Abstract
The Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc. Photograph Collection contains black-and-white and color photographic prints, negatives, postcards, and slides of William "Bill" Harrah at events in Nevada between approximately 1930 and 1991. Also included are views of Harrah’s Nevada properties including Harrah’s Lake Tahoe Hotel and Casino, Harrah’s Reno Hotel and Casino, and the Holiday Inn Hotel and Casino (that later became Harrah’s Las Vegas Hotel and Casino).
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Date
Extent
Related People/Corporations
Scope and Contents Note
The Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc. Photograph Collection contains black-and-white and color photographic prints, negatives, postcards, and slides of William "Bill" Harrah at events in Nevada between approximately 1930 and 1991. Properties featured in this collection include Harrah’s Lake Tahoe Hotel and Casino and Harrah’s Reno Hotel and Casino. Also included are proposed renderings by architect Martin Stern Jr. of Harrah’s Reno; Harrah’s Marina (also known as Harrah’s Atlantic City) in Atlantic City, New Jersey; and the Holiday Inn Hotel and Casino (that later became Harrah’s Las Vegas Hotel and Casino). The remainder of the collection depicts Bill Harrah with his family and associates at events, Las Vegas entertainers such as Sammy Davis Jr. and Frank Sinatra, and views of Reno commercial streets in the 1930s.
Access Note
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 and Archives website for more information about reproductions and permissions to publish.
Arrangement
Materials remain as they were received.
Biographical / Historical Note
Caesars Entertainment Corporation, formerly called Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc., is a gaming corporation based in Nevada. In 1946, businessman William "Bill" Fisk Harrah purchased a casino in Reno, Nevada and named it Harrah’s Reno Club. In 1956, Harrah, the sole owner, expanded the Harrah’s brand and opened Harrah’s Tahoe Club in Stateline, Nevada. In 1971, Harrah took the company public and Harrah’s Inc. made its initial public offering.
After Harrah’s death in 1978, Holiday Inns, Inc. purchased Harrah’s Inc. Under Holiday Inn's management, the corporation retained the Harrah name on Harrah’s Nevada casinos (Harrah’s Reno and Harrah’s Lake Tahoe) and expanded the business into Atlantic City, New Jersey (Harrah’s Marina) and Laughlin, Nevada (Harrah’s Del Rio). In 1985, Holiday Inns, Inc. rebranded as Holiday Corporation. In 1990, Holiday Corporation created The Promus Companies, a corporate spin-off that included the Harrah’s brand. Under Promus, the corporation renamed the Holiday Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada as Harrah’s Las Vegas. In the early 1990s, the company expanded into Native American gaming and riverboat casino markets, opening Harrah’s Joliet, Harrah’s Vicksburg, Harrah’s Tunica, Harrah’s Black Hawk, Harrah’s Central City, Harrah’s Shreveport, Harrah’s North Kansas City, and Harrah’s Ak-Chin.
In 1995, Promus rebranded as Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc. and continued expanding across the United States. In 2005, Harrah’s Entertainment acquired Caesars Entertainment, Inc. During the 2000s, Harrah’s Entertainment focused on expanding business internationally opening casinos in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Macau. The company renamed itself Caesars Entertainment Corporation in 2010.
Sources:
King, R. T., Mary Larson, and Dwayne Kling, eds.
Schwartz, David G.
Preferred Citation
Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc. Photograph Collection, approximately 1930-1991. PH-00331. Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Acquisition Note
Materials were donated in 2002 by Harrah's Entertainment, Inc.; accession number 2002-33.
Processing Note
In 2020, as part of an archival backlog elimination project, Jimmy Chang wrote the finding aid and entered the data into ArchivesSpace.