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'''The Meadows Casino & Hotel''' ({{aka}} The Meadows Club) was the first resort hotel-casino in the [[Las Vegas]] area, opening in 1931. The Meadows was located at Fremont Street and East Charleston Boulevard near the [[Nevada State Route 582|Boulder Highway]], and outside the Las Vegas city limits. Its location was designed to attract workers and tourists from the [[Hoover Dam]]. The hotel had 30 to 50 rooms (accounts vary). The hotel-casino operated a nightclub, featuring the Meadows Revue and the Meadow Larks band. It also had a landing strip for small airplanes.<ref>Meadows Club - Online Nevada Encyclopedia[http://www.onlinenevada.org/articles/meadows-club]</ref><ref>Video Vault: The First Las Vegas Carpet Joint news3lv.com[http://news3lv.com/features/video-vault/video-vault-the-first-las-vegas-carpet-joint]</ref><ref>Tony Cornero ''Las Vegas Review-Journal'' February 7, 1999[https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/tony-cornero/]</ref><ref>Meadows Resort. Rand-Om Ramblings. March 2, 2013. randnoel.blogspot.com[http://randnoel.blogspot.com/]</ref><ref>Las Vegas That Fabulous First Century by Thomas Ainlay
'''The Meadows Casino & Hotel''' ({{aka}} The Meadows Club) was the first resort hotel-casino in the [[Las Vegas]] area, opening in 1931. The Meadows was located at Fremont Street and East Charleston Boulevard near the [[Nevada State Route 582|Boulder Highway]], and outside the Las Vegas city limits. Its location was designed to attract workers and tourists from the [[Hoover Dam]]. The hotel had 30 to 50 rooms (accounts vary). The hotel-casino operated a nightclub, featuring the Meadows Revue and the Meadow Larks band. It also had a landing strip for small airplanes.<ref>[http://www.onlinenevada.org/articles/meadows-club Meadows Club - Online Nevada Encyclopedia]</ref><ref>[http://news3lv.com/features/video-vault/video-vault-the-first-las-vegas-carpet-joint Video Vault: The First Las Vegas Carpet Joint news3lv.com]</ref><ref>[https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/tony-cornero/ Tony Cornero ''Las Vegas Review-Journal'' February 7, 1999]</ref><ref>Meadows Resort. Rand-Om Ramblings. March 2, 2013. randnoel.blogspot.com [http://randnoel.blogspot.com/]</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=zeIbm3iEXhQC&q=cornero Las Vegas That Fabulous First Century by Thomas Ainlay]</ref>
[https://books.google.com/books?id=zeIbm3iEXhQC&q=cornero]</ref>


==History==
==History==
{{Refimprove|date=August 2022}}
{{More citations needed|date=August 2022}}
In early 1931, [[Nevada]] governor [[Fred B. Balzar]] signed into law Assembly Bill 98, which legalized gambling, and the Meadows was one of the first casinos to open after legalization. The Meadows was owned by [[Anthony Cornero]] (aka Tony Cornero or Anthony Stralla){{Citation needed|date=September 2021}}, who was a major [[Rum-running|bootlegger]] during [[Prohibition in the United States|Prohibition]], operating out of [[Los Angeles]]. However, because of a bootlegging conviction{{Citation needed|date=September 2021}}, the casino was licensed in the names of his brothers, Frank and Louis Stralla. The Meadows opened on May 2, 1931. Cornero sold the hotel{{Citation needed|date=September 2021}} in July 1931 to Alex Richmond. In September 1931, a fire broke out at the hotel. Because it was outside the Las Vegas city limits, the Las Vegas city fire department refused to fight the fire.<ref>Fire Destroys Noted Resort ''San Bernardino Sun'' September 9, 1931[https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=SBS19310909.1.12&txq=meadows+cornero]</ref>
In early 1931, [[Nevada]] governor [[Fred B. Balzar]] signed into law Assembly Bill 98, which legalized gambling, and the Meadows was one of the first casinos to open after legalization. The Meadows was owned by [[Anthony Cornero]] (aka Tony Cornero or Anthony Stralla){{Citation needed|date=September 2021}}, who was a major [[Rum-running|bootlegger]] during [[Prohibition in the United States|Prohibition]], operating out of [[Los Angeles]]. However, because of a bootlegging conviction{{Citation needed|date=September 2021}}, the casino was licensed in the names of his brothers, Frank and Louis Stralla. The Meadows opened on May 2, 1931. Cornero sold the hotel{{Citation needed|date=September 2021}} in July 1931 to Alex Richmond. In September 1931, a fire broke out at the hotel. Because it was outside the Las Vegas city limits, the Las Vegas city fire department refused to fight the fire.<ref>[https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=SBS19310909.1.12&txq=meadows+cornero Fire Destroys Noted Resort ''San Bernardino Sun'' September 9, 1931]</ref>


