Hoover Dam Lodge facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hoover Dam Lodge |
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Hacienda in 2012
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| Location | Boulder City, Nevada, U.S. |
| Address | U.S. Route 93 Business |
| Opening date | May 1958 |
| Theme | Rustic lodge |
| No. of rooms | 372 |
| Total gaming space | 20,782 sq ft (1,930.7 m2) |
| Owner | Richard Craig Estey (Nevada Restaurant Services) |
| Previous names | Gold Strike (1958–1998) Hacienda (1999–2015) |
| Coordinates | 36°00′36″N 114°47′05″W / 36.00998°N 114.78486°W |
The Hoover Dam Lodge is a cool hotel and casino located near Boulder City, Nevada. It's owned and run by Richard Craig Estey, through his company Nevada Restaurant Services. This place has had a few names over the years! It was first known as the Gold Strike. Then, after a big fire in 1998, it reopened as the Hacienda in 1999. In January 2015, it got its current name, Hoover Dam Lodge.
This hotel is in a special spot, surrounded by the beautiful Lake Mead National Recreation Area. It's only about three miles from the famous Hoover Dam. From the hotel, you can see amazing views of Lake Mead. The building has a tall 17-story tower with 372 rooms where guests can stay.
The casino part of the lodge is quite large, about 20,782 square feet (1,930.7 m2). It has 154 slot machines for people to play. There's also a race and sports book where you can bet on sports, run by a company called William Hill.
Contents
History of the Lodge
The Gold Strike Inn: Early Days
The land where the Hoover Dam Lodge now stands was once a mining claim. A real estate developer from Las Vegas, Patrick Sullivan, owned it. He was looking for gold and turquoise there. People even called the area "Sullivan's Gulch." In the 1920s, the government set aside a huge amount of land to build the Hoover Dam and create Lake Mead. But they missed Sullivan's small piece of land! The National Park Service (NPS) tried to buy this land as early as 1936.
In 1954, Sullivan's family sold the property for $20,000. It was bought by Don Belding, O. L. Raney, and Jack Richardson, who were businessmen from Boulder City. They saw a great chance to open a business for people traveling to and from the dam. Boulder City didn't allow gambling, so there wasn't much competition nearby. They opened the Gold Strike Inn in May 1958. It had a snack bar, a gift shop, a place to get drinks, a gas station, and six slot machines.
Changes and Challenges
In the 1960s, the owners leased the site to someone who wanted to turn it into an Old West theme park. The name changed to Fort Lucinda. They added fun things like llama rides, a wax museum, and even a small narrow gauge train. They also moved old buildings from other Nevada towns to create a "ghost town" area. But this big project faced problems with money and getting enough water. So, the original owners got the property back, and it became the Gold Strike again.
The National Park Service tried again to buy the land in 1964. They wanted it before the Lake Mead National Recreation Area was officially created. After some discussions, they reached an agreement in 1973. The government bought 87 acres of undeveloped land. They also agreed not to try to buy the rest of the Gold Strike property unless the owners offered to sell it first.
In 1977, the original owners, Belding and Richardson, sold their shares to their sons, Dave and Bill. Raney sold his part to Mike Ensign, who worked for a big casino company called Circus Circus. The Gold Strike grew over the years. An 80-room hotel opened in 1982, and another 80 rooms were added in 1986. A tall 16-story hotel tower was built in 1994.
Sadly, on June 16, 1998, an accidental fire started by a construction worker badly damaged the Gold Strike casino. Luckily, the hotel tower was mostly okay.
The Hacienda Era
The property was rebuilt and reopened in November 1999. This cost about $30 million. The owners had already planned to change the name because the "Gold Strike" name had been sold to Circus Circus. So, the place was renamed the Hacienda. They even got permission to use the Hacienda name from Circus Circus, which used to own a famous casino called the Hacienda on the Las Vegas Strip that had been taken down.
Around 2003, some developers wanted to buy the property to build homes or tall timeshare buildings. The owners then talked to the National Park Service about possibly selling. The Secretary of Interior even set aside up to $20 million for the purchase. The NPS hoped to remove the tall tower, which they thought didn't fit the natural area. They wanted to build a visitors center or offices there instead. However, the owners decided not to sell the Hacienda. They were worried about finding new jobs for all their employees if the property closed.
In December 2013, a company called Nevada Restaurant Services bought the Hacienda. This company owns many slot parlors called Dotty's across the state. They announced plans to update the property and build a new gas station and convenience store.
Becoming Hoover Dam Lodge
The property officially changed its name to Hoover Dam Lodge in January 2015.
