Elko, Nevada is the largest town within a 130-mile radius of it's location in northeast Nevada. It is also (according to the Chamber of Commerce) the largest gold mining area of the world save for four countries.
Considering that it is smaller than most college campuses, that's fairly impressive
There are a few nice mid-20th century neon signs for the various motels and handful of casinos in the town, so using my trusty SII4, I tried to take a few pics of the better ones.
The casinos are pretty much bare-bones, with minimal decor outside and in. They all feel a bit like old Vegas, pre-conglomerate domination of the casinos
The Commercial Casino, poorly pictured above, is at least decorated with murals on the exterior walls. For some reason there is also an odd polar bear motif repeated in the murals, and in large statues over two of the entrances
The Commercial Casino also features an actual stuffed polar bear in it's lobby, There is signage that states it was a bear hunted by Alaskan natives, and the mount was done by Jonas & Bros. of Seattle. The polar beer is listed as being 10'4" tall, and is claimed to be the largest known stuffed bear. Looks like the one that sits just in the entrance to the JC Penny in downtown Anchorage to me, if not a little smaller.
Oh, and Elko is a town that falls under the Nevada legal statute that allows legal prostitution, and there are actual brothels just down the street from the Stockmen's Casino
The brothels are dodgy, at least from the outside. I have no idea about the interiors, as I did not venture in - thought it'd be a bit gouache to just walk in and say, "Hey, mind if I get a few pics for my blog real quick?"
This one shown above, Inez's Dancing & Diddling, is a small building with a number of older mobile homes situated around it. Wonder how business is on a cold Thursday night?
If you look hard at the small unlit sign close to the bottom of the stop sign, you'll see it reads "Small Brothel of the Year." Nice to see an American business still aspiring to be number one.
The Elko County Court House is a classic Greek/Roman influenced building, and wouldn't look out of place in any major city. I imagine, what with the gold miners, the gambling, the prostitution, and all the other vices that tag along, being a defense attorney is a profitable occupation in Elko.
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