Whats Helldorado without an old-timey train to remind us of our early days?
Helldorado Days began in 1934 at a time when the builders at Hoover Dam had finished their work and were moving back where they came from. This change in society threatened to leave Las Vegas without its “customer base.” So Clyde Zerby, a member of the Elks Lodge, came up with the idea of a multi-day festival as a way to draw tourists to town. A Western Village was built in Downtown Las Vegas, and the residents wore Western garb for the full length of the festival. Longtime residents write fondly of those days when they wore cowboy clothes to school and staked out their claim to view three parades in three days. Read the selection of Helldorado Stories. Click images for enlargements. Lasso twirling is a favorite Western Village pastime. Las Vegas’ Fremont Street as it looks today — plenty of lights and no dust.
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