The Neon Strip (1950s)

About

Neon lit up Fremont Street early. The Online Nevada Encyclopedia says Thomas Young and his Young Electric Sign Company, YESCO, first put up neon at the Boulder Club in the 1940s, and the Pioneer Club's neon cowboy, "Vegas Vic," became one of its most famous images. The Neon Museum describes the signs of this era, from family-owned motels to whole casino facades, as a defining element of Las Vegas roadside architecture, and PBS notes they were once often far taller than the buildings they advertised. PBS's American Experience notes that, in a city that keeps tearing down its past, most of these signs did not last long.

Betty Willis was one of the few women designing signs. Born in 1924 into an early Las Vegas family, she started out drawing showgirls for newspaper ads, then designed signs for YESCO, Western Neon and Ad-Art. The Neon Museum credits her with the swooping script of the Moulin Rouge sign in 1955, the angel of the Blue Angel Motel in 1957, and an innovation at the Del Mar that let one section of neon be seen from both directions, cutting the cost of a sign.

Her best-known work came in 1959. Working at Western Neon, Willis designed a welcome sign for the highway from Los Angeles, with a diamond shape, a flickering eight-point star and seven silver dollars behind the letters of "Welcome," a nod to the Silver State. Salesman Ted Rogich sold it to Clark County for $4,000; the money went to the company. Willis never copyrighted the design, hoping the town would use it freely, and it now appears on clothing, food and all kinds of souvenirs.

When county officials thought about removing the sign in the early 1970s, residents objected. It stands on the Strip south of Tropicana Avenue, outside the city limits, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009. Many other signs were saved by The Neon Museum, founded in 1996. Its first restoration, the Hacienda's Horse and Rider, designed by Brian Leming at YESCO in the 1960s, now stands at Fremont Street and Las Vegas Boulevard.

What to expect

The Neon Museum, at 770 Las Vegas Blvd. North, displays more than 250 signs on a 2.27-acre campus, including the outdoor Neon Boneyard, where 31 signs are electrified and best seen on a night tour. Its visitor centre is the restored 1961 La Concha Motel lobby by architect Paul Revere Williams. The museum lists hours of 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. from September to May and 8 p.m. to midnight from June to August, and recommends booking in advance because nights often sell out.

Restored signs from the museum's collection are also installed free along Las Vegas Boulevard between Sahara and Washington avenues, a federal Scenic Byway, including the Hacienda Horse and Rider at Fremont Street and the Silver Slipper and Binion's Horseshoe signs near the museum.

More from the 1950s

• Atomic Tourism in the 1950s

Before and after

• Formula 1 Returns: The Las Vegas Grand Prix (2023)
• The First World Series of Poker (1970)

Good to know

• One quarter of The Neon Museum's collection is on loan from YESCO's boneyard of decommissioned signs.
• The Neon Museum is a cashless venue, does not allow large bags, and prohibits touching the signs.
• The City of Las Vegas built its own copy of Willis's design, "Welcome to Fabulous Downtown Las Vegas," in the 1990s, according to the Online Nevada Encyclopedia.
• PBS's American Experience says Rogich first approached Willis about a welcome sign in 1952; the sign was completed in 1959.
• From January 1, 2027, The Neon Museum is replacing separate daytime and evening tickets with a single admission.

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