Raphael Rivera, a young scout, is known to be the first European to visit and discover the valley of Las Vegas during 1829. The discovery of the valley with abundant wild grasses growing and a plentiful water supply was named Las Vegas, Spanish for "The Meadows." Then around 1844, John C. Fremont arrived in Las Vegas and kept a journal describing two springs he found. This journal lured in many individuals to the area.
By 1864, Nevada was admitted into the union as the 36th state. On that day, it was recognized annually as a state holiday. Then at the late 1800's, the discovery of minerals such as metals, lead to the beginning of the mining industry. Then to lure in farmers, the State Land Act of 1885 offered sections of land at the price of $1.25 per acre. The agriculture became the dominant industry for the next 20 years.
During the early 1900s, the completion of the main railway that links Southern California with Salt Lake City established Las Vegas as a railroad town. The rich source of water made Las Vegas an ideal refueling point and rest stop. On May 15, 1905 Las Vegas was founded as a city. Then on July 1, 1909, the Nevada Legislature created the city under Clark County. It was named after William Clark who brought the railroad to southern Nevada.
Nevada was the first state to legalize casino-style gambling, but before that, it was the last western state to outlaw gaming in the first decade of the 20th Century. On October 1, 1910, a strict anti-gambling law became effective in Nevada. This law lasted less than three weeks. Gambling was quickly set up underground where patrons who knew the password can go in. Not until March 1931 when the Nevada Legislature approved a legalized gambling bill that was caused by Phil Tobin, a Northern Nevada rancher, that stated legalized gambling was designed to raise taxes for public schools. Today, more than 43% of the state general fund is fed by gambling tax revenue and more than 34% of the state's general fund goes into public education. During the Great Depression, legalized gambling returned to Nevada.
At the same time as the Great Depression, the construction of Hoover Dam brings an influx of construction workers that blooms the population and started the Valley's economy which was a necessity during that era. By 1935, four years later, the Hoover Dam was completed. At 726 feet high and more than 1200 feet long, it was the tallest dam in the world. President Franklin D. Roosevelt spoke at the dam's dedication.
As the population grows in Las Vegas, the foundation of what Las Vegas is now was due to the transition phase when gambling became "gaming" as a legitimate business during the 1960s, Corporations invest in the hotel/casino industry. The population growth and the increase of job opportunities exponentially increased as the number of hotels increased over the period of two centuries later.
Source:http://www.lvol.com/lvoleg/hist/lvhist.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Las_Vegas
http://www.lasvegasnevada.gov/FactsStatistics/history.htm