The Rise of the Biggest Little City: An Encyclopedic History of Reno Gaming, 1931-1981

The history of Reno during the first half century after the establishment of legal gambling in Nevada was to a great degree the history of Reno's gaming industry. Between 1931 and 1981, the economy, skyline, and life style of "the Biggest Little City in the World" were strongly influenced by the city's casinos and the people who created and operated them. In The Rise of the Biggest Little City, Dwayne Kling records the fruits of his fourteen years of research into the history of Reno's casinos, from the backroom (and often illegal) dives of the industry's beginnings to the elegant casino-hotels of today. Arranged in encyclopedic form, lavishly illustrated with historic photographs (many never before published), the book offers the stories of such famous and enduring establishments as the Cal-Neva and the Sands, as well as defunct clubs like the Silver Spur and the Bank Club. We also find the stories of the men and women who created Reno's gaming industry--such as James McKay, Bill Graham, the Smith family, Bill Bailey, William Harrah, and Jack Douglass. There are more--many more.