Late night on June 17, 1960, Harry James and Betty Grable were performing on stage, the hotel was destroyed by a fire. There were no deaths or injuries. Despite vows to rebuild the El Rancho Vegas after the fire, the plans never materialized. In 1970, billionaire Howard Hughes purchased 60 acres of the land. In 1978, the remnants of the old resort were demolished.
The El Rancho Vegas was the first resort on the Las Vegas Strip and open on April 3, 1941. The hotel was located on the corner of Las Vegas Blvd. and Sahara Blvd. It was the largest hotel in Las Vegas with 110 rooms in 1941. When it opened, El Rancho Vegas’s dining room was the largest in Las Vegas. The casino consisted of four table games—two blackjack tables, one roulette table, and one craps table—and seventy slot machines.
Photos By: http://digital.library.unlv.edu/u?/sky,38