Fun with Maps ISSUE 2025-084

By Steve Kovacs (Introduction by Chuck Gibson)

LOVELAND, OH (May 9, 2025) – In today’s edition of Fun with Maps, we look into the impact of the early days of gambling in Nevada.

Reno – The Biggest Little City in the World

Reno, Nevada was established on May 9, 1865. 

The city of Reno is named after Jesse Reno, a Major General on the Union side, killed in action in the Civil War.

Agriculture and gold plus silver mining nearby fueled Reno’s early economy. 

Then in 1931 gambling became legal in Nevada and Reno jumped on that action right away.  In the same year divorces were becoming easier to obtain.  Reno thus became a divorce destination and was the divorce capital of the world for a period of time.

Eventually the divorce business declined and gambling increased.  Gambling remains big business in Reno, but Las Vegas outstripped Reno in gambling dollars by the 1960s.

This pictorial map of Reno was created by Caples in 1935 to promote the Town House night club.

Steve Kovacs and his wife Theresa reside in Loveland, Ohio where they raised their two children. He is a passionate collector of antique maps.

Visit his antique map boutique world-on-paper online. Watch for his daily feature Steve Kovacs: Fun with Maps here on Loveland Beacon.