The Land Auction

Just like 100 years ago, Las Vegas' centennial land auction drew children off their horses to watch the proceedings.

Las Vegas' yearlong Centennial is the celebration of the land auction that gave rise to our town. The seller of the land was the San Pedro-Los Angeles-Salt Lake Railroad, which owned a sizeable chunk of desert surrounding a railroad stop at Main and Fremont streets. Some 1,200 sandy lots were at auction. But would anyone want them?

Let the London Times (May 15, 2005) tell the story: "In a glimpse of what was to come, the speculators and settlers got carried away in their land lust, and the auctioneers shifted $70,000 worth of dust for a total of $265,000. Las Vegas was born in a flurry of dollars-and the house had already won."

On the Centennial morning of May 15, 2005 an ensemble of local historians and government officials brought the original land auction back to life with a costumed re-enactment. Several of the original buyers were portrayed in the reenactment. For example, Ed Von Tobel Jr., age 92, portrayed his father, Ed Von Tobel Sr., a buyer at the 1905 auction.

Click here for the story of the original 1905 and auction.

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The Centennial land auction took place on a stage built to the same specifications of the original stage in 1905.	Actors in the land auction were local historians and government officials dressed in costumes typical of 1905.
Mayor Oscar Goodman played the role of narrator for the enactment.	13-year old professional mandolin player J. B. Ourada set the mood for a trip back in time.
Congresswoman Shelley Berkley (right) played a land-buyer in the re-enactment.	As shown here, women were the high bidders on several plots in the land auction of 1905.

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