$16.00 CAD
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Scarce early Vegas item, the Sahara was opened in 1952. Also included is a napkin from the The Casbah at the Sahara.
Photos of the interior of the Sahara (gaming, rooms, shops…), and illustrated text for some of the games (21, roulette, slots…)
‘Copyright 1953 by Silver State Publishing Co., Inc. Las Vegas Nevada – written by Jack Jones’
16 pages including covers
6 ⅝” x 4 ½”
Las Vegas in the 1950s was a time of considerable change. By the 1950s, there were 44,600 living in the Las Vegas Valley. Over 8 million people were visiting Las Vegas annually in 1954, pumping $200 million into casinos, which consolidated its image as "wild, full of late-night, exotic entertainment". The population grew dramatically from 8,422 during World War II to over 45,000. From 1952 to 1957, through money and institutional lending provided by the Teamsters Union and some Mormon bankers they built the Sahara, the Sands, the New Frontier, the Royal Nevada the Showboat, The Riviera, The Fremont, Binion's Horseshoe, and finally The Tropicana.
WIKIPEDIA
The Sahara Hotel and Casino, a fixture on the Las Vegas Strip since 1952, closes Monday for good (May 22nd, 2011)
The Sahara was the sixth casino built on the Strip, and cashed in as Las Vegas grew as a gambling mecca.
"It would be nothing to go to work and make 300, 500, 2,700 [dollars] in four hours. You know that's just the way it was in the old days," John Law, who worked as a dealer at the Sahara 31 years ago
The hotel once showcased some of the biggest stars on the Strip, including comedians Don Rickles and Johnny Carson and singers Dean Martin and Tina Turner. The Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Telethon originated from the Sahara for 20 years. And the Sahara in 1964 brought the Beatles to Las Vegas for $25,000, though it hosted their show in the Las Vegas Convention Center because the hotel's 600-seat showroom couldn't handle the crowd, according to the Sun.
news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/05/16/las-vegas-sahara-hotel-and-casino-closing-after-more-than-58-years/
