08 Oct Two Casinos in Ely
The historic Hotel Nevada and the Jailhouse Motel and Casino sit across from one another on Aultman Street in the center of Ely. In the virtual-reality environment below you can enter either of the two casinos by clicking on the red target in its doorway.
Drag within the image to rotate the view to face either casino’s doorway. Click on the red target in the doorway to enter either casino. Click the “full screen” button for the most detail.
Hotel Nevada
When the Hotel Nevada in Ely was completed in 1929. It was the tallest building in Nevada—at six stories—until 1931, when the seven-story El Cortez Hotel in Reno was opened. Rooms rented for $1.50 and up, “All with private toilet; 85% with private bath.” Gambling was privately available twenty-four hours a day. Patrons today will find historical photos of local scenes hanging throughout the hotel Display cases with guns, swords, rattlesnakes, and many other items can be viewed in the gaming area. The wooden walls exhibit brands and names of area ranches, created when the owners brought their branding irons and gathered together to burn them into the wood.
A more recent addition to Ely’s downtown is the Jailhouse Motel and Casino, which opened in 1980.
David Mullen
Posted at 15:04h, 24 MarchIn the late 1990s we were camped at Great Basin NP. We went for a tour of Lehman cave and when we came out our Explorer would not turn over, even with jumper cables. Luckily we had the extended towing package through AAA insurance because the tow truck had to come from Ely. It was a cozy ride to Ely with me, my wife and two daughters crammed into the cab of the truck. After the driver dropped the truck at the local Ford dealership he took us to the Hotel Nevada. He claimed it was probably the best place for us to stay in Ely. We were able to get a 2 room suite at a reasonable price. The room was clean and comfortable. I remember the walls having many portraits of old time movie stars that had stayed there when filming westerns nearby. The next morning we enjoyed a delicious breakfast in the hotel restaurant. I even have a T-shirt from the hotel with a burro popping off a six-shooter. The mishap had turned into an unexpected adventure. At least until we had to pay the dealer for repairs. The darned dealer charged us $300 to replace one of the battery cables, which was a lot of money at the time. But I still have fond memories of our time at Hotel Nevada.