Water Display At Casino In Las Vegas In Nevada USA Editorial Image

Las Vegas (English: The Meadows) was named by Spaniards in the Antonio Armijo party, who used the water in the area while heading north and west along the Old Spanish Trail from Texas. In the 1800s, areas of the Las Vegas Valley contained artesian wells that supported extensive green areas or meadows (vegas in Spanish), hence the name Las Vegas. Gambling was legalized on March 19, 1931 in the city and the opening of Bugsy Siegel's Flamingo Hotel on what would become the Las Vegas Strip on December 26, 1946.