Page 103 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Southwest USA & National Parks

INTRODUCING LAS VEGAS  101

Benjamin Siegel, (left) called “Bugsy” behind his
back, was a New York City gangster. He moved to
Los Angeles in the 1930s and created the luxurious
Flamingo hotel and casino in Vegas (see p115).
He was killed by fellow investors only a year
after the casino opened in 1946, probably
because other mobsters disliked his high
profile. Although nothing remains of the
original Flamingo building, there is still a
tropical-themed luxury hotel on this spot.

Howard Hughes
Billionaire Howard Hughes arrived in Las Vegas in
November 1966, moving into a luxurious suite on the
ninth floor of the Desert Inn hotel. When the hotel’s
management tried to move him out a few months
later, Hughes bought the place for $13.2 million.
Although he never left his room in four years, he
spent some $300 million buying Vegas properties.
These included the Silver Slipper hotel and casino
across the Strip, whose blinking neon slipper
disturbed him – as the owner he had it switched off.
Hughes is credited with bringing legitimate
business and a sanitized image to Vegas, sounding the
death knell of mob investment in the city. In the
1960s, family-oriented resorts such as Circus Circus
opened, and such entertainment corpor ations as
MGM, Hilton, and Holiday Inn began legitimate
building programs. However, as recently as the
1970s and 1980s mobsters were caught skimming
profits from some Vegas hotels.

Billionaire entrepreneur Howard Hughes
The Strip
From a few low-rise buildings along
a desert road in the 1960s to the
glittering neon canyon of today, the
transformation of the Strip has been
remarkable (see pp106–109).

The Rat Pack, which included Peter
Lawford, Sammy Davis Jr., Frank Sinatra,
Joey Bishop, and Dean Martin, sealed Las
Vegas’ reputation as an entertainment
mecca in the 1950s with shows at the
now-demolished Sands hotel.

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