Piece of the puzzle

Geoff Schumacher's Sun, Sin & Suburbia helps solve the mystery of modern Las Vegas

BY MATT O'BRIEN

OK, let's play a game. It's history-related, but don't squirm. Relax. Come on. It'll be fun. And easy.

The object of the game is to create a timeline of early and middle Las Vegas history. See, that's not so bad. The city is not even 100 years old. I told you it would be easy.

Let's get started: In 1905, of course, the townsite auction was held. Boulder Dam (now Hoover Dam) was dedicated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1935. In 1946, the day after Christmas, the Flamingo hotel-casino opened. The Rat Pack ruled the Strip throughout the 1960s. In 1966, Howard Hughes arrived at the Desert Inn -- and shortly thereafter began his hotel-casino buying spree. And the Corporate Gaming Act passed in '67.

See, that wasn't so bad. We all read The Silver State, Resort City in the Sunbelt and The Green Felt Jungle. Those dates really stick.

Let's make the game a little more challenging. Let's create a timeline of modern Las Vegas history. Are you ready? Hey, put Neon Metropolis back on the shelf. Remember, no cheating. OK, here we go: In 1980, a fire ravaged the original MGM Grand hotel-casino. The Mirage opened in 1989. After that, um ... when was the Dunes imploded? I can't recall. Anyway. OK, when did Station Casinos start opening neighborhood hotel-casinos? Was it during the 1970s or '80s? Hello? I could use a little help here. What about Summerlin? When was it founded? The Hard Rock Hotel opened in 1995, right? Or was it '96? And I remember some details of MGM Grand's takeover of Mirage Resorts, but the whole thing is still a little cloudy.

Indeed, early and middle Las Vegas history has been ingrained in our memories. It is simple. It is relatively uncluttered. And it is oftentimes glamorous. It is a tempting subject for historians, despite insufficient archives and sealed lips. Modern Las Vegas history, however, is a different beast. It is complicated, cluttered and oftentimes unglamorous (e.g., bond issues, master-planning and chain stores). Geoff Schumacher, former CityLife managing editor and current editor and publisher of the Mercury, bravely takes on this subject in Sun, Sin & Suburbia: An Essential History of Modern Las Vegas (Stephens Press, $22.95).

In a smart and stylish introduction, Schumacher writes: "Las Vegas history starts with thousands of years of Native American habitation and at least 150 years of continual occupation by people of European heritage. But there's been more human activity here in the past quarter-century than in the preceding 125 years. Las Vegas has many stories to tell about its origins, its early settlers, its evolution into the world's gambling capital. But all that pales in comparison to the dramatic changes that have occurred since about 1980."

Beginning with downtown Las Vegas, Schumacher sets out to document these changes. The opening chapter quickly recaps the city's origins and then transitions into contemporary times. It is a meaty section, but not boring. In fact, its 28 pages prove refreshing because they largely ignore the Strip, contain a lot of info on the arts and culture scene, and are balanced (not too critical or too kind). Additionally, the section -- my favorite of the book -- forecasts the future of downtown.

The second and third chapters focus on the Strip. Chapter two concentrates on the era between 1941 and 1988, chapter three 1989 to 2004. The writing in these two sections is solid and fact-filled. However, a lot of it is background information (used to put modern Las Vegas in perspective) that you may have read before.

Most of the ensuing sections address fresher subject matter, straying well beyond the neon. Chapter five focuses on Summerlin -- its origins, its development, its environmental sensitivity. It bursts with info, giving the master-planned community (regarded by many as a McNeighborhood) a new and truer identity. Chapter six is dedicated to Henderson and Green Valley, chapter seven to North Las Vegas.

Chapter eight is also noteworthy. It focuses on the federal government's substantial role in the development of the Las Vegas Valley. "For all intents and purposes, a federal agency that historically has focused on rural ranching and mining issues is functioning as the largest real estate agent in the state," writes Schumacher. "This is a whole new world for BLM bureaucrats, and they are bound to make mistakes." He adds astutely: "Historically, the BLM has been the least environmentally sensitive federal agency, tending to side with its conservative ranching and mining constituencies over idealistic environmentalists." He also sheds light on those mysterious BLM land auctions.

Additional chapters include "Transportation: Better Late Than Never" and "The Future: More, More, More, Then Stop?"

While Sun, Sin & Suburbia bulges with information, I -- at times -- found myself wanting more (particularly on modern Las Vegas). Instead of focusing on Howard Hughes, as he did in section four, I wanted Schumacher to profile Mandalay Bay exec Glenn Schaeffer or even George Maloof of the Palms. I also waited for Schumacher, an alt-weekly vet, to break out of the academic-historian mode. But he played it fairly straight to the final page, choosing hard facts over color, and objectivity over opinion.

The importance of the book, however, is obvious. It fills a huge void in the annals of Las Vegas history, providing a fine complement to Eugene Moehring's Resort City in the Sunbelt and a reliable source for students, journalists and historians.

Geoff Schumacher appears at the Vegas Valley Book Festival Oct. 23, 10:30 a.m., in a panel called "Set in Las Vegas: What Happens Here Stays on the Page" inside the Henderson Multi-Generational Center (250 S. Green Valley Pkwy.). He will sign books at the Stephens Press booth at noon. Info: www.vegasvalleybookfest.org.

Vegas Valley Book Festival

Michael Blake (Dances with Wolves)

Winchester Cultural Center

3130 S. Pecos Road

Oct. 21, 7:30 p.m.




Graphic designer Chip Kidd

The Art Institute

2350 Corporate Circle Drive

Room 144-146

Oct. 22, 1 p.m.




Cartoonist Keith Knight

The Art Institute

2350 Corporate Circle Drive

Room 144-146

Oct. 22, 3 p.m.




Walter Mosley (Devil in a Blue Dress)

Sam's Town

5111 Boulder Hwy. at Flamingo

Oct. 22, 7 p.m.




Charles Johnson (Middle Passage)

Winchester Cultural Center

3130 S. Pecos Road

Oct. 23, 7 p.m.

For info on panels and workshops, go to www.vegasvalleybookfest.org or call 702-895-1878.