The casino was leased in 1932 to Guido Marchetti, Frank Miller and Earl West.<ref>The Men Who Made Las Vegas - Tony "The Hat" striplv.com[http://striplv.com/archives/19-articles/featured/115-the-men-who-made-las-vegas-by-byron-craft-tony-the-hat.html]</ref> Then, in 1935, the property was sold to Dave Stearns, Sam Stearns and Larry Potter. The Meadows later became a house of prostitution, operated by Eddie Clippinger.<ref>"So Much for Fond Five-Dollar Memories": Prostitution in Las Vegas, 1905-1955 by Marie Katherine Rowley May 1, 2012. UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones
The casino was leased in 1932 to Guido Marchetti, Frank Miller and Earl West.<ref>[http://striplv.com/archives/19-articles/featured/115-the-men-who-made-las-vegas-by-byron-craft-tony-the-hat.html The Men Who Made Las Vegas - Tony "The Hat" striplv.com]</ref> Then, in 1935, the property was sold to Dave Stearns, Sam Stearns and Larry Potter. The Meadows later became a house of prostitution, operated by Eddie Clippinger.<ref>"So Much for Fond Five-Dollar Memories": Prostitution in Las Vegas, 1905-1955 by Marie Katherine Rowley May 1, 2012. UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones
[https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2619&context=thesesdissertations]</ref> The Meadows was closed down in 1942 by the federal government under provisions of the May Act,<ref>Classification 18: May Act - National Archives[https://www.archives.gov/research/investigations/fbi/classifications/018-may-act.html]</ref> as it was near Las Vegas Army Airfield (now [[Nellis Air Force Base]]). It later caught on fire and was demolished.
[https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2619&context=thesesdissertations]</ref> The Meadows was closed down in 1942 by the federal government under provisions of the May Act,<ref>[https://www.archives.gov/research/investigations/fbi/classifications/018-may-act.html Classification 18: May Act - National Archives]</ref> as it was near Las Vegas Army Airfield (now [[Nellis Air Force Base]]). It later caught on fire and was demolished.


==Afterward==
==Afterward==
Tony Cornero later owned the [[gambling ship]]s SS Rex and SS Tango, in the late 1930s, and the SS Lux, in 1946, operating off the coast of Southern California. All three ships were eventually shut down by the government.<ref>[http://www.lamag.com/askchris/tony-cornero-and-the-ss-rex/ Tony Cornero And The S.S. Rex ''Los Angeles Magazine'' June 28, 2013]</ref> In 1945, Cornero also briefly owned the S.S. Rex Club on the ground floor of the Apache Hotel in [[Downtown Las Vegas]] (now the site of [[Binion's Gambling Hall and Hotel]]).<ref>[http://www.onlinenevada.org/articles/ss-rex-club SS Rex Club - Online Nevada Encyclopedia]</ref> He was developing the [[Stardust Resort and Casino]] when he died in 1955 while playing craps at the [[Desert Inn]].<ref> [http://www.onlinenevada.org/articles/stardust-hotel Stardust Hotel - Online Nevada Encyclopedia]</ref>
Tony Cornero later owned the [[gambling ship]]s SS Rex and SS Tango, in the late 1930s, and the SS Lux, in 1946, operating off the coast of Southern California. All three ships were eventually shut down by the government.<ref>[http://www.lamag.com/askchris/tony-cornero-and-the-ss-rex/ Tony Cornero And The S.S. Rex ''Los Angeles Magazine'' June 28, 2013]</ref> In 1945, Cornero also briefly owned the S.S. Rex Club on the ground floor of the Apache Hotel in [[Downtown Las Vegas]] (now the site of [[Binion's Gambling Hall and Hotel]]).<ref>[http://www.onlinenevada.org/articles/ss-rex-club SS Rex Club - Online Nevada Encyclopedia]</ref> He was developing the [[Stardust Resort and Casino]] when he died in 1955 while playing craps at the [[Desert Inn]].<ref>[http://www.onlinenevada.org/articles/stardust-hotel Stardust Hotel - Online Nevada Encyclopedia]</ref>


