Auction Site / First Train Depot

At this site on May 15th 1905, the San Pedro, Los Angeles & Salt Lake Railroad auctioned off lots for the creation of the new city of Las Vegas. In 110 degree temperatures, about three thousand people gathered to bid on prime lots, many of which sold for up to $1,750 each. A tent city sprang to life immediately, and permanent buildings soon marked the emergence of the new city. Las Vegas began as a railroad town. The first train depot was built here by the San Pedro, Los Angeles & Salt Lake Railroad in 1905. Senator William A. Clark of Montana and his brother J. Ross Clark were the co-founders of the railroad, and they eventually sold their interest to the Union Pacific in 1921. The early Mission style depot was replaced in 1940 by a streamline Moderne structure, and the depot was demolished in 1970 to make way for the Union Plaza Hotel, which was built in 1971. Passenger train service continued for many years with the depot located inside the hotel. At the head of Fremont Street, the depot building symbolized the railroad's economic, political and social dominance over the town.

Las Vegas, Nevada · United States