Summary of Dennis Griffin's The Battle for Las Vegas

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 In 1829, an 18-year-old Mexican scout for the Antonio Armijo Trading Caravan found a new trade route from Santa Fe, New Mexico, to Los Angeles. In 1855, Brigham Young ordered 30 missionaries to Las Vegas Valley to teach the Paiutes farming techniques. The Paiutes rejected the Mormon’s offerings, and the fort was abandoned in 1858. #2 The first Strip casino, the El Rancho Vegas, opened in 1941. It was followed by the Flamingo in 1946, which was built by gangster Benjamin Siegel. Siegel had the looks of a Hollywood leading man and made frequent trips from New York to Los Angeles. #3 Siegel was unable to get funding for the Flamingo from his gangland friends, and he began to run out of his own estimated $1 million. He made numerous trips to the Midwest and East Coast in search of additional funding. #4 The Flamingo opened in Las Vegas on December 26, 1946, but it was a disaster. It lost money, and word of the losses made their way to Siegel. He became irate and threw out at least one family. He decided to wait for the hotel to be finished before reopenings.