Thomas E. Hull is the founder of the Las Vegas Strip. His resort, the El Rancho Vegas, would soon put the Strip on the map and make it the most unique and brightly lit three miles in the world.

Hull was born on October 3, 1893 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. In 1913, he graduated from the Colorado Agricultural and Mining College. Putting his new vocation into use, he tried to mine in Mexico but ran into trouble during the revolution.

Hull moved to New Mexico where he owned a movie theater, then becoming a flight instructor for the Army during World War I. After the war he owned movie theaters in Austin, Texas but sold his operations at a profit.

Hull then moved to San Francisco and went into the hotel business with his father. He then acquired the San Francisco Bellevue, and being a pilot during the war, he attracted other pilots such as Charles Lindbergh, Eddie Rickenbacker, Wiley Post and Clyde Pangborn.

In September 1932, he bought the Los Angeles' Mayfair, then Hollywood's Roosevelt, and Hotel Senator in Sacramento, California. When he arrived at Las Vegas he had eight hotels in addition to the above.

What Hull wanted was to have all the luxuries of resorts built into motels and auto courts. He then started naming these new types of resorts "El Rancho," including El Rancho Fresno and El Rancho Sacramento.

Hull by chance or by fate had a flat tire at the a piece of property and that's when his dream began.

With his dream complete, Hull sold the El Rancho and went on to further ventures.

Hull's name was soon forgotten when history was altered to show that Benjamin Siegel was the founder of the Strip. What is ironic is that Hull headed a group of investors that in 1955 bought Siegel's most cherished possession.

Hull's El Rancho Vegas burned to the ground on June 17, 1960, but that too was forgotten in the midst of the Flamingo legend. I can find no interviews or comments from Hull regarding the death of his dream but I'm sure there was a sadness knowing that his dream was no more. He died of a heart attack at age 70 in 1964, at his Beverly Hills, California home - four years after the death of his El Rancho Vegas.

No one will ever know if the Strip would be where it is today if it wasn't for Hull and his dream of a place for rest and comfort to weary travelers.

The following shows Hull's son with his grandsons. Pictured are Thomas J. Hull, Jr., Thomas J. Hull, Sr., Todd J. Hull, Tyson J. Hull (youngest grandson), and Tim J. Hull. This picture was donated by Tim J. Hull.