Before there was the glow of neon or the crooning of the Rat Pack, there was sagebrush and open desert. Back when “The Strip” was still known as Highway 91, back before the tagline “What happens in Vegas…” existed, there were a bunch of tough pioneers who started a frontier town in the absolute middle of nowhere. But how did that happen? How did we go from dusty old saloons and dance halls to the entertainment behemoth that is now modern Las Vegas?

Explore early Vegas through the end of the 1920s with me, from a lens of entertainment history. We will talk about early historic theaters and silent movie halls, Tinseltown elite visiting and filming in Las Vegas, jazz virtuosos playing the notorious vice neighborhood of Block 16, and more.

Thanks for joining me for today’s episode of On With The Show. Today’s episode was written, edited and narrated by Jen Flood-Carle. You can find more information about this episode and other episodes on my website, including show notes, links to research materials, and additional content. If you like the podcast, please tell your friends, and subscribe, rate and review on the podcast platform of your choice. I’ll be back next week with another tale of entertainment history, highlighting forgotten stars and stories from over a hundred years of stage-and-screen.