was the day the El Rancho Vegas burned to the ground . El Rancho Vegas was the first resort built on the Strip.

This was the next morning, one of these people was Beldon Katelman, the owner:

Arson was suspected, but never proven. No one died in the fire, and the El Rancho Vegas was never re-built.

A few chips and matchbooks (the purple chip is a bit damaged...probably from the fire):

A couple of postcards:

Joe E. Louis was one of the entertainers at the El Rancho Vegas.

Joe's story was told in the 1957 movie "The Joker is Wild", which starred Frank Sinatra as singer/comedian Joe E. Louis. The movie featured the award-winning song "All The Way". In a nutshell, Joe E. Louis was the featured entertainer at a speakeasy in Chicago in the 1920's, during prohibition. His contract was up, and he received an offer from a classier club. He accepted the offer, though his boss warned him not to. Joe was attacked and his throat was slashed; he was left for dead. Joe lived, but his vocal chords were seriously damaged. His singing career was over, and he turned to comedy. Joe loved the horses, and he often raised his glass in a salute to his audience, uttering the words "It's post time!"