Abstract
The Thunderbird Plane Photograph Collection contains seven photographs of the Thunderbird Plane, its crew, its owners, and a photograph of Lake Mohave Resort from the 1960s to the 1970s. The Thunderbird Plane was owned by the Thunderbird Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Finding Aid PDF
Date
Extent
Related People/Corporations
Scope and Contents Note
The Thunderbird Plane Photograph Collection contains seven photographs of the Thunderbird Plane, its crew, its owners, and a photograph of Lake Mohave Resort from the 1960s to the 1970s. The Thunderbird Plane was owned by the Thunderbird Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Access Note
The collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
Materials in this collection may be protected by copyrights and other rights. See Reproductions and Use on the UNLV Special Collections website for more information about reproductions and permissions to publish.
Arrangement
Materials remain in original order.
Biographical / Historical Note
The Thunderbird Hotel and Casino opened on September 2, 1948 in Las Vegas, Nevada, and was the fourth resort constructed on the Las Vegas Strip. The hotel, which took its name from a Navajo legend, was founded by developer Marion Hicks and Lieutenant Governor of Nevada, Clifford A. Jones. The exterior of the hotel contained a stylized thunderbird, while its interior was characterized by Native American themed decor.
In 1964 the property was sold to Del Webb, and in 1972 to Caesars World. After the hotel was sold to the owner of the Dunes Hotel in 1977, it was briefly known as the Silverbird Hotel. Five years later, the hotel was purchased by Ed Torres, owner of the Aladdin Hotel, and renamed the El Rancho Casino in homage to the very first resort to open on the Strip.
The Thunderbird hosted a number of noted entertainers and production shows, including the Las Vegas debuts of both Nat King Cole and Rosemary Clooney, and was the showroom where Judy Garland made her final Las Vegas appearance in 1965.
Source: John Wilen, “Sale possible of old El Rancho on the Strip,” Las Vegas Sun. June 7, 1999. http://lasvegassun.com/news/1999/jun/07/sale-possible-of-old-el-rancho-on-the-strip/
Preferred Citation
Thunderbird Plane Photograph Collection, 1960s-1970s. PH-00205. Special Collections, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Acquisition Note
Materials were donated in 1976 by Jim Seagrave; accession number 1976-155.
Processing Note
In 2015, as part of a legacy finding aid conversion project, Lindsay Oden wrote the collection description in compliance with current professional standards.