A view of the Dunes Hotel tower under construction. The famous sultan statue is visible in the foreground. The marquee is visible in the background advertising "Now in the Persian Room Vive Les Girls French Stage Spectacular 8:30 pm, 11:30 pm, 1:15 am" and "Persian Room All new direct from Paris Vive Les Girls! Produced by Danny Costello Star of the Ed Sullivan Show". The Dunes, which was themed after the Arabian Nights stories, opened on May 23, 1955 with 200 hotel rooms, located in several two-story buildings. From the time of its opening, the Dunes was known for the 35 foot tall fiberglass sultan statue that stood above its main entrance. In 1961, a 24-story, 250-room hotel tower, known as Diamond of the Dunes, was added to the northern part of the property, bringing the total number of rooms to 450. At the top of the tower was the Top O' the Strip restaurant and lounge. The tower was the tallest building in the state at the time. In 1979, the South Tower was added, expanding the hotel to 1300 rooms. A second casino in a separate, round building on the site opened in 1983 under the name Oasis Casino at The Dunes. In 1985, the sultan statue was moved to the golf course during renovations, and later caught fire, reportedly due to an electrical short. On November 17, 1992, the Dunes was sold to Wynn's company, Mirage Resorts, Inc., for $75 million. On January 26, 1993, the Dunes closed its doors for good. Steve Wynn bought the Dunes and started the redevelopment trend with the demolition of the 32-year-old North Tower. On October 27, 1993, the Dunes was demolished in a grand ceremony that involved major fireworks displays and the use of several "cannon blasts" from the English ship 'HMS Britannia' of Treasure Island Hotel and Casino. The 15-year-old South Tower was demolished 9 months later in July 1994, with no fanfare and minimal media attention. The Bellagio now stands in its place. The property is located at 3600 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas, NV 89109.

Caption: Hurry & Jeff 150 ft level Mohawk Ledge

Caption: Summit Mt. Columbia Nov 21-07