Starting in the early1940s, resort hotels and fancy casinos were the big tourist attractions in Las Vegas. But there were plenty of small bars and casinos, too. The red, white and blue Victory Club was one of those. From the look of it, it was a rough place.
Located on the Boulder Highway near Henderson, it was built in the early years of WWII to serve the workers at the enormous Basic Magnesium plant that was nearby. The hand-painted sign above the front door reads, Through These Portals Pass The Finest People in the World, Our Customers." Uh-huh.
I drove past the Victory Club nine jillion times to use one of my mom's phrases, but never stepped foot inside. One evening in 1970 I stopped to shoot this photo of the exterior because I thought the building probably wouldn't be there much longer.
My friend Stephen Kopels' father brought him here sometime around 1950 and introduced him to Jim Thorpe, renowned as the world's greatest athlete during the first half of the twentieth century. Jim Thorpe worked briefly as a bartender here. He died in 1953 at age sixty-five.
The sign next to the "V" reads "Coors." The window signs advertise Seagram's gin and bourbon.
Located on the Boulder Highway near Henderson, it was built in the early years of WWII to serve the workers at the enormous Basic Magnesium plant that was nearby. The hand-painted sign above the front door reads, Through These Portals Pass The Finest People in the World, Our Customers." Uh-huh.
I drove past the Victory Club nine jillion times to use one of my mom's phrases, but never stepped foot inside. One evening in 1970 I stopped to shoot this photo of the exterior because I thought the building probably wouldn't be there much longer.
My friend Stephen Kopels' father brought him here sometime around 1950 and introduced him to Jim Thorpe, renowned as the world's greatest athlete during the first half of the twentieth century. Jim Thorpe worked briefly as a bartender here. He died in 1953 at age sixty-five.
The sign next to the "V" reads "Coors." The window signs advertise Seagram's gin and bourbon.
No comments:
Post a Comment