Snap Shots

Interview Video

2012-01-18T00:05:00.001-08:00

Food Not Bombs - Las Vegas from Michael Zayas on Vimeo.

The Golden Gate

2011-05-27T09:05:00.000-07:00

The Golden Gate Hotel & Casino with Stratosphere
seen in background behind the Nevada Hotel & Casino.

Lots of history begins on this corner. 1 Fremont Street at the corner of Main Street is the location of the Golden Gate Hotel & Casino in Downtown Las Vegas at the end of the Fremont Street Experience (or the beginning which ever way you start the Experience.) The Golden Gate was there from the beginning. It all started at the Golden Gate in 1905. In 1906 the casino opened to the public and sold rooms and board for $1 per day. It was originally called Hotel Nevada and still has the original rooms which have been modernized in use. The first Las Vegas telephone was installed at the location with the phone number 1. (I have several photos of the phone and guest register I'll post sometime in the future.)

Golden Gate History & Timeline

The Bay City Diner, in the Golden Gate Hotel was the scene of Pay it Forward movie. It was shot on location with the lovely Helen Hunt. The sign and the corner of the building was also shown in a scene of Casino with Robert DeNiro while he was sitting near a window in an upper level of the Plaza Hotel & Casino.

Bay City Diner

The Old Anderson Dairy Sign

2011-04-17T05:39:00.000-07:00

Part of the Neon Museum

Located in the Fremont Street Experience in front of Walgreens 24-hour Pharmacy. The old milkman sign is part of the Neon Museum. Anderson’s Dairy is the third oldest business in Las Vegas today. Anderson Dairy was founded in 1907 when Las Vegas was still a “sleepy little railroad town.” NV Energy is the oldest company founded in 1906, less than a year after a railroad stop was built. Although it had changed names since its founding, as had the second oldest company in Vegas, the Golden Gate which was also established in 1906 after NV Energy.

The Fitz

2010-09-06T14:51:00.000-07:00

The Fitzgeralds Casino & Hotel on the Fremont Street Experience.

Dice

2010-09-05T02:41:00.001-07:00

Dice Wall Painting
This attractive Dice Wall Painting can be seen on the outside wall of the Fremont Hotel and Casino in the walkway from Ogden Street to the Fremont Street Experience.

The Fremont Street Experience LED Canopy

2010-09-04T16:36:00.001-07:00

Fremont Street Experience as seen from Ogden Street.
The light-show canopy which many call a neon dome is really made up of millions of LED lights and is as long a five football fields.

Fremont Street Experience

2010-09-04T16:11:00.001-07:00

Fremont Street Experience as seen from Ogden Street.
What many call the neon dome is really made up of millions of LED lights to provide a free light and sound show five football fields long. The Fremont Street Experience canopy has a housing of light and sound shows with the world’s largest graphic display system.

The old vintage signs seen in the foreground are part of the Neon Museum.

Binion's

2010-08-30T06:24:00.000-07:00

Binion's Gambling Hall & Hotel

Fremont Street Experience

The Neon Dome

Former site of the famous World Series of Poker run by Benny and Jack Binion.
(Click to enlarge to see detail of the neon dome LED lights)

Ballys

2010-08-29T15:18:00.001-07:00

Ballys at Dawn

The Old Hacienda Horse and Rider Sign

2010-08-28T05:55:00.000-07:00

Night View of the Old Hacienda Horse and Rider Sign, a Las Vegas Landmark. See sign's historical information below at first post.

Fremont Street

2010-08-28T05:47:00.000-07:00

Fremont Street viewed from across Las Vegas Blvd at the entrance of the Fremont Street Experience.

The California

2010-08-27T00:28:00.001-07:00

The California at 12 E Ogden and 1st Street.

The MGM Grand

2010-04-21T19:52:00.000-07:00

The City of Entertainment

The Las Vegas Welcome Sign

2010-04-21T08:55:00.001-07:00

This is the back side of the "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign. It is owed and maintained by Young Electric Sign Company (YESCO) and leased to Clark County.

Las Vegas Landmark: The Old Hacienda Horse and Rider

2010-04-20T20:00:00.001-07:00

The Old Hacienda Horse and Rider sign is located at the corner of Fremont Street & Las Vegas Blvd. It is at the beginning of the Fremont Street Experience in Downtown Las Vegas.

This sign is often known to many as the "Neon Cowboy riding a horse on the Old Strip at Fremont Street in Downtown, Las Vegas."

But that's tourist talk--those who don't know the history of the sign and who try to sell the photos of it at stock photo agencies.

To the locals, these are the known facts:

The old neon sign that now stands in the center of Las Vegas Blvd. is the refurbished Old Hacienda Horse and Rider sign. It came from, obviously, the old Hacienda Hotel and Casino which was on, if you guessed like me, Hacienda Avenue, you guessed wrong. (Well sort of, Hacienda Avenue isn't far from were the hotel used to be located. The hotel was actually just south of Hacienda Avenue.)

The Hacienda Hotel and Casino was located at 3950 Las Vegas Boulevard South. It operated from 1956 - 1996. It was part of a four-casino/hotel chain which each had their own horse and rider sign. It was originally located by itself at the far end of the Las Vegas Boulevard and was the first Las Vegas resort and sign seen by tourist entering the city from the south side.

The Hacienda was imploded on New Years Eve 1996.

She did not go down easily.

To give you a better idea of that location, 3950 Las Vegas Blvd. South, the MGM Mirage's Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino is now located at that address which is just south of Tropicana Avenue (and Hacienda Avenue.)

The modern-day Hacienda Hotel and Casino is located in Boulder City near the Hoover Dam and is no relation to the original piece of Vegas history.

Lance Burton performed at the Hacienda prior to moving his show to the Monte Carlo.

The sign was originally installed in 1967 at the Hacienda Hotel. It was installed at the current site at the front of the Fremont Street Experience as part of the Neon Museum on 15, November 1996. It was built, like many if not most Las Vegas signs, by
Young Electric Sign Company (YESCO) which continues to operate in Vegas today.

YESCO is the same company which owns the famous Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign which it leases to Clark County. Las Vegas celebrated that sign's 50th anniversary in 2009.

It is said to be the first sign restored & installed on Fremont Street for the Neon Museum.

The Old Hacienda Horse and Rider sign has a marker plate located inside the Fremont Street Experience telling the sign's history.

The Neon Museum is located inside the Fremont Street Experience and consists of several old Vegas signs and chatter pieces.

This daytime photo is fairly rare compared to the night images taken when the sign is in its full glory.

Dozens of old neon Vegas signs sit in the Boneyard (a junk yard for old signs) near Cashman Field a few miles down Las Vegas Blvd. (North) from the Fremont Street Experience waiting restoration and installation.

These photo images (and history lessons) were taken by homeless street photographer, Cliff Harrison.

Tip: Click image to enlarge, click again to zoom in.

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