighttime light and image show.
The description on the card states:
Day or night, it’s always time for fun and relaxation on Fremont Street, Las Vegas, Nevada
— In this time, before the development of the Strip, Fremont Street and surrounding area was the center of Las Vegas tourism and gambling. With the arrival of the first wave of resort hotel/casinos, the tourist traffic began its move to the south, which was accelerated by the construction of the mega-resort/casinos. Fremont Street merchants had to make extensive changes to attract tourists and money back to the area, and they called the result the Fremont Street Experience.
This card dates from the 1950s.
Union Pacific Station, Las Vegas, Nevada
We are in Las Vegas, Nevada at the arrival of the Desert Wind in this postcard image. The station no longer exists in this form, having been demolished and a new station built, incorporated into the Plaza Hotel & Casino on the same site.
The description states:
The new passenger depot of the Union Pacific in Las Vegas, Nevada, is the world’s first streamlined, completely air conditioned railroad passenger station. Typically modernistic western in motif, the structure has been described by architects as one of the most beautiful in design and superlatively complete in appointments, in the United States.
–The architectural style is called Streamline Moderne, and was intended to complement the streamlined train designs of the era. The Desert Wind train that served this station was discontinued, but there is an ongoing effort to restore passenger train service from Los Angeles to Las Vegas.
This card dates from the 1950s.
Country Motel, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
This card features the modest but well tended Country Motel, a typical accommodation for the era. Lake Geneva gained some fame for being the city where the Dungeons and Dragons role-playing game was invented and the company, TSR, which operated out of there until 1997.
The description is a long one, typical of these marketing post cards:
COUNTRY MOTEL
R.R.2 — Box 117
Lake Geneva, Wisconsin 53147
Phone Area Code 414 CIrcle 5-6115
On Highway 50, 3 Mi. West of Lake Geneva
11 Beautiful Units — Free Coffee — TV, FM Radio — Individual Heating and Air Conditioning — Heated Outdoor Pool. Moderate Rates — in heart of Lake region.
— The pool has a diving board, which have pretty universally disappeared from hotel and motel pools due to liability issues. It’s hard to see the board itself, but you can clearly see the rectangular reflection in the water at the far end of the pool.
The hotel no longer exists, but there appear to be others which have taken its place. The photo likely dates from the 1960s, based on the use of ZIP codes but the retention of the older phone numbering system.
Exit Hall, Cave of the Mounds, Blue Mounds, Wisconsin
Today wraps up the exploration of the Cave of the Mounds with an image of the exit area just before ascending from the cave.
This image shows the extent of modifications made to the cave for safe tourist access. Not only are there permanent concrete stairs and handrails, but the image shows a larger floor area that is likely also poured concrete over the cave floor. In other pictures there is a visible wooden floor, which may have been cheaper or simply more practical given the conditions of the floor in that part of the cave.
The description states:
Exit Hall — North Cave, Blue Mounds, Wisconsin
The photo is part of a larger series which dates from the 1940s.
Ribbons in Stone, Cave of the Mounds, Blue Mounds, Wisconsin
This image, of an apparently large domed room in the Cave of the Mounds, shows significant color streaking in the stone itself, instead of simple staining on the surface. To the far left, up on the ledge, are two dark formations styled Black Knights.
The description states:
Rare ribbons in stone with black and white stripes showing twin Black Knights at left. Cave of the Mounds, Blue Mounds, Wis.
Unfortunately, there is no way to determine the scale of the picture, so it is not clear if the room is very large, or only slightly higer than human scale or not.
This photo like the others shown in this series, dates from the 1940s.
Cathedral Hall, Cave of the Mounds, Blue Mounds, Wisconsin
This area, styled the Cathedral Hall, shows evidence of the changes required to make the cave safe and traversable by tourists. Such modifications are common in these privately owned cave sites.
The description states simply:
Cathedral Hall, North Section, Cave of the Mounds, Blue Mounds, Wisconsin
The picture is part of a larger collection which have indications that they date from the 1940s.