Las Vegas, Howard Hughes, Nova Scotia & The Mob

#LasVegas_HowardHughes_NovaScotia_TheMob

When traveling i try and find some interesting historical facts, as really the world is small when we start connecting the dots of our yesteryear
With my trip to Las Vegas i discover the connection with the arrival of Howard Hughes, which led to the Mob leaving the area and finally to my city of Halifax 
Lets began the investigative journey

 

Howard Hughes
Most know him from his Hollywood film producing career, but he was also a highly skilled pilot (Hughes Aircraft Company) who helped design some protypes, which then he flew
 to world speed records
Unfortunately during one of these test flights in 1946 he crashed and survived, but this left him with severe injuries which then led to a lifelong dependency on prescription painkillers
Add to the fact he was already battling other anxieties plus then developed extreme Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Allodynia (extreme sensitivity to normal touch)
This all led to being a recluse, which then he chose to spend the rest of his life in darkened, heavily guarded hotel penthouses around the world

Las Vegas Connection
It was during his stay in seclusion at the Desert Inn (1966) when management tried to evict him to accommodate for some high rollers coming in for the New Years Eve celebrations
Hughes did not want to leave so he bought the hotel / casino, thus his legacy began in the desert
He went on to buy many others which today have all have been replaced, but you can still walk the lobbies of a few of the new structures to feel the history
The Desert Inn.....Wynn Las Vegas and Encore
The Sands Hotel and Casino....The Venetian and Palazzo
The Frontier Hotel and Casino....lot owned by Wynn Resorts with no future plans
The Landmark Hotel and Casino....Las Vegas Convention Centre
The Sliver Slipper.....land open for development
The Castaways.....The Mirage

The Change
The State of Nevada welcomed the wholesome image of Howard Hughes which they thought would clean up the reputation of the city
The issue before was that the local law dictated that every stockholder of a casino had to be licensed, which made it impossible for any large corporation to own it
Hughes successfully lobbied for the law to be changed thus allowing publicly traded companies to invest in Vegas, this was the beginning of the end for the Mob in the casino business here

The Legacy
Howard Hughes left the city in 1970 and was flown to the Bahamas and never returned to Nevada
After he passed away in 1976 his Corporation developed an award winning 22,500 acre master-planned community of Summerlin (located in the Las Vegas Valley)
Known for its 300 parks, 320kms (200 miles) of trails, multiple schools and with over 130,000 residents with some of the highest home values in the State

The Beginnings
The area started in 1905 as a railroad town to attract settlers and businesses, then with the start of the construction of the Boulder Dam (now the Hoover Dam) in 1931 this brought a huge influx of workers, thus expanding the growth
Legalized Gambling was introduced in 1931 with the first hotel / casino called El Rancho that opened
on the Strip in 1941

The Mob
 It basically shaped the Las Vegas history from a remote outpost into a International gambling location in the 1940s and 1950s
Syndicates from New York, Chicago and Los Angeles used the city to legally legitimize their revenues by secretly "skimming" millions in untraceable cash from the casino profits

Al Capone
He never actually was in Las Vegas but his Chicago Mob certainly had ties to the city as
 previously mentioned
He went to Federal Prison in 1932 which was years before mobsters like Bugsy Siegel developed the Strip in the late 1940s

Money From Prohibition
During the 1920s & 30s organized crime made much of their wealth from alcohol and this becomes the East Coast Canadian connection
Al Capone (1926) flew to Saint Pierre and Miquelon off the coast of Newfoundland (French overseas territory) to setup a transshipment hub. The liquor that was imported from Canada, Europe and the Caribbean was legal because of who owned the islands, as it bypassed both the Canadian and American domestic alcohol laws
Through this revenue source they (Chicago Mob) were able to be a "player" in the Las Vegas market

 KeyTip

 Mob Museum;
 General Admission is $34.95 but you can save $7.00 by booking online for visits
 before 11.00am or after 5.00pm
You can also do an add-on fee for the Crime Lab or Firearms Training Simulator

Personally i enjoyed the 1920s style Speakeasy located in the basement called The Underground, which has period correct cocktails, a working moonshine still and live jazz music
 For me it was to get a feel of the history of those times during prohibition and as you continue reading the connection to my city of Halifax 

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

Why you ask does France maintain a presence here, as it was the last of its
 holdings in North America. 
After losing the Seven Years War it had to decide what to give during the negotiations, so it surrendered mainland Canada to Britain, kept the lucrative sugar colonies of the Caribbean and the area off Newfoundland, mostly because of the the Grand Banks and its cod fishing industry.
 This was all signed under the 1763 Treaty of Paris 

