Between the 1940s and 1970s, Las Vegas transformed from a dusty desert town into a glamorous destination complete with luxury resorts, celebrity appearances, and world-famous nightlife.
ClassicStock / Alamy Stock PhotoThe Stardust Casino in Las Vegas in 1969.
Today, Las Vegas is known for its crowded casinos, over-the-top shows, and towering resorts. But what was old Vegas like before technology and megacorporations took over?
Originally a dusty desert town, Las Vegas quickly bloomed into an adult playground beginning in the 1940s. By the 1960s, the city was a hub for all entertainment of all types, from sporting events to performances by the biggest stars in the music industry.
Icons like Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley called Vegas their home away from home and greatly impacted the local culture. The hotels that had once been styled to look straight out of the Wild West vanished, and glitzy resorts appeared in their place.
Megacorporations soon took over the majority of the casinos, and many of the games became automated. The charm of old Vegas slowly faded away, and while it may be long gone today, these 66 photos serve as a reminder of what Sin City was really like during its Golden Age:
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Fremont Street, the second most famous road in Vegas aside from the Strip, in the 1940s.Public Domain
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Bugsy Siegel opened the Flamingo Hotel and Casino in 1946 as the first luxury resort in Las Vegas.University of Nevada Las Vegas Special Collections
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Elizabeth Taylor with her second husband, Michael Wilding, at the Sahara in 1956.Las Vegas News Bureau
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A sign at the Sands advertises a performance by Sammy Davis Jr. in the 1950s.University of Nevada Las Vegas Special Collections
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Dean Martin performs at the Sands in 1957.University of Nevada Las Vegas Special Collections
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Guests playing slot machines at the Sands in the late 1950s.University of Nevada Las Vegas Special Collections
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A chimpanzee “gambling” at the Sands. Circa 1950s.University of Nevada Las Vegas Special Collections
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Frank Sinatra dealing baccarat at the Sands, circa 1959.University of Nevada Las Vegas Special Collections
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A woman and her child relax next to a Las Vegas hotel pool. Circa 1960.University of Nevada Las Vegas Special Collections
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The Fremont Street night scene in 1960.ClassicStock / Alamy Stock Photo
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A movie crew filming a scene for the 1960 film Ocean’s 11 in Las Vegas. Masheter Movie Archive / Alamy Stock Photo
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Jayne Mansfield at the Ocean’s 11 premiere at the Fremont Theatre in 1960.University of Nevada Las Vegas Special Collections
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Dean Martin and Joey Bishop performing at the Ocean’s 11 premiere. 1960.University of Nevada Las Vegas Special Collections
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A woman relaxes at the Hacienda Hotel pool in 1961.University of Nevada Las Vegas Special Collections
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The Tropicana Hotel in 1961. The resort later expanded to include two towers, but it closed in April 2024 and is set to be demolished to make room for a new baseball stadium.Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection
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The Las Vegas strip in 1962.Keystone Press / Alamy Stock Photo
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Women playing roulette in the 1960s.University of Nevada Las Vegas Special Collections
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Fremont Street during the day in 1962.United Archives GmbH / Alamy Stock Photo
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Gamblers playing slot machines in 1962.United Archives GmbH / Alamy Stock Photo
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The view standing outside the Fremont Theatre in 1963. University of Nevada Las Vegas Library
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A sign on the side of the Golden Nugget advertises a performance by Willie Nelson. 1963.M&N / Alamy Stock Photo
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Arnet Story, the winner of the 1963 Thunderbird Hotel trap-shooting contest in Vegas, poses with his shotgun. His prize was a brand new car.Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection
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Comedian Nipsey Russell performs at the Sands in 1963.Las Vegas News Bureau
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Elvis Presley in the 1964 film Viva Las Vegas.MGM
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The Hitching Post Wedding Chapel in 1964. Until 1949, it was one of only two wedding chapels in Las Vegas. Today, there are more than 50 on the Vegas Strip alone.M&N / Alamy Stock Photo
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Caesars Palace Hotel and Casino in 1964. Evel Knievel would attempt to jump his motorcycle over these fountains in 1967.Magdalena Mayo / Alamy Stock Photo
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Las Vegas showgirls in white costumes with red feather headdresses. Circa 1960s.University of Nevada Las Vegas Special Collections
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The Beatles land in Las Vegas in 1964. They performed on the roof of the Sahara Hotel.ZUMA Press, Inc. / Alamy Stock Photo
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Guests playing blackjack on gambling machines. 1966.Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection
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Nancy Sinatra watches her father, Frank Sinatra, and Dean Martin perform on stage in Las Vegas. 1966.Phillip Harrington / Alamy Stock Photo