Eddie Clippinger and his wife, Roxie Clippinger, later operated Roxie's, a well known bordello in the Formyle (originally Four Mile) section of Las Vegas on the Boulder Highway. In 1954, the federal government shut it down. The [[Las Vegas Sun]] newspaper reported on the political corruption surrounding the operation of Roxies. [[Glen Jones]], the [[Sheriff of Clark County]], filed a $1 million libel lawsuit against Las Vegas Sun owner [[Hank Greenspun]], but later withdrew the lawsuit. In a reelection bid that year, Jones finished last in a field of five candidates and lost the office he had held for 12 years.<ref>Over a century, Four Mile has gone from trailside oasis to brothel to bar ''Las Vegas Review Journal'' April 2, 2012[https://www.reviewjournal.com/uncategorized/over-a-century-four-mile-has-gone-from-trailside-oasis-to-brothel-to-bar/]</ref><ref>Reid, Ed; Demaris, Ovid. ''The Green Felt Jungle''. Trident Press. 1963, Chapter 6. [https://books.google.com/books?id=ijcZAAAAIAAJ&q=clippinger]</ref><ref>[https://lasvegassun.com/news/2000/jul/01/a-powerful-vehicle-for-change/ A powerful vehicle for change] ''Las Vegas Sun'' July 1, 2000</ref>
Eddie Clippinger and his wife, Roxie Clippinger, later operated Roxie's, a well known bordello in the Formyle (originally Four Mile) section of Las Vegas on the Boulder Highway. In 1954, the federal government shut it down. The [[Las Vegas Sun]] newspaper reported on the political corruption surrounding the operation of Roxies. [[Glen Jones]], the [[Sheriff of Clark County]], filed a $1 million libel lawsuit against Las Vegas Sun owner [[Hank Greenspun]], but later withdrew the lawsuit. In a reelection bid that year, Jones finished last in a field of five candidates and lost the office he had held for 12 years.<ref>Over a century, Four Mile has gone from trailside oasis to brothel to bar ''Las Vegas Review Journal'' April 2, 2012 [https://www.reviewjournal.com/uncategorized/over-a-century-four-mile-has-gone-from-trailside-oasis-to-brothel-to-bar/]</ref><ref>Reid, Ed; Demaris, Ovid. ''The Green Felt Jungle''. Trident Press. 1963, Chapter 6. [https://books.google.com/books?id=ijcZAAAAIAAJ&q=clippinger]</ref><ref>[https://lasvegassun.com/news/2000/jul/01/a-powerful-vehicle-for-change/ A powerful vehicle for change] ''Las Vegas Sun'' July 1, 2000</ref>


==References==
==References==
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Latest revision as of 22:53, 29 March 2024

The Meadows Casino & Hotel
Location Las Vegas Valley, Nevada
Opening date1931
Closing date1942
Signature attractionsthe Meadows Revue and the Meadow Larks band
Casino typeLand
OwnerAnthony Cornero
Frank and Louis Stralla
Alex Richmond
Guido Marchetti, Frank Miller and Earl West
Eddie Clippinger

