The First Telephone in Las Vegas

A plaque marks the site of Las Vegas’ first telephone. It was installed in 1907 at the Hotel Nevada, now the Golden Gate, in the office of Charles “Pop” Squires, a man often called the Father of Las Vegas. The wall-mounted hand-cranked 1907 Kellogg had the telephone number “1.”

According to the Historic Las Vegas Project, Squires came to the Las Vegas Valley in 1905. Along with business partners, he established a lumberyard, a hotel, a real estate firm, and a bank. In March 1906, Squires played an important role in electrifying Las Vegas when he established the Consolidated Power & Telephone Company. The telephone he had installed in his office was one of about 50—enough for everyone in town who wanted one, at that point.

The plaque marking this milestone in the city’s communication technology was unveiled in October 1980. It can be found on the sidewalk outside the Golden Gate Casino, which also holds the honor of being the birthplace of the shrimp cocktail.