Glitter Gulch, Las Vegas, Version 2, Bella Ladies V-Neck Tee

Venue History

The Glitter Gulch Casino was one of Fremont Street’s most recognizable and provocative casino brands, operating on the south side of the 100 block of East Fremont Street with the iconic Vegas Vickie kicking-cowgirl neon sign that became its mascot. Though the casino itself had a relatively short lifespan under the Glitter Gulch name, its visual impact on “Glitter Gulch”, the nickname for this intensely neon-saturated block of Fremont, was enormous. The property’s lineage stretches back decades. Various casinos had occupied the narrow building footprint beginning in the 1950s, including the Golden Slot Club and later the Fortune Club. But in the early 1980s, the space was transformed into a topless-dancing casino, a bold concept at a time when downtown was fighting to stay relevant against the expanding Strip. Renamed Glitter Gulch, the venue leaned hard into adult entertainment while still operating with a full gaming license. Its mixture of slot machines, bar-top gaming, go-go stages, and adult revue elements made it a hybrid of casino and gentlemen’s club, an unmistakable outlier in the Fremont lineup. The casino is best remembered for the towering Vegas Vickie, a 20-foot neon cowgirl created in 1980 by YESCO designer Charles Barnard. Positioned directly above the Glitter Gulch entrance, Vickie kicked her animated boot high above Fremont Street for decades, becoming one of the most photographed pieces of neon in Las Vegas. Together, Glitter Gulch and Vickie formed one of the most iconic visual pairings in downtown history. Through the 1980s and 1990s, Glitter Gulch became part of adult-oriented Fremont Street venues along with the nearby Girls of Glitter Gulch and Golden Goose, all owned at various points by Las Vegas businessman Herb Pastor. The mix of neon, nightlife, and edgy entertainment helped define the pre-Fremont Street Experience era. In 2016, the property was purchased by brothers Derek and Greg Stevens, owners of the Golden Gate and developers of Circa Resort & Casino. Glitter Gulch closed in 2016 and was demolished in 2017 to make way for Circa’s massive footprint. Vegas Vickie was preserved, restored, and now lives inside Circa’s lobby as a centerpiece art installation. Today, Glitter Gulch Casino survives only in neon history, photos, and nostalgia, an unforgettable snapshot of Fremont Street’s wildest era.