The Meadows Casino & Hotel (a.k.a. The Meadows Club) was the first resort hotel-casino in the Las Vegas area, opening in 1931. The Meadows was located at Fremont Street and East Charleston Boulevard near the Boulder Highway, and outside the Las Vegas city limits. Its location was designed to attract workers and tourists from the Hoover Dam. The hotel had 30 to 50 rooms (accounts vary). The hotel-casino operated a nightclub, featuring the Meadows Revue and the Meadow Larks band. It also had a landing strip for small airplanes.[1][2][3][4][5]

History

[edit]

In early 1931, Nevada governor Fred B. Balzar signed into law Assembly Bill 98, which legalized gambling, and the Meadows was one of the first casinos to open after legalization. The Meadows was owned by Anthony Cornero (aka Tony Cornero or Anthony Stralla)[citation needed], who was a major bootlegger during Prohibition, operating out of Los Angeles. However, because of a bootlegging conviction[citation needed], the casino was licensed in the names of his brothers, Frank and Louis Stralla. The Meadows opened on May 2, 1931. Cornero sold the hotel[citation needed] in July 1931 to Alex Richmond. In September 1931, a fire broke out at the hotel. Because it was outside the Las Vegas city limits, the Las Vegas city fire department refused to fight the fire.[6]

The casino was leased in 1932 to Guido Marchetti, Frank Miller and Earl West.[7] Then, in 1935, the property was sold to Dave Stearns, Sam Stearns and Larry Potter. The Meadows later became a house of prostitution, operated by Eddie Clippinger.[8] The Meadows was closed down in 1942 by the federal government under provisions of the May Act,[9] as it was near Las Vegas Army Airfield (now Nellis Air Force Base). It later caught on fire and was demolished.

Afterward

[edit]

Tony Cornero later owned the gambling ships SS Rex and SS Tango, in the late 1930s, and the SS Lux, in 1946, operating off the coast of Southern California. All three ships were eventually shut down by the government.[10] In 1945, Cornero also briefly owned the S.S. Rex Club on the ground floor of the Apache Hotel in Downtown Las Vegas (now the site of Binion's Gambling Hall and Hotel).[11] He was developing the Stardust Resort and Casino when he died in 1955 while playing craps at the Desert Inn.[12]

Eddie Clippinger and his wife, Roxie Clippinger, later operated Roxie's, a well known bordello in the Formyle (originally Four Mile) section of Las Vegas on the Boulder Highway. In 1954, the federal government shut it down. The Las Vegas Sun newspaper reported on the political corruption surrounding the operation of Roxies. Glen Jones, the Sheriff of Clark County, filed a $1 million libel lawsuit against Las Vegas Sun owner Hank Greenspun, but later withdrew the lawsuit. In a reelection bid that year, Jones finished last in a field of five candidates and lost the office he had held for 12 years.[13][14][15]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Meadows Club - Online Nevada Encyclopedia
  2. ^ Video Vault: The First Las Vegas Carpet Joint news3lv.com
  3. ^ Tony Cornero Las Vegas Review-Journal February 7, 1999
  4. ^ Meadows Resort. Rand-Om Ramblings. March 2, 2013. randnoel.blogspot.com [1]
  5. ^ Las Vegas That Fabulous First Century by Thomas Ainlay
  6. ^ Fire Destroys Noted Resort San Bernardino Sun September 9, 1931
  7. ^ The Men Who Made Las Vegas - Tony "The Hat" striplv.com
  8. ^ "So Much for Fond Five-Dollar Memories": Prostitution in Las Vegas, 1905-1955 by Marie Katherine Rowley May 1, 2012. UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones [2]
  9. ^ Classification 18: May Act - National Archives
  10. ^ Tony Cornero And The S.S. Rex Los Angeles Magazine June 28, 2013
  11. ^ SS Rex Club - Online Nevada Encyclopedia
  12. ^ Stardust Hotel - Online Nevada Encyclopedia
  13. ^ Over a century, Four Mile has gone from trailside oasis to brothel to bar Las Vegas Review Journal April 2, 2012 [3]
  14. ^ Reid, Ed; Demaris, Ovid. The Green Felt Jungle. Trident Press. 1963, Chapter 6. [4]
  15. ^ A powerful vehicle for change Las Vegas Sun July 1, 2000