History

Guess Who Founded Las Vegas?

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Guess who?

Guess who?

Do you have a guess? Do you know who founded Las Vegas? Actually, it’s almost an unanswerable question because it depends on how we define “founded.”

There are quite a few events that would qualify as at least a major part of the founding of Las Vegas. But, can any one person take credit?

In 1829, a Mexican scout, Raphael Rivera, discovered the Las Vegas valley. At least, he was the first non Indian to travel to the area. He, in fact, named the valley Las Vegas that, in Spanish, means “The Meadows.” Was this the founding of Las Vegas?

In 1855, 30 Mormons led by William Bringhurst settled in Las Vegas. The remains of their fort is still standing at the corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Washington, less than a mile north of Fremont Street. Was this the founding of Las Vegas?

Then, on May 15th, 1905. the San Pedro, Los Angeles, & Salt Lake City Railroad auctioned off 1200 lots, 110 acres, in what is now downtown Las Vegas. Regular railroad stops then began. Was this the founding?

It is clear that nothing happened or could happen without funding, money. So, where did all the money come from when the big casino boom began that led to today’s great city?

Believe it or not, a large debt was and is owed to the Mormons. Not the 30 men who settled in 1855, but to Mormon money and particularly a Mormon banker named E. Perry Thomas.

Thomas was key in buying properties on behalf of Howard Hughes and others who built or bought major casinos. Mormons were a good part of the population in the 1900s.

According to a January 28, 2016, article on cracked.com:

You still see the church’s imprint around the city: University of Nevada, Las Vegas’ Thomas & Mack Center arena is named in part for Mormon-born E. Parry Thomas — a banker who often bought properties on Hughes’ behalf — and his business partner Jerry Mack. Thomas and Mack financed much of the Vegas we know today, running the only bank that would make loans to casinos.

One would have to conclude that the Mormons should get as much credit for the founding of Las Vegas as anyone else. Although, it did take a village to get the whole job done. You can read much more about the Mormon influence in the history of Las Vegas here.

I guess, even after this quick tour through Vegas history, we may still be having to guess who really founded the city.

 

 

 

 

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