Reno was truly Hell on Wheels in the 1920's. The rest of the nation considered the town Sodom and Gomorra, but that's only half the truth. Reno offered everything in the way of adult entertainment, from speakeasies and houses of ill-repute, to open gaming - legal or not. And it took plenty of sins by the founding fathers to make Reno The biggest little city in the world.
When the gold-veins of Tonopah and Goldfield ran out, the casino owners moved to Reno, where even greater riches awaited. Together, a group of four men (Nick Abelman, Bill Graham, Jim McKay, George Wingfield) took over Reno's casinos and held sway over the town for the next three decades. Together, they administered policy, collected juice, ran politicians, and owned the red-light district and most of the town's casinos. When that wasn't enough they took over the banks and laundered money for crooks like Pretty Boy Floyd, Alvin Karpis, and Ma Barker's boys, and offered safety to Baby Face Nelson. It was a good gig.
The Reno Four dictated policy all over northern Nevada, taking special care of Reno and Lake Tahoe casinos up until the late 1950's. Their influence made Reno before Bill Harrah or Pappy Smith ever arrived, needing an introduction and permission to build their own casinos, Harold's Club and Harrah's.
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"This is the definitive book about Northern Nevada's growth from boom-towns like Tonopah and Bullfrog, to Reno becoming "The Biggest Little City in the World" The narrator takes great care in telling this wonderful story in a descriptive, soothing voice. If you ever wondered how Reno and Lake Tahoe grew, who built the casinos, and how much under-handed, greedy, manipulative power was used, this is the book for you. The story unfolds with early saloon owners of the late 1900's and moves forward to the Cal-Neva Lodge of the early 1960's with Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe, the Kennedy's, and of course, Crime Lord of Chicago, Sam Giancana. Really a great book to listen to!"
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Rolland Kling (5 out of 5 stars)