When hearing the word ‘Las Vegas’, immediate thoughts of LED lights, casinos, showgirls, a multitude of performances, and drive-thru wedding ceremonies where you can have Elvis as your priest come to mind. But there’s an unfamiliar side of Las Vegas one might not be aware of. One filled with immense history. Before the infamous Las Vegas Strip, there was Frémont Street – the original Strip.
Frémont Street, located at the heart of downtown Las Vegas, Nevada, is one the most famous streets dating back to 1905, when Las Vegas itself was founded. Its home to many famous casinos such as: Binion's Horseshoe, Eldorado Club, Fremont Hotel and Casino, Golden Gate Hotel and Casino, Golden Nugget, Four Queens, The Mint, and the Pioneer Club. With the legalization of gambling, the Northern Club received one of the first 6 gambling licenses issued in 1931 and the first one for Fremont Street.
Prior to the construction of the Frémont Street Experience, the western end of Fremont Street was the representative scene for Las Vegas that was included in virtually every television show and film that wanted to depict the glittery lights of Las Vegas. From 1846 up until today, Fremont Street was used as a movie set many times in Hollywood. Some of these films include The Godfather Part 2, Rocky 3 and 4, Mars Attacks!, Con Air, Fools Rush In, Ocean’s Eleven and Twelve, Iron Man, The Hangover series, Now You See Me, Jason Bourne among many more.
Frémont was not all glitz and glam, in 1946, because of the potential gambling offered, mobsters controlled most of the casinos. To get a better glimpse of how they operated, visiting The Mob Museum (officially the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement) on Stewart Avenue, just two blocks north of Frémont Street would acquire a better appreciation. It is housed in the former Las Vegas Post Office and Courthouse. The museum is governed by the "300 Stewart Avenue Corporation”: a non-profit board in partnership with the City of Las Vegas.
The Mob Museum features the history of organized crime all over the United States as well as the actions and initiatives done by law enforcements to prevent such crimes. When walking through the different exhibits, notice how the artifacts and stories represent those from the film “The Godfather”.
“Scarface” Al Capone, George “Bugs” Moran two of the biggest head mobsters in the United States. One of the darkest exhibits is the wall from 1929’s St. Valentine’s Day Massacre in Chicago where Seven members and associates of Bugs Moran’s gang were lined up against a brick wall and shot to death by assassins allegedly associated with Al Capone’s gang. The exhibit shows the actual wall punctured with bullet holes and shells.
To fully immerse in the experience, the museum offers different sections for the people to interact with. One of them is the wall telephones that depict conversations of the crimes that occurred when lifting the handset. Another section is a firing range where you shoot airsoft replicas of the guns used. With no real money involved, players can test their luck at a virtual casino. Non-working torture devices, like an electric chair, are allocated for photo ops. Recent additions for the older audience include an underground room, replicating a speakeasy, complete with a distillery. It offers drinks from 1933 to get a taste of the formerly forbidden engine of American commerce like the infamous Moonshine.
This just goes to show that there’s more to sin Sin Cityn meets the eye as you tour your way through Las Vegas and have your expectations stripped away.