I saw a picture the other day of a Harolds Gun Club chip and I know Chips Off The Old Block had some for sale recently. I’ve been doing a lot of reading about Harolds Club and that era in Reno history and thought I’d pass along some info about Harolds Gun Club I found interesting. Thanks to Dwayne Kling for his books The Rise of the Biggest Little City and A Family Affair for the bulk of what I know about this place.

Harolds Gun Club is dated at 1962 –1979, location, Pyramid Lake, Nevada, about 45-50 miles north of Reno. Haven’t found a genesis of the Gun Club but shooting was an avocation of Harold Sr. Harolds Club at that time was making very good money and the indulgence of a shooting facility was of no consequence if it amused one of the Smiths. It also would surely appeal to the promotional bent of “Pappy” Smith.

In addition to “Harolds Club Or Bust” signage coast to coast and beyond, Harolds had other ways to get their name out to potential Reno visitors. One way was through their baseball and softball teams. Indeed, if you could play baseball, you stood a very good chance of being invited to employment at Harolds Club! These teams barnstormed the country, a very good way to get the casinos name out since advertising at the time prohibited any mention of gambling. Drafting ball players to work at Harolds was typical as a lot of hiring was done as a result of word of mouth with employees inviting friends into the Harolds fold. This was also done at Harrah’s as both casinos would rather hire folks outside of the gaming industry. Harrah’s had a recruiting office in Twin Falls, ID. while Harolds Club had one in Hollywood and that is a key to understanding these two Reno institutions! Once the Gun Club was visualised, several gunners came aboard to work for the Smiths.

Harolds Gun Club was a regular stop for organised national shooting competion. Another way to attract attention to the Club and Reno. Two Harolds Club shooters won many awards and championships. Indeed, Club employees Joe Devers and Dan Orlich would sometimes face off in the finals, shooting two hundred trap targets in a row on their way to final placings. Orlich rose to casino manager and stayed on until after Hughes’ Summa Corperation bought Harolds Club in Reno.

Kling tells us that the club was open several days a week for shooting but gaming only occurred during major shooting competions. Fuller shows licensing for slots and 21 but craps and roulette tables were utilized also. I wonder if the slots were in operation anytime the club was open however. The organization of the table games during shoots is rather interesting. There were no chips or cash at the Gun Club except when the tables were open during shoots. All this was loaded into a car in an alley behind Harolds Club in Reno and the casino manger went along with the “bankroll”. Security was, shall we say, under development, over the years and indeed, Pappy once stormed down the highway out to the Gun Club wondering what fate his late-to-return crew had met.

The clientel that did the gambling at these events was a well-heeled sporting crowd. The value guides list chips up to $100 but a remark by one Harolds Club employee indicates that the Smiths most likely supplied anyone who felt the need with larger chips, probably with a simple Harolds Club Reno legend. The tables were open as long as the gamers wanted them to be and it was a plum job to be a dealer during these events.

I don’t recall seeing a picture of the Gun Club but would sure be interested. The location is now the Spanish Springs Recreational Area at Pyramid Lake. Once you set eyes on the lake, you’ll recognize the natural name that was picked as there is a massive rock formation rising from the lake that is an uncanny pyramid. One of those prehistoric space alien projects, I’d say. Does anything remain of Harolds Gun Club today, I’d like to hear?

PS re: the ball teams. Upon return from a tour, a rather fanciful and creative expense report was submitted to Pappy and the team bus was sent to the showers…along with the team. Some of the operators in those days could be very big hearted but you never never ever crossroaded them!