| What makes it historical? |
The state of Nevada had curious rules about marriage, in that it saw purely economic opportunities in both marriage and divorce! By 1931, there was no waiting period or medical examination required to get married in Nevada, and couples only had to live in the state for 6 weeks before they could divorce! In fact, marriage became deeply entwined with both the resort and gaming industries to the point where chapels just for marriages became one of the defining buildings of Las Vegas cultur especially!
William J. Moore pioneered this movement with the Little Church of the West in 1941! Part of his Last Frontier resort, this little chapel was modeled off a church he saw in an unnamed California mining town and remains one of only two such chapels built specifically for weddings in Las Vegas! Some of the notable weddings that took place here at the Little Church of the West included Judy Garland & Mark Herron, Micky Rooney & Ava Gardner, and Zsa Zsa Gabor & George Sanders!
In 1976, the Summa Corporation bought the Last Frontier and sold the Little Church to Merle Richards, who moved it to his Hacienda property. Seven years later, Greg Smith bought the chapel and moved it, once again, to its standalone spot on the south end of the Las Vegas Strip! It’s still serving Vegas-style weddings today! |
