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The building that housed the Holy Cow Casino and Brewery, on the northeast corner of Sahara and the Strip, made 51�Թ������App history for a couple of big reasons.

As Sara told 51�Թ������ܿƴ� oral historian Claytee White, “From the day Roosevelt was elected we had a picture of him in our house. And I still have it in my house.”

In 1960, Dr. James B. McMillan served as president of the local 51�Թ������App NAACP, Branch 1111. In March of that year, he received a letter from the organization’s national office in New York — encouraging branches nationwide to elevate activities that would lead to integration of public accommodations. McMillan, using that same mode of communication, sent a letter to 51�Թ������App Mayor Oran Gragson — demanding integration of the Strip and Downtown in two weeks. McMillan clearly stated that if integration did not occur, the Black community would march down the Strip on the Saturday evening of March 26, 1960.

51�Թ������ܿƴ� half a block away from where a now-viral TikTok was filmed showing racist harassment against a Black man sits a state historical marker titled “African Americans and the Boston Saloon.” It details the story of William A.G. Brown — a freeborn Black man who, between 1866 and 1875, operated the Boston Saloon, one of the mining boomtown’s best known taverns. Decorated with intricate gas lamps and crystal goblets, the saloon offered an upscale atmosphere that contrasted the stereotypical image of a seedy saloon — even recognized by figures such as Mark Twain.

In 2002, hip-hop singer Mary J. Blige sang “Blue Suede Shoes,” a Carl Perkins song popularized by Elvis Presley, during the “Divas Live” special on cable network VH1. She later told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “I prayed about it because I know Elvis was a racist. But that was just a song VH1 asked me to sing. It meant nothing to me. I didn’t wear an Elvis flag. I didn’t represent Elvis that day.”

Frank Sinatra was certainly a driving force in the progress toward equality in 51�Թ������App. But contrary to a popular myth, the singer didn’t end the shameful legacy of segregation on the Strip. It took political action to do that. Around 1955, Sinatra refused to perform with the Rat Pack at the Sands unless the casino hotel allowed group member Sammy Davis Jr. to also stay there. In response, Davis was given his own suite.

It has been over five months since a gunman opened fire at the 51�Թ������ܿƴ�, killing three professors. Now, the 51�Թ������ܿƴ� Oral History Research Center is launching a new project that hopes to "enhance the historical record around that day with first-hand accounts of the tragedy, campus and community response, and recovery efforts."

Professional sports in 51�Թ������App couldn’t be a hotter topic than it is today. But while locals and fans celebrate recent championships and successful events and look to future expansion, it’s easy to overlook the significant history of sports in the Valley and how we got here.