Reno’s Northern Club

Reno’s Northern Club, licensed for gaming in 1931, stands as one of the earliest casinos in Nevada, marking the beginning of the state’s gaming era. Located on Center Street, it was operated by Felix Turillas Sr. and John Etchebarren within the Commercial Hotel. Women were rare players at the 4,000-square-foot club when it opened, featuring two craps games, Hazard, Faro, 21, and poker tables. The three slot machines were an afterthought and were rarely used daily. Across the street, clubs like the Dog House, billed as “The Divorcee’s Haven,” hosted 24-hour stage shows with nearly-nude fan dancers and strippers, reflecting the vibrant nightlife of early Reno.

Turillas was a colorful, cantankerous character who also ran the gaming at Lawton’s Springs. Prohibition agents charged him with violating the Volstead Act (Prohibition of alcohol sales) in the 1920s. Still, his buddy Bill Graham got the charges dropped. Turillas also owned the Northern Hotel and liked to play poker, often with George Wingfield.

The Northern Club added a Big-Six Wheel and Keno to its gambling mix and ran successfully until it was sold to Jack Fugit, who redecorated and reopened it as the Barn. The small club struggled as casinos on South Virginia Street, such as Harrah’s, Harold’s, and the Nevada Club, began to take business from those on Commercial Row and Center Streets.

In 1944, a man with some experience in offshore gaming and bars in San Diego named Wilbur Clark purchased the Barn. Although he had only a few thousand dollars of his own money to invest, he was backed by partners from the Midwest and the East Coast, variously reported as Moe Dalitz and Frank Costello. He spent their money freely. The most striking attribute of the Gay-Nineties motif club was the wall fixtures, eight-foot-tall nude ladies who appeared to be holding the ceiling in place.

Wilbur Clark Moves to Las Vegas

The following year, Wilbur Clark moved to the El Rancho Casino, the first casino on the old highway to Los Angeles that became known as the Las Vegas Strip. He fronted the casino for Frank Costello, and “skim” went to Meyer Lansky. Thomas Hull, who owned the El Rancho, took a piece of the Bonanza Club in Reno.

His ownership there was very short-lived, and he sold his interest to Lou Wertheimer, who came to town from Detroit, where he ran casinos for the Detroit Partnership. Wertheimer sold his stake in the Bonanza when the Mapes Casino was ready to open in 1947.

The Bonanza stayed in business under several partnerships. Still, the gaming on Center Street continued to play second fiddle to South Virginia Street, and the only person interested in the building was Bill Harrah, who purchased it in 1952. He opened as Harrah’s Bingo in 1953. Today, part of Harrah’s Reno is located at the corner of Second and Center Streets.

Thanks for Reading – Al W Moe