El Cortez charts Vegas’ history

To mark its 80th birthday, the El Cortez casino in Las Vegas has opened a special exhibit to celebrate some shady characters from the city’s past.

The El Cortez was the first luxury resort-hotel in Vegas and played host to some infamous people, which is why it now houses The Mob Museum – properly known as the National Museum of Organised Crime and Law Enforcement.

The museum charts the progress not only of the hotel itself, which is still thriving today, but also of the not-so-salubrious characters of the day, including the Rat Pack, Bugsy Seigel and famous stars such as Elvis, all of whom had connections with the El Cortez of one kind or another.

The museum currently has a collection of photographs depicting the earliest beginnings and rise of Las Vegas and the colourful characters who lived and played there.