The Chip Board
Custom Search
   


The Chip Board Archive 22

Re: A "Tucson" Club? You got my attention...

Hi, Jim ~ Well, as luck would have it (and this is why I've never been a gambler), I was mistaken about that club in Tucson. I hate when that happens! :-) Actually, the club I was trying to remember was located in Miami, Arizona. It occupied the second floor of the Chief Hotel, and my dad owned it with a partner named Bill Waggoner. I thought it was my grandfather who owned it, but it wasn't. That was in 1947, before our family moved to Las Vegas. Other clubs my grandfather owned (and I assume most of them were illegal) included: The Red River, located near the Colorado border in New Mexico • The Van Dyke Bar, located across the street from the Paso Del Norte Hotel in downtown El Paso • The Poodle Dog ('36), located on Exposition Avenue across the street from the main entrance to the Texas Centennial Grounds • The Castle Club (which later became the Valley Country Club), located in Anapra, New Mexico, seven miles west of El Paso • The Tropics, located across the street from the Castle Club in Anapra, New Mexico • The Eagle's Nest, located somewhere in northern New Mexico • My granddad also had the gambling at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs in 1938, plus the gambling at The El Rancho Hotel in Gallup • In addition, in 1942, he ran a gambling house (literally in a private home) in a section of Santa Fe called Tesuque (pronounced Tess-OO-kee, I believe). This little 'burb was considered the Beverly Hills of Santa Fe. His partner in the Tesuque operation was Jim Cash, the sheriff of Greenlee County, Arizona. Cash's wife was the Arizona governor's personal secretary! • Other operations my grandfather owned were located in the following towns in Texas: Kilgore, Longview, Pampa, Odessa, San Angelo, Burkburnett, Wink, and Borger, among others. I'm told that some of my grandfather's gambling houses used casino chips that were simply stamped, "BW" the first name initials of both himself, Whip Jones, and his partner, Bill Thorn. Bill and Whip / BW. I don't know if any of those chips have survived. Bill Thorn was the constable in Roswell, New Mexico, and quite a colorful character in his own right. In addition to being a constable, he was a professional poker player and a bounty hunter. One story about him is that he always wore a 10 carat diamond ring, and one time after a particularly profitable poker game he was accosted by some bad guys and worked over pretty thoroughly, losing his bankroll and his ring. That's all the typing I can do for now! Sorry to get you all excited about that illegal club in Tucson! My mistake. Best regards, Huff Jones, Eugene, Oregon

Messages In This Thread

New Member
Welcome aboard,I know you'll like it here
Re: Welcome aboard,I know you'll like it here
welcome aboard!
Re: welcome aboard!
Welcome aboard, we will enjoy...
Re: Welcome aboard, we will enjoy...
WELCOME! vbg
Re: WELCOME! vbg
Re: WELCOME! vbg
Re: New Member
Re: New Member
welcome aboard!
Re: welcome aboard!
Welcome!
Re: Welcome!
Welcome Huff grin grin
Re: Welcome Huff grin grin
rofl Show-n-tell later??? rofl
Welcome!!!!! It's almost Convention time
Re: Welcome!!!!! It's almost Convention time
Re: Welcome!!!!! It's almost Convention time
Re: New Member
sorry ignore the watch photo
Re: New Member
Welcome to the club!
Re: Welcome to the club!
Re: Welcome to the Club and the Hobby and..
Re: Welcome to the Club and the Hobby and..
A "Tucson" Club? You got my attention...
Re: A "Tucson" Club? You got my attention...
Re: A "Tucson" Club? You got my attention...
Re: A "Tucson" Club? You got my attention...
Re: Welcome to the Club and the Hobby and..
Re: Welcome to the Club and the Hobby and..
Re: still legal in El Paso
Re: still legal in El Paso
Re: still legal in El Paso
Re: still legal in El Paso
Re: Welcome to the Club and the Hobby and..
Re: Welcome to the Club and the Hobby and..
Welcome Huff - you're gonna have fun! grin
Re: Welcome Huff - you're gonna have fun! grin
Welcome to the Club, Huff !!!*vbg*
Re: Welcome to the Club, Huff !!!*vbg*
Welcome, Welcome Welcome
Re: Welcome, Welcome Welcome
grin Welcome! grin Hope To Meet You In June! grin
Re: grin Welcome! grin Hope To Meet You In June! grin
grin Welcome to the club... grin grin
Re: grin Welcome to the club... grin grin
grin Welcome...
Re: grin Welcome...
Welcome-Enjoy The Ride
Re: Welcome-Enjoy The Ride
Welcome! grin
Re: Welcome! grin
Re: New Member
Re: New Member
Welcome. Thanks for sharing so much with us on ~~~
Re: Welcome. Thanks for sharing so much with us on
WELCOME HUFF....ENJOY THE RIDE vbg
Re: WELCOME HUFF....ENJOY THE RIDE vbg
Re: New Member
Re: New Member
grin Welcome, Huff...I'm sure that you will enjoy
Re: grin Welcome, Huff...I'm sure that you will enj
Re: Hi Huff, Welcome to the Club...
Re: Hi Huff, Welcome to the Club...
Welcome to the club Huff.
Re: Welcome to the club Huff.
Thanks Huff, Just look for the guy at the bar
Re: Thanks Huff, Just look for the guy at the bar
Re: Arizona Illegal

Copyright 2022 David Spragg