In 1946, John and Alice Ross founded the Christmas Tree casino, a landmark built at the top of Mount Rose with spectacular views down to Washoe Valley, fostering local pride and a sense of community.
To increase the small club’s income, Reno gambler Virgil Smith, fresh from bankrolling Bill Harrah’s blackout bar in Reno, opened a roulette wheel and a 21 table. Smith hired the dealers, managed the tables, and paid a $25 daily fee. At the end of each month, he also paid John and Alice 10% juice on his overall win at the tables.
The games opened at 5 pm, and players could gamble until well after 2 am every night or until the crowd went home. The starting limit on slow days was 25 cents, but a $1 blackjack minimum was customary during the summer. Unless the club had a lucky visit from George Whittell or another Tahoe millionaire, the maximum wagers were set at $10.
As chronicled in Mob City: Reno, Nick Abelman took over the gaming concession the following year after selling his State Line Country Club casino at South Shore. His wife, June, handled the accounting for the gaming as well as the restaurant and bar.
The property became known as a friendly watering hole and the place to get mahogany-broiled steaks when Guy Michael and Art Fisher took over management. This contributed to Reno’s local hospitality scene and economy during the 1950s and helped establish its reputation as a community hub.
In 1959, the Gaming Control Board closed the property after a 21-year-old dealer was accused of cheating by rolling the deck to deal off the bottom. The casino faced repeated closures for gaming violations, reflecting the regulatory challenges and the changing gambling landscape in Reno during that era.
While shuttered in 1967, the Christmas Tree was destroyed by fire, but Guy Michael sold the business and property to Al Kuckhoff, who rebuilt it for a new host of casino operators. Some of those operators included Reno Menicucci, Ken Clever, and Peter Apostolos. In 1972, the property was closed and remained closed until Gloria Michael reopened it in 1976. Other gaming operators included Don Gilfillian and David and Mary Ellen Houston, who owned the property before it returned to its roots, once again operating as a bar and restaurant only.
Today, gamblers have to make it all the way into Incline Village or Carnelian Bay to gamble at Lake Tahoe. Still, more than anything, old-time Reno travelers miss the hospitality at the Christmas Tree bar and the mahogany broiled steaks the restaurant served daily.
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