The first modern-era settlement was established by Mormon
missionaries in 1855, but the project was abandoned in 1858. This
original mission, known today as the Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort, became a
haven for desert-worn travelers and trailblazers lured by the region’s
gold and silver.

Settlers finally moved into the area to stay in 1865. That year Octavius D. Gass, set up a ranch on what is now downtown Las Vegas. Gass
lost the ranch to Archibald Stewart, whose wife, Helen, later sold the
ranch to Montana U.S. Senator William Clark.

Many people credit Clark as the one who gave Las Vegas its start when
he used the land to finish the railroad line between Los Angeles and
Salt Lake City. With the arrival of Union Pacific Railroad in 1905 and
the auction of land parcels owned by the railroad, Las Vegas was off and
running as a typical frontier town.

Las Vegas officially became a city in 1911 by an act of the Nevada
legislature. The INLV was founded that same
year.

Las Vegas was fairly insulated from the Great Depression. Jobs and
money were plentiful because of railroad development, legal gambling and
the construction of Hoover Dam. Ironically, the dam also generated the
start of the tourism industry as thousands of visitors came to watch the
dam being built.

When the Nevada Legislature legalized casino gambling as a means of
raising tax revenue in 1931, Nevada’s #1 industry began. El Rancho
Vegas became the first resort to open on what was to become the
world-famous Las Vegas Strip.

During World War II, Nellis Air Force Base was growing into a key
military installation. Originally built to train B-20 gunners, it later
became the training ground for the nation’s ace fighter pilots. Basic
Refractors also established a magnesium plant south of Las Vegas to help
with the war effort. As the community grew, it  became the City of
Henderson.

Today’s modern gaming industry began to take
shape after World War
II. The most celebrated of the early resorts was the Flamingo Hotel,
built by Benjamin "Bugsy" Seigel, which opened on New Year’s
Eve in 1946. In 1955, the Riviera became the first high-rise on the
Strip with nine stories.

The push to build bigger, more luxurious properties continued. Before
long the hotel/casino resorts on Las Vegas Strip were rivaling the
downtown area. Growth continued at a steady pace through the 1970s with
a brief lull in the 1980s when the community felt the effects of
nationwide recession. As soon as the economy bounced back, people
flocked to Las Vegas in record numbers, first as tourists and later as
permanent residents.

During the late 1980s, there weren’t enough construction workers
and equipment to meet the demand. Las Vegas soon became the darling of
the nation’s economists who were amazed at the growth in construction
and residences. The opening of the Mirage Resort in 1989 kicked off a
growth spurt of resort properties on the Strip, which didn’t skip a
beat in the first half of the 1990s. By 1996, seven new themed
megaresorts had opened.