The Kirkby's were operators of the El Capitan night club outside of Redding, California. The state claimed eminent domain for a road and tore the place down in 1957. There were some lawsuits on how much the place was actually worth.

Meanwhile, in Winnemucca, John Boortz, a gambler from Algoa, Texas (see my article "Buffaloed in Texas" in the last CCTN) opened the Texan Club briefly before dying in a car crash in 1959.

In 1959, the Kirkby's received a gaming license for slot machines at the Texan Club, and in 1960 received an unrestricted gambling license for the Texan.