Vegas History Week: Colonel John C. Fremont

by Bodog Casino | Jul 19 2010

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If you've actually found the time to search around all of Las Vegas, Nevada you know it has its share of historical venues like the legendary Fremont Street. Second only to The Strip in terms of notoriety Fremont Street is known because it plays host to old school casinos like Binion's Horseshoe, Fremont Hotel and Casino and the Golden Nugget. Also, it has cool signs you see in every movie like that waving Vegas Vic sign.

But where did Fremont Street come from? Why does it exist? You can give a Colonel who conveniently goes by the name John C. Fremont the credit.

Fremont has tons of venues named after him: Colorado, Idaho, Iowa and Wyoming named counties in his honor. California, Michigan, Nebraska, New Hampshire and Ohio named cities after him. Then you have tons of streets in places like Minnesota, Manhattan, Wisconsin and Arizona along with Las Vegas. That's not even it. There's a bunch of rivers, mountains and parks with his name on it as well.

Why? He was an all-American.

Fremont was a military officer, explorer and the first presidential candidate of the Republican Party. As a candidate he ran on the platform to abolish slavery.

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As an explorer he assisted Joseph Nicollet is searching lands between Mississippi and Missouri in 1838 and 1839 and was also the first American to see Lake Tahoe. One of Fremont's reports actually inspired the Mormons to settle in Utah, essentially ruining any chance of a cool party going down in the state for over 160 years. Fremont's updated map of America helped immigrants spread across America.

As a military man Fremont was lieutenant colonel in the Mexican-American War and a major general in America's Civil War, even engaging confederate Major General Thomas J. Stonewall Jackson in the Battle of Cross Keys.

Fremont died in 1881, and not too long after (1905) Fremont Street was born in the new soon-to-be party state of Nevada.

At first gambling wasn't allowed in the state. It wasn't until 1931 that the Northern Club, located on Fremont's street, was allowed to legally offer gaming services. Now you can't go to the bathroom in Vegas without seeing a slot machine.

So there you have it, as long as you become an explorer, fight in two wars and become a presidential candidate you may find a street in Sin City or a casino named after you as well.