The meteoric rise of Las Vegas from a remote Mormon outpost to an international entertainment center and metropolitan area of over a million people was never a sure thing. In its first decades, the town languished but when Nevada legalized casino gambling (1931), the city met its destiny. This book celebrates the city's unparalleled growth, examining the development of its industry and the creation of an urban complex. Here are the colorful characters who shaped the growth, chronologically from the first Paiute people up to the construction of the newest mega-resorts. Illustrated, Index 284 Pgs. 2005