Judy Bayley at a public event relating to the Trailrides at the Palomino Room at the Hacienda Hotel and Casino. The unidentified man standing behind Judy Bayley is wearing a badge that says "Judy Bayley's 4th Annual Las Vegas Hacienda Trail Ride Thru Paradise Valley 1971." "Participant" is stamped on the attached ribbon. Judith “Judy” Bayley, namesake of the Judy Bayley Theatre at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, was once known as “The First Lady of Gambling.” Judy and her husband Warren “Doc” Bayley opened the Hacienda Hotel and Casino on October 17, 1956. After Warren’s unexpected death from a heart attack on December, 26, 1964, Judy Bayley took over the ownership and operations of the Hacienda. By doing so, she became the first woman in Nevada history to be the sole owner and operator of a hotel-casino. An avid horsewoman, as a publicity campaign, Judy started “The Hacienda Trailrides.” Which some considered the social event of the year. The first trailride was held in December, 1968 to commemorate Pearl Harbor. The ride began at the Valley of Fire State Park and Ended in Overton, Nevada. Judy donated all proceeds from the trailride to benefit the local Veterans of Foreign Wars. Four Trailrides were held over the next four years, leaving from Tule Springs (now Floyd Lamb State Park), and from the Hacienda itself before they were discontinued after her death. After Judy’s death from cancer on December 31, 1971, the Hacienda was sold in 1972. The Hacienda’s doors closed to the public on December 10, 1996. The hotel was imploded on December 31, 1996 on the 25th anniversary of Judy Bayley’s death, and was broadcast on the Fox news network as part of their New Year’s Eve 1996 telecast. In March 1999, it was replaced with the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino.
The Circus Circus Enterprises Scrapbook consists of articles from 1984 related to the Circus Circus Las Vegas Hotel and their investment properties. The scrapbook includes articles on the entertainment, dining, real estate, and management of Circus Circus Enterprises in Southern Nevada.
The Alan Paine Papers are largely comprised of the works written by poet and screenwriter Alan Paine, including his screenplays, a manuscript for an unpublished book, and Ode to Madonna, a collection of poems published in 1992. The collection also includes correspondence, personal ephemera, and photographs from 1975 to 2002.
The Las Vegas Astronomical Society Records (1981-2003) focus on the early history of the Society. The collection contains membership information, descriptions of the organization's founding by both its first director and first president, a copy of the Society's newsletter from 2003, and color slides from 1981 and 1982 that document the Society's early activities.
The Collection of Newspaper Clippings on Thomas Hanley is comprised of photocopied newspaper articles from the Las Vegas Sun and Las Vegas Review-Journal, dating from 1956 and 1972. The materials relate to the life and career of Thomas Hanley, a union boss accused of several murders and convicted of the murder of Al Bramlet.
The White Cross Drug Store Scrapbook (1950-1964) contains photographs, employee training materials, newspaper clippings, advertisements, displays, and some historical narrative and press release material on the history and mission of the White Cross Drug Store. It also includes advertising ephemera and brochures on cosmetic products and perfumes of the early 1950s.
The Monty Brandt Photograph Collection consists of black-and-white photographic prints of the White Cross Drug Store on Fremont Street in Las Vegas, Nevada from 1924 and 1955. Images include views of Fremont Street, as well as interior and exterior views of the White Cross Drug Store.