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The Frontier Casino and Hotel in 1967. The property began as a casino called Pair O’ Dice in 1931, the same year gambling was legalized in Nevada. Heritage Image Partnership Ltd / Alamy Stock Photo
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Singer Ann-Margret performs in Las Vegas in 1967. Keystone Press / Alamy Stock Photo
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When the Fremont Hotel opened in 1956, it was the tallest building in the state of Nevada. It’s pictured here in the 1960s.ClassicStock / Alamy Stock Photo
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Elvis Presley and Priscilla get married at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas on May 1, 1967.Collection Christophel / Alamy Stock Photo
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The Mint Hotel towers above a sign for the Fiesta Room advertising a performance by Patti Page, the best-selling female artist of the 1950s. 1968.United Archives GmbH / Alamy Stock Photo
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Women on roller skates perform at the Sands. Circa 1960s.University of Nevada Las Vegas Special Collections
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Neon lights shine along Fremont Street at night in 1968. Heritage Image Partnership Ltd / Alamy Stock Photo
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Another view of Fremont Street in 1968, this one during the day.Heritage Image Partnership Ltd / Alamy Stock Photo
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Guests playing roulette in the 1960s. University of Nevada Las Vegas Special Collections
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A woman poses with a mink bedspread at the Sands Hotel. Circa 1960s.University of Nevada Las Vegas Special Collections
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A performer at the Dunes Hotel, circa 1960s.University of Nevada Las Vegas Special Collections
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Rows of slot machines in a Las Vegas casino. 1968.PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo
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An elaborate performance at a Las Vegas casino. 1968.PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo
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A Vegas casino in 1968.PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo
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Casino guests playing roulette. Circa 1960s.University of Nevada Las Vegas Special Collections
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Minsky’s Burlesque dancers at the Aladdin Hotel in 1970.University of Nevada Las Vegas Special Collections
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The Las Vegas Strip in 1970. A sign at the Riviera advertises performances by Shirley MacLaine and comedian Freddie Roman.ClassicStock / Alamy Stock Photo
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The Stardust Casino in 1970. Stardust was the home of the show Lido de Paris, which featured topless dancers.ClassicStock / Alamy Stock Photo
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Lights on Fremont Street, circa 1971.Kathy deWitt / Alamy Stock Photo
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The Golden Nugget is one of the oldest casinos in Las Vegas. It opened in 1946 and is still operational today. It’s pictured here in 1972.Hum Historical / Alamy Stock Photo
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The third annual World Series of Poker played at the Horseshoe Casino in 1972. Underwood Archives, Inc / Alamy Stock Photo
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A burlesque dancer at the Aladdin Hotel. 1972.University of Nevada Las Vegas Special Collections
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A group of gamblers in Las Vegas in 1973.INTERFOTO / Alamy Stock Photo
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Muhammad Ali training ahead of his fight with Joe Bugner in Las Vegas in February 1973.Trinity Mirror / Mirrorpix / Alamy Stock Photo
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A Las Vegas gambling hall in 1973. INTERFOTO / Alamy Stock Photo
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A billboard advertising a burlesque show. 1973.Lehigh University Art Galleries Collection
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MGM Showgirls in 1978. University of Nevada Las Vegas Special Collections
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The interior of the Stardust Hotel and Casino in 1974. University of Nevada Las Vegas Special Collections
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Woman wearing a bikini at the Stardust hotel in the 1960s. Interfoto/Alamy
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Gambling in Las Vegas in 1968. PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo
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Las Vegas in the 1970s. Hum Historical / Alamy Stock Photo
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The 1976 World Series of Poker. Seated at the far end of the table is Doyle Brunson, who won $300,000 at the tournament.University of Nevada Las Vegas Special Collections
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ABBA on stage in Las Vegas. 1979.TT News Agency / Alamy Stock Photo
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The famous golden slipper in the 1970s.ClassicStock/Alamy
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View of the Mint in 1961. INTERFOTO / Alamy Stock Photo
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The Riviera, March 30, 1967.Las Vegas News Bureau
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Vintage Photos That Show What Las Vegas Was Really Like During Its Golden Age
Inside The Early Years Of Old Las Vegas
Las Vegas was founded in 1905, but for the first few years of its existence, the city was nothing more than a stopover town for people traveling from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles by train. Then, in 1931, gambling was legalized in the state of Nevada as a source of revenue during the Great Depression, setting the stage for what Vegas would become.
