BACK WHEN I HAD A GAMBLING MUSEUM I HAD THE PLEASURE OF MEETING AND TASLKING WITH TONI CLARK WIFE OF WILBUR CLARK AT A DEDICATION SERVICE HERE IN LAS VEGAS. A VERY SWEET LADY WITH ALOT OF GREAT MEMORIES OF OLD LAS VEGAS THE DESERT INN AND OF COURSE WILBUR CLARK. THE DESERT INN OPENED IT'S DOORS IN 1950 ... WILBUR WAS SHORT ON FUNDS AND MOE DAILITZ SOON BECAME THE MAJORITY OWNER AND THE REST IS HISTORY .... NOW COMES THE TALE OF WILBUR'S 2 DIFFERENT CACTUS! WHEN THE D.I. OPENED IT WAS ADORNED WITH THE GIANT SAGURAO CATCUS TREE ON THE LARGE FRONT MARQUEE SIGN AND THE DINNER PLATES & GLASSES, STATIONARY AND ALMOST EVERTHING D.I. HAD THE SAGURAO CACTUS LOGO ON IT (see photos) .... AFTER A SUCCESSFUL OPENING THE LOCAL PURIST WOULD GOSSIP AND TELL TONI CLARK AND OTHER D.I. PERSONNEL THAT WIBLUR HAD THE WRONG CACTUS ON THE LOGO .... THE GIANT SAGURAO CACTUS IS NOT NATIVE TO LAS VEGAS OR NEVADA .... AND DOES NOT CROSS THE COLORADO RIVER AND IS NATIVE TO ARIZONA. THE STATE TREE FOR NEVADA IS THE JOSHUA TREE CACTUS AND WILBUR SHOULD HAVE USED OUR STATE CACTUS TREE FOR IT'S LOGO .... WELL AFTER SEVERAL MONTHS WIBLUR WAS SICK AND TIRED OF HEARING ABOUT HIS SO CALLED WRONG CACTUS PROBLEM AND FINALLY CALLED YOUNG ELECTRIC SIGN COMPANY (yesco) TO RE-DO THE SIGNAGE THRU OUT THE PROPERTY ... HE ALSO SEND ALL THE SAGUARO LOGO DINNER WARE TO THE CITY DUMP AS WELL AND ORDERED ALL NEW CHINA WITH THE JOSHUA TREE CACTUS ON THEM. THIS COST A TON AOF MONEY, BUT AFTER IT WAS ALL DONE ... WILBUR COULD SMILE AND HE SUT UP HIS CRITICS ONCE AND FOR ALL. AS YOU KNOW THAT PRACTICE OF WASTING MILLIONS OF DOLLARS ON DO OVERS AND RE-MODELING CASINOS IS STILL PRACTICIED TODAY ... DON'T FORGET THEY MAKE MILLIONS ... SO THEY CAN WASTE MILLIONS ... THE STOCK HOLDERS TODAY DON'T HAVE MUCH SAY ...

I HOPED YOU ENJOYED MY LITTLE TALE OF 2 CACTUS .... LOOK AT YOUR DESERT INN COLLECTION ... ANYTHING WITH THE SAGURAO CACTUS IS MOST DESIRED AND IST. ISSUE
YOUR COMMENTS ARE MOST WELCOMED .... THANKS RICH BURGEL