Sometimes, you may wonder, “What would Las Vegas be without casino gambling?”  While that’s impossible to know, this photograph, taken circa 1931, does answer the question, “What did Las Vegas look like before commercial gambling was legalized?”

As you can see, there’s not much there. The Union Pacific railroad yards to the west (below) of the train tracks, are the biggest thing in town. Along Main Street (which runs parallel to and east of the tracks), the train depot and, further south, the ice house, are the major attractions.

There are no high-rise buildings, and little commercial development. In the previous year, the city had had a population of slightly more than 5,000—a small Western town if ever there was one.

Early Las Vegas was compact, too. The “new” Las Vegas High School, which opened in 1930 at Seventh and Bridger Streets, looks to be far out in the suburbs. While there wasn’t much to do in Las Vegas circa 1930, it certainly wasn’t hard to get around.

The coming of legalized commercial gambling would change all this. Gambling halls along Fremont Street opened, followed by hotel expansions and new buildings. Once the Strip began developing in the 1940s, the city’s population began to increase.  Within 30 years of the dice beginning to roll, the population would grow to nearly 65,000, and Las Vegas would be one of the best-known destinations in the world.

SOURCE: Fred and Maureen Wilson Collection, UNLV Special Collections

David G. Schwartz (www.dieiscast.com), is the Director of the Center for Gaming Research at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. He is the author of Roll the Bones: The History of Gambling.

By David Schwartz

David G. Schwartz an Atlantic City native and the director of the Center for Gaming Research at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. He is the author of Roll the Bones: The History of Gambling. His web site can be viewed at www.dieiscast.com.