University of Nevada Las Vegas LibraryA powerhouse and shops along the railroad in Las Vegas. Circa 1930.
In 1941, the first casino resort, El Rancho Vegas, opened its doors. It was so successful that similar businesses started springing up around it, and soon the Vegas Strip was born. Five years later, mobster Bugsy Siegel opened the Flamingo Hotel, an upscale resort with a modern design that contrasted with the Old West theme of El Rancho Vegas. Within just a few years, glitzy hotels were the norm, attracting a whole new clientele.
By the 1950s, Las Vegas was synonymous with entertainment. At the end of World War II, Liberace had performed at the Hotel Last Frontier, and a decade later, he was making $50,000 per week to play the Riviera Hotel and Casino, as reported by Nevada Public Radio. Liberace started the concept of concert residencies in Vegas, which remain one of the primary tourist attractions of the city today.
Frank Sinatra first sang in Vegas in September 1951, and he quickly became a mainstay at resorts like the Sands and the Sahara. When he wasn’t performing, he could often be found gambling at casinos. In fact, he was such an icon of old Vegas that Nevada’s former lieutenant governor Lorraine Hunt-Bono once credited him with transforming the city.
“Frank wouldn’t go out after dark without a sport jacket on, let alone perform out of a tuxedo,” Hunt-Bono told Smithsonian Magazine in 2013. “He was the spark that changed Vegas from a dusty Western town into something glamorous.”
Then, in 1956, Elvis Presley made his Vegas debut.
Elvis And The Age Of Rock ‘N’ Roll
Perhaps the only star that shaped Las Vegas more than Frank Sinatra was Elvis Presley.
He first performed as the closing act of a show at the New Frontier Hotel and Casino in April 1956. He didn’t impress the crowds at first, but by 1964, Elvis was synonymous with Sin City. That year, he even starred in the film Viva Las Vegas. Between 1969 and 1976, “the King” played 636 sold-out shows at the International, performing twice a night, seven nights a week.
PA Images / Alamy Stock PhotoElvis Presley performing in Las Vegas in 1971.
Elvis’s impact on Las Vegas was so great that it is still felt today, from impersonators to tribute artists. The iconic Little White Wedding Chapel even offers an Elvis wedding package. (Elvis got married in Vegas himself, tying the knot with Priscilla at the Aladdin Hotel in 1967.)
While performing at Caesars Palace in 2007, Celine Dion told the audience, “Elvis was Las Vegas. And if it wasn’t for him, so many performers like myself would probably never have had the chance to do what we do in this town. He really was the King.”
Although Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, and other singers helped Las Vegas become the “Entertainment Capital of the World,” other forms of entertainment also shaped the city.
Gambling, Sports, And Dazzling Shows In Old Las Vegas
In 1957, Minsky’s Follies — Sin City’s first topless burlesque show — opened at the Dunes. It was advertised as “eye-popping” and reportedly attracted 9,000 viewers each week.
A decade later, Siegfried and Roy, the stage duo famous for using lions and tigers in their acts, first appeared in Vegas. Though they began as a small act in 1967, they were the grand finale by 1978, and they later performed in their own show at the Mirage between 1990 and 2003.
Evel Knievel, who was just 29 and not yet well-known at the time, attempted his longest jump ever at Caesars Palace on New Year’s Eve 1967. His goal was to jump his motorcycle 141 feet over the fountains in front of the resort, but he crashed and was left with a broken pelvis, hip, and wrist, two fractured ankles, and a concussion. Some reports claimed he spent 29 days in a coma following the incident, but his wife later denied the rumors.
John Kellerman / Alamy Stock PhotoThe streets of Sin City in 2019.
Vegas was also a burgeoning hub for sports like boxing. On Nov. 22, 1965, Muhammad Ali fought and defeated Floyd Patterson at the Las Vegas Convention Center. It was a memorable match that New York Times reporter Robert Lipsyte likened to “a little boy pulling off the wings of a butterfly.”
Today, Las Vegas is still known for sports, gambling, and over-the-top shows, but for many, the charm of old Vegas has been lost to time. However, while many things have changed in Sin City since its Golden Age, one thing remains the same: What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.
