Klondike Hotel & Casino

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The Klondike Hotel & Casino was a 153 room hotel and a 7,700 square foot casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, in the United States.

The hotel sat between the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign and McCarran International Airport on Las Vegas Boulevard on 6 acres of land. The Klondike was at the southern end of the Las Vegas Strip, and for many drivers, seeing the old red western buildings of the Klondike meant you had arrived in Vegas.

The hotel was known for being one of the last casinos near the Las Vegas Strip to offer cheap food bargains, notably the $1.49 spaghetti special, and offered them 24 hours a day. Tourists and locals alike could find offers for a free meal with a drink purchase.

[edit] History

The Klondike opened in 1962 as a Motel 6.

The hotel was sold on May 12, 1976 for $1.2 million by Ralph Engelstad who also owned the Imperial Palace Hotel and Casino. The new owners were John Woodrum and his son Mike Woodrum. John bought the Klondike after splitting from his previous partner, Bill Boyd.

After taking control of the casino, John decided to run a power line to the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign which was not lit at the time. After the power line was cut and some discussions, Clark County decided to provide power to the sign.

At the end of 2005, the land the casino is on was sold to a developer who is planning to have the casino torn down. The casino was sold to Royal Palms Conmunities for $48 million with Mike Woodrum being an equity partner in the new development. The new resort will be called Paramount Las Vegas.[1]

The casino closed on June 28, 2006 and hotel closed on June 30, 2006.