That may sound like an easy question at first and by today's standards it is. it's all mapped out and various boundary lines are drawn and it's pretty cut and dried. But up until the mid 60's such was not the case.
A little trip back in time first. From the migrations of natives during the last Ice age up to about statehood in 1864, the valley was known as "the Gathering Place". It wasn't until some unknown Spanish soldier on a scouting expedition referred to it as Vegas (Meadows) and the name stuck, has the valley been called Las Vegas. It was called the gathering place for 10,000 years because yearly migrations of countless bands, tribes, and groups of Natives would come here to refresh. supply and rest on trade and hunting forays from Northern Nevada, Arizona/Colorado/New Mexico area to Old Mexico. The Sloan Canyon Petroglyphs attest to this and the various Native artifacts found especially during the founding years of the City paint a different map than the one we are familiar with today.
The
old Spanish trail crossed the Colorado river and continued through the valley upward to Mountain Springs and into California, The
Mormon trail from Salt Lake Southward through the same valley. It was still even after European encroachment, an area of gathering, with its high water table, marshes and plentiful wildlife, it was a veritable oasis in the midst of nowhere.
If you were here when the Old Mormon fort on Washington and Las Vegas Blvd North was built, you would see it was placed at a spot exactly 4 miles from the
Las Vegas Springs to the west (Alta & Valley View today) and 4 miles to the Fourmile Springs to the Southeast. (an 8 mile round trip with water wagons was about the max one would want to venture, a full days excursion) Even as late as mid 1950 's you could see remnants of the "trail" from the fort to the Fourmile Springs.
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| Fourmile Springs |
When the town was first dedicated in 1905; that happened where Main and Fremont come together today at the place just a bit North of the Plaza Hotel. Why? because it is the highest spot in the valley. A creek used to run behind there not too far and parallel to the railroad tracks. But folks would still travel out to the Springs for the excellent artesian waters. No wells had been made yet so the natural springs were the place to go. if you draw a line down Fremont street and out today's Boulder highway exactly 4 miles you will end up at the same spot the Mormons traveled from the fort to the Four Mile Springs. On a map of today that would be just about where Boulder Station is.
The springs were off today's highway somewhat and have long since run dry. But that area from Eastern/25th St to the Fourmile springs and the immediate surrounding area became known simply as Fourmile, or after WWII Fourmyle. Remember my story of the Meadows hotel built at 5 points East, and how it ended up becoming a 'Resort Brothel'? After the closure of block 16 during the second world war (Block 16 is where the California Hotel is today) there was a lot of contention about prostitution and it's legalization and whatnot. A simple search will garner you a dozen pages on that history and politics, and political dealings so I need not go into it here. Suffice it to say, The owners of Brothels and the girls had to find someplace else to go. Fourmile was just outside of town but still close enough, seemed like the ideal place to be. So between the 40 's and the mid 50 's there were about a dozen houses/lounges and mini resorts from 5 points to Fourmile. The Fourmyle district was never a true township. The area just to the north was known as Meadows Acres and that area was home to what we would call 'trailer trash' today. Most of them the workers and the girls who worked at the brothels.
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| Roxie's Fourmyle - It's Federal raid that shut it down |
After the demise of the Meadows resort brothel there was Roxie's Fourmile. Variously referred to as Roxie's Fourmyle hotel, Roxie's Fourmile lounge, Roxie's Fourmyle and eventually the locals just referred to it as either Fourmyle or Roxies. Started by an ex Los Angeles Policeman and his wife, Eddie and Roxie Clippinger, the place was the place to go until its final shutdown after a federal raid in 1954. From the Green Shack (Later an up and up supper club to Formyle there were other places that dotted that whole Boulder Strip (it wasn't called that yet). Little Club, Kit-Kat Club, Kassabian Ranch, C-Bar-C, and finally Roxie's. During this time the City didn't want to annex it and have that a part of the upstanding citizens of Las Vegas, so Fremont Street ended at 5 points. Finally when it all shut down the laws about prostitution were held up and the area became legit. They built the Showboat hotel in 54-55, Green Shack became a supper club, and the other places were either burned or torn down. (The Showboat was then given a Fremont St address and Fremont St to Saraha the actual boundary of the city limt).The Showboat with its Southern theme and the nude paintings all about, even in the restaurant where youngsters could go, was the last vestige of the old days in the area. Sal & Rusty's amusement Arcade was at the south of the Showboat, The Skyway drive in movie theatre across from the old Roxie's and Funland Amusement park even further out was built trying to change the image of the area. Just past the old Roxies Fourmyile to this day there is still the Four Mile Bar. A dive bar by today's standards, it still exists however for the locals in the area.
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| Four Mile Bar Today |
All that land down there was owned by the Laughlin's. Son Don, ended up starting the town of Laughlin to the south. That too had its seedy side, As the prostitute trade from Railroad Pass to Searchlight back in those years catered to the mining trade from RR Pass to Searchlight and the mining camps in between. At one time that road to Searchlight was dotted with as many as 50 brothels. There are back stories I could tell of notable Las Vegans who made a lot of bucks off those places, but I dare not on a simple post such as this and open myself up for legal action. But some of the stories are fascinating, cute, and downright amazing and it is in that light I see names in the history books that cause me to chuckle and think to myself "if they only knew".
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| Green Shack Supper Club in it's last years |
Boulder Highway was named that because of Boulder Dam of course, before that it was referred to as highway 95; and why it didn't become the main thoroughfare to the Dam in later years and another freeway was built instead is a whole other story with Helen Herr the first lady Nevada State Senator. You'll notice today's freeway passes over Boulder Highway right where Roxi's used to be. Stay tuned
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| Map of Fremont and Boulder Highway |
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| Roxies building as it stands today (2013) |