 Present Day for France
 It forced a direct maritime border with Canada, which ensures a "seat at the table" for any North Atlantic Ocean resource rights to be discussed

Today
The territory relies heavily on financial support from France, but the 6000 residents are full citizens that can vote for the French President plus Parliament and uses the Euro

Interesting Fact
France has the most time zones (twelve) of any country, not through its mainland (one zone) but because of its global network of overseas territories 
This is the legacy of its once global empire that still has holdings in every corner of the world
A) Pacific; New Caledonia , French Polynesia ( including Tahiti and Bora Bora) 
B) Indian Ocean; Reunion and Mayotte
C) Caribbean; Guadeloupe, Saint-Martin, Martinique and Saint-Barthelemy
D) Atlantic; Saint Pierre and Miquelon

  

The Start of an Industry
With the local cod fishing industry in decline, the people of Saint Pierre and Miquelon quickly converted their warehouses for the millions of bottles of alcohol each year
So my Province of Nova Scotia joined into the fun 😄as the boatbuilders here used their world class maritime expertise to construct ultra fast rum running boats, all designed to out run the US Coast Guard

Supply Route
They would leave Nova Scotia to Saint Pierre and Miquelon, pack their holds with up to 300,000 cases of liquor per month and transfer their liquid gold to the waiting ships outside the US territorial waters.
This area was called Rum Row, which would of been on the New Jersey Coast
 and New York Long Island areas

One example of a Prohibition Home in my Province
Oland Castle of Halifax

When the Canadian Prohibition was on (1916-1921) it was devastating to many businesses, but Oland Brewery doubled it sales through these smart strategies
A) Near Beer; they manufactured a legal low alcohol product for the local market
B) Export Exploitation; they continued brewing full strength beer and legally sending it overseas.
Much of this "export" was routed to Saint Pierre and Miquelon which (as you read) magically ended up in a Speakeasy of many American Cities, this lucrative business lasted until 1933 when the US got rid of its Prohibition Laws

Fun Facts
A)  The original owner / builder (1890-1901 to construct) was a wealthy German tobacco merchant named Alexander Hobrecker, who used local marble from a Cape Breton quarry to build the structure to resemble a European Castle
Then Sidney Culverwell Oland took over ownership in 1927 bought by his brewery made fortune
Yep, looks like money to be made in all those "sin habits" that humans have jajajaja
B) Rumor: during World War 1 that the castle was built as a hidden headquarters for the German Kaiser  Wilhelm if he ever had to flee Europe
Not True; maybe some of that full strength beer made it to the streets of Halifax at this time 😅

Present Times
Okay my journalism work is over, time to have some fun
The modern Las Vegas has evolved from the mob-era casinos into great viewing architecture, large entertainment complexes and with many upscale dinning experiences

The Family Destination
It started taking shape in the 1990s when the large Casino Resorts like the MGM Grand and Treasure Island built theme parks, arcades plus other family friendly attractions

Anything Beatles for me, plus the fact that Cirque du Soleil was originally
 founded in Montreal Canada, thus added to my national pride

I can say that i was at The Joint, a 4,600 seating capacity venue located inside the Hard Rock Hotel
to see Motley Crue 
It is now operating as The Theatre and under the banner of the Virgin Hotel

Elton John did 207 sold out shows from September 2011 to May 2018
I am glad to say i seen one of them 

Weddings
There are over 50 chapels on/near the Strip with an average of 300 ceremonies per day.
 With your choices of walk-in, drive-thru, or all the way up to the luxury resorts for your special day  

Hey Who Does Not Like Free
KeyTip; here are a few recommendations for my fellow travelers

A Four Story Building M&Ms self guided tour to see the Chocolate Wall, Character Meet and Greet and a NASCAR Display (full size replica) of their sponsored race car 

Carroll Shelby Heritage Center
Self Guided Tour with areas to see the auto shop, car collection and racing history

Circus Circus
Free performances on the Midway Stage that include acrobats, aerialists and jugglers
No tickets are required with the shows running every hour

Pinball Hall of Fame
No entry fee, just pay for the games you want to play (25 to 50 cents) with a selection (hundreds) of vintage arcade games from the 1950s and up, way cool 😎 

Fountains of Bellagio
With 1200 water nozzles and 5,000 lights synchronized to a changing rotation of music, so no two shows are the same. 
It attracts big crowds so to get a good and free viewing location, arrive early

 Malls
Always "free" to window shop plus you never know what you will see by walking

Time to Leave
 As i have been to the desert many times i felt the need to pay homage to her, so this is how i remembered the old Vegas and put it into a charcoal drawing