The Binion’s Horseshoe Club Photograph Collection dates between approximately 1940 to 1985 and contains black-and-white and color photographic prints and negatives depicting Benny Binion’s family, friends, and Binion’s Horseshoe Club, also known as Binion’s Hotel and Casino, Binion's Horseshoe, and Binion's Gambling Hall. Photographs of Binion’s family and friends show them posed at Binion’s casino property, Binion Ranch, and events including rodeos and the Helldorado parade. Binion’s Horseshoe photographs include views of street scenes and billboard advertisements featuring Binion’s Horseshoe, the Million Dollar Display, quarter horse sales, World Series of Poker events, Binion’s Horseshoe stagecoach, and celebrities visiting the property.
On March 12, 1975, Anne Cope interviewed Tropicana Hotel decorator, Lyla Joy Ford (born December 12, 1928 in Las Vegas, Nevada) in her home in Las Vegas. During the interview, Ford discusses social life in Las Vegas in the early days. She mentions the Palace Theatre, which became the Guild and the El Portal Theatre. She recalls Sammy Davis Jr. performing at the El Rancho but states that people of color were not allowed in the audience. She remembers the Helldorado Parade as a big western celebration. Her family used to own the Old Ranch, also known as the Stewart Ranch. She states that the railroad, Hoover Dam, and the Basic Magnesium Plant brought money into Las Vegas. She also recalls the atomic tests and witnessing the city’s gradual transformation from a small farming town to a major gambling city.