CHIEF
HOTEL COURT
(1939 – approx 1989)
STORY
Located at 1201 E. Fremont Street, the Chief Hotel Court signage is the oldest operational sign in our collections. Both the property and its sign come from c. 1940. The Chief Hotel Court imagery is an example of the romanticized concepts of Native Americans that were common in properties trying to convey the concept of "the Old West." The specific imagery that the Chief Hotel Court sign utilizes was likely incorporated from the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad line.
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The sign depicts a stereotypical Plains Indian motif, not accurate to the Southern Paiute and other tribes who are indigenous to the Las Vegas valley. The Plains Indians, native to the Great Plains and Canadian Prairies of North America, utilize war bonnets as symbols of authority, but these are not commonly found in Southern Paiute culture. This point regarding cultural erasure is further underscored by the fact that when the Chief Hotel Court signage would have been first erected, the Las Vegas Paiute reservation just miles from downtown did not yet have household electricity. In the decades since, the Las Vegas Paiutes has pursued financial success through commercial and recreational means.
The term "steamed heat" at the bottom of the sign refers to radiator heating, "on par with other luxuries such as gas lighting and elevators." Additionally, the sign is another example of directional signage, with its arrow pointing visitors in the direction of the lobby or the parking lot.
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KEY NARRATION
Sign Facts
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The Chief Hotel Court opens in 1939.
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The sign is from 1940.
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It is the oldest operational sign in the collection of the Neon Museum.
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It is another example of a directional sign.
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It would have been located a few blocks east of what is now the Fremont Street Experience.
Guest Education
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The image at the top of the sign is an image of a stereotypical Plains Indian.
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This negates/ignores the presence of the Southern Paiutes and other tribes who were indigenous to the region.
Additional Details
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GUEST ENGAGEMENT: What is "steamed heat" referring to? (Answer: in-room radiator heat.)
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Heated rooms and electrical power at the Chief Motor Court pre-date the Southern Paiutes living only blocks away from having conveniences such as these by literally decades(!).
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