They established an adobe fort, but due to the extreme summer heat and some conflict between the leaders of the group, the fort was abandoned in 1857. It wasn’t until the mid-1850s that a small group of Mormon missionaries traveled to inhabit the Las Vegas Valley from southern Utah. Photo Carol Highsmith, Library of Congress. This image shows the remnants of a natural spring at Mormon Fort, which was the site of the first settlers in Las Vegas, Nevada.

In Spanish, Las Vegas means “The Meadows.” It may be hard to believe looking at it now, but at the time, there were several springs and wetlands in the valley that provided an oasis of water, making the Las Vegas area a stopover point when traveling to nearby regions. In the early 1800s, a Mexican merchant named Antonio Armijo led a small trade caravan to the valley, and it was a man in the group named Rafael Rivera who gave Las Vegas its name.

Las Vegas In The Beginning – What’s in a Name? Here’s the whole story of how Las Vegas got started. That’s the short answer, but of course, there’s more to it than that. These mostly single male workers created a large-scale market for entertainment, and thus Las Vegas was born. This construction project caused an influx of workers to the Las Vegas Valley seeking jobs. In 1930, President Herbert Hoover signed a bill authorizing the construction of Hoover Dam. Las Vegas is one of the most visited cities in the world, and you may be wondering how Las Vegas got started? I’ve been wondering the same thing, so after a bit of research, here’s what I found.

First casino on the las vegas strip