Clark, Wilbur, 1908-1965

Casino owner and developer Wilbur Clark was born in Keyesport, Illinois on December 27, 1908 to Shirley and Lulu Clark. He moved to San Diego, California as a teenager, working a series of jobs there before relocating to Reno, Nevada, where he entered the gaming industry.

Wilbur Clark married Toni Gaglionese in 1944. That same year, Clark invested in the Monte Carlo Club on Fremont Street in Las Vegas, Nevada, and purchased the El Rancho Vegas on the Las Vegas Strip. He sold his interest in the two properties in 1946 and used the proceeds to begin building a new resort on the Strip, the Desert Inn. Due to rising post-war construction costs the project ran low on funds, and Clark sold a majority interest in the Desert Inn to Moe Dalitz in order to finish construction. Wilbur Clark’s Desert Inn opened on April 24, 1950, adding an eighteen-hole golf course and country club a year later. Clark was a partner in the Desert Inn until he sold his interest in 1964.

In addition to the Desert Inn, Wilbur Clark built the Paradise Gardens housing development in Las Vegas, naming the streets after his family and friends. He also served as mayor of the township of Paradise Valley, Nevada. Wilbur Clark died of a heart attack on August 27, 1965.

Sources:

Burbank, Jeff. “Desert Inn.” Online Nevada Encyclopedia. May 19, 2011. http://www.onlinenevada.org/articles/desert-inn

Green, Michael. "Las Vegas Desert Inn: From Wilbur Clark's Vision to Wynn's Demolition." Nevada Public Radio. June 10, 2025. https://knpr.org/show/nevada-yesterdays/2025-06-10/las-vegas-desert-inn-from-wilbur-clarks-vision-to-wynns-demolition