Welcome To Fabulous Las Vegas Trivia Quiz

Answer: William Clark

E.H.Harriman was the head of the Union Pacific Railroad which bought out the Southern Pacific Railroad after the death of its chief, Collis Huntingdon. Harriman was pushing through to the west coast but did not yet have a base on the coast. Mining baron, William Clark was racing to build a railway linking his bases of Los Angeles and San Pedro with Salt lake City. The two railroad gangs clashed in the Meadow Valley near Las Vegas as there was only room for one line. Eventually a compromise was reached. Clark completed the line, taking the honours of the being the first line, however Harriman was given control of the line, and a base on the west coast. Walter R Bracken was the agent for Union Pacific during the 1922 railroad strike. Gould was a rail tycoon from that era, but not on Clark's crew.

Phoenix Rising's Red Team member leith90 used a golden spike to fasten this question into the quiz.

Answer: Black

Hoover Dam was built in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River on the border of Nevada and Arizona during the Great Depression. Boulder Canyon and Black Canyon were both considered for the site of the dam, but since it was to provide hydro-electric power as well as irrigation and flood mitigation, Boulder Canyon was deemed unsuitable. The canyon was too narrow to allow the construction of the hydro-electric plant at the base of the dam, and there was no room for the spillways. Black Canyon could accommodate the forecast needs as well as a railway from Las Vegas, so the site was selected. The Dam was opened in 1936 with traffic permitted along the top. After 2001 there were fears of sabotage by bombing, so a bypass road, along with the Mike O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge was constructed and opened to traffic in 2010.

Phoenix Rising's Red Team member leith90 beavered away at this question and wedged it into the quiz.

Answer: Fremont Street

After the state of Nevada allowed counties to decide on the legality of gambling in 1931, the city of Las Vegas acted quickly to legalize it. This was a boom for Fremont Street which became the first paved street in the city as well as receiving the city's first traffic light. Named after the explorer, John C. Fremont, Fremont Street has thousands of neon signs and popular casinos like Binion's Horseshoe, Golden Nugget and Four Queens.

This question was straight flushed into the quiz by Phoenix Rising teammate and Red Crew member Triviaballer as part of the team's 2022 World Tour.

Answer: Moulin Rouge

Moulin Rouge Hotel opened in 1955 but closed after six months! It was the first interracial resort in Las Vegas. Famous black entertainers would perform in other resorts but stay at the Moulin Rouge because they weren't allowed to stay at other resorts. White entertainers and celebrities would also frequent the Moulin Rouge.

Although the resort was short-lived, the hotel spurred the civil rights movement in Las Vegas. In March 1960, a meeting was held at the closed Moulin Rouge hotel with local black leaders and city and state officials that ended segregation in Las Vegas. The hotel was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992 because of its role in the civil rights movement. The hotel site suffered several fires and the resort was demolished. The famous Moulin Rouge sign was salvaged to the Neon Museum.

jaknginger missed out on the Neon Museum when she visited Las Vegas. It will have to be on the next trip's itinerary.

Answer: Western Neon

The sign has a less well known reverse: "Drive Carefully Come Back Soon" is emblazoned on the other side. The sign is in Paradise, not Las Vegas proper, although the location is considered the beginning of The Strip. It is now listed in the National Register of Historic Places and has a small parking lot to keep photo seekers safer. It was designed by Betty Willis, a visual artist and graphic designer. The style is known as "Googie architecture" which portrays the future through shapes drawn from space and atomic age icons.

This question was provided by player pusdoc, who bets she is the same age as the sign.

Answer: Dean Martin

They all performed on The Strip, often guest-starring in each other's shows. In 1960, all five starred in the original 'Ocean's Eleven', about the coordinated robbery of several casinos. Lawford, who was a brother-in-law of John F Kennedy, and Sinatra had a major falling-out in 1962 because of the latter's alleged association with organised crime.

Dean Jr was an entertainer and also a pilot with the National Guard. He lost his life when he collided with a mountain in California in 1987. Coincidentally, it was on the same mountain where Sinatra's mother also died in a place crash, ten years earlier.

This question packed into the quiz by ozzz2002.

Answer: Bugsy Siegel

The beginning developer of the Flamingo project was William Wilkerson. After he ran out of money, or was possibly coerced to give up the reins, Bugsy Siegel, with financial assistance from his fellow mobster, Meyer Lansky, took over Wilkerson's resort. Bugsy Siegel amassed a lot of debt to only open part of the resort in December 1946 but closed about one month later after lackluster talent, bad weather and poor renovations. Bugsy and Lansky were able to finish and add some luxury renovations. They successfully reopened in March 1947.

Unfortunately for Mr Siegel, he never reaped the profits of the Flamingo. He was killed in June 1947. The crime is unsolved and one theory suggest his mounting debt and possible skimming from the mob bosses brought his life to an end. His vision of making Las Vegas a showplace came to fruition. Such resorts as the Sahara, the Sands, the New Frontier and the Riviera all were built with help from the mob. Tourism began peaking with top entertainment like Frank sinatra, Elvis presley and Dean Martin.

jaknginger visited the Flamingo in March 2022 and might have made a small "donation" in a slot machine in honor of Bugsy.

Answer: Howard Hughes

In 1966, Howard Hughes arrived in Las Vegas and began a spending spree, buying up casinos. He had just sold his stock in TWA airlines and had a few million burning a hole in his pocket. He saw the potential of what was a small desert strip lined with casinos, and envisioned a more tourist friendly big city. He targeted establishments connected with organized crime, purchasing The Castaways, The Landmark, The Sands, amongst others and reduced the influence of the Mob making him a powerful force in Nevada. He remained there for 4 years living as a recluse in a penthouse, his health deteriorating. He left the town in 1970 never to return. Las Vegas remains a corporate dominated community due to Hughes' influence.

Smpdit spruced up this question (did you see what she did there?)

Answer: Dirty Harry

The Nevada Test Site is approximately 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas. Established in the early 1950s to test nuclear devices, the mushroom clouds became popular tourist attractions and local hotels posted the dates and times of scheduled tests. Above ground tests ended after 1962, and the last underground test was in 1992. The "Dirty Harry" test in 1953 sent fallout through St. George, Utah when wind direction shifted. The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act of 1990 provided funds for fallout victims from this and other events.

Player pusdoc is positively glowing at submitting this question as part of Red Crew's contribution to the Phoenix Rising Global Tour 2022.

Answer: Patrick Anthony McCarran

Nevada was admitted to the Union in 1864. William Steward and James Nye were the first two US Senators elected to represent the state of Nevada and took office in 1865. Both were born in New York state. Tasker Oddie, also born in NY, represented Nevada as a Senator from 1903-1906, during which time women became allowed to vote. He was also Governor of Nevada from 1911-1915.

Patrick "Pat" McCarran was born in Reno, Nevada in 1876. He was a major proponent of civil aviation and for establishing the US Air Force as its own branch of service. The major airport serving Las Vegas was known as McCarran International Airport from 1968-2021. It was named for him because he helped establish the airport through federal funds for the city of Las Vegas. The ariport was renamed Harry Reid International because of McCarran's documented history of anti-semiticism and racial sentiments.

jaknginger of Phoenix Rising dashed through this airport on her recent Vegas fun trip.