Experience Pioneer Crossing. Welcome to Yerington’s Pioneer Crossing Casino, the original home of Blackout Bingo. Join us in experiencing the best of gaming and dining all in one convenient, friendly location. Because at Pioneer Crossing Casino, you’re more than a guest. You’re a friend and a neighbor! The Pioneer in Laughlin, Nevada is your best bet for an affordable and memorable getaway. Located right on the historic Colorado River the Pioneer has earned its well-known reputation as the 'Friendliest House on the River.' Discover for yourself that the Pioneer features Old West charm, with New West excitement.

Pioneer Club
Location	Las Vegas, Nevada 89101
Address	25 E Fremont Street
Opening date	April 10, 1942
Closing date	1995; 26 years ago
Theme	Old Western
Signature attractions	Vegas Vic
Casino type	Land
Owner	Schiff Enterprises
Coordinates	36°10′16″N115°08′43″W / 36.1712°N 115.1454°WCoordinates: 36°10′16″N115°08′43″W / 36.1712°N 115.1454°W

Pioneer Club Las Vegas was a casino that opened in 1942 and was located in Downtown Las Vegas, Nevada, at 25 East Fremont Street. It ceased operating as a casino in 1995, the same year the Fremont Street Experience was completed.

History[edit]

The Pioneer Club, late 1940s, before Vegas Vic

The Pioneer Club occupied a building that was built in 1918^{[citation needed]} and originally served as a restaurant^{[citation needed]}. The Pioneer Club and Cocktail lounge opened in April 1942 on the corner of 1st Street and Fremont Street.

In 1965, the Pioneer Club bought The Elwell Hotel located at 200 South First St. New york sports betting bill. directly behind the Pioneer Club and renamed it the Pioneer Club Hotel. The Hotel was sold in 1969 and became the Golden Hotel. In 1983 The Pioneer Club bought Club Bingo located to the west of it and enlarged its Casino area. From 1956 to 1967 it was called the New Pioneer Club. In 1984 The Golden Nugget bought the hotel and demolished it, building a parking garage for its Casino and Hotel in its place.^[1]

For many years, The Pioneer Club was one of downtown's leading casinos.^[2]

Margaret Elardi who also owned the Frontier Hotel on The Strip and later the Pioneer Hotel & Gambling Hall casino in Laughlin, owned the club for a while, then Gold Strike Resorts. In 1992 new owners purchased the Pioneer Club but were unable to compete with the larger casinos on Fremont Street both at the beginning and at the end of the Fremont Street Experience or with the large new megaresorts on The Strip.^[2] The owners closed the venerable casino in 1995 and it remained vacant until 1998 when Schiff Enterprises bought the Pioneer Club and opened a souvenir store inside. The vintage Pioneer Club signs and Vegas Vic sign still exists on the exterior of the building.

Vegas Vic[edit]

Although the Pioneer Club no longer operates as a casino, Vegas Vic (The 40 ft^[3]neon cowboy) lives on. In 1947 Las Vegas chamber of Commerce hired a West-Marquis firm which invented the Fremont Street Cowboy Vegas Vic and his friendly 'Howdy Podner' greeting.^[4]

The Young Electric Sign Company was commissioned to build the neon version of the sign by the owners of the Pioneer Club. They then commissioned Pat Denner who modeled it after the image used by the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce^[5] in 1947 consisting of a cowboy in blue jeans with a yellow-checked shirt and red bandanna. Vegas Vic was then erected on the exterior of the building in 1951 changing the exterior of The Pioneer club forever.^[2]

Vegas Vic and the exterior of the Pioneer Club are prominently featured in shots from the 1971 James Bond film, 'Diamonds Are Forever'.

Gallery[edit]

The Pioneer Club 1940s
The Pioneer Club 1950s
The Pioneer Club 1973
Vegas Vic closeup, post 1998 restoration

Notes[edit]

^'Elwell Hotel History'. lasvegasmikey.com. Retrieved 2008-11-20.
^ ^a^b^c'Pioneer Club History'. onlinenevada.org. Retrieved 2008-11-20.
^'Vegas Vic Lives!'. Las Vegas Sun. 2000-06-25. Retrieved 2008-11-18.
^Eugene P. Moehring, Michael S. Green (2005). Las Vegas - A Centennial History. University of Nevada Press. ISBN9780874176155. Retrieved 2008-11-20.
^Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce

References[edit]

Pioneer Bingo In Arlington

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pioneer Club Las Vegas.

Pioneer Bingo Arlington Tx

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