Thomas Young (entrepreneur)

Last updated
Thomas Young
Born(1895-05-26)May 26, 1895
DiedSeptember 11, 1971(1971-09-11) (aged 76)
NationalityEnglish
OccupationFounder of the Young Electric Sign Company
Years active1920–1971
SpouseElmina Carlisle
Parent(s)George W. Young
Emily Tate Young
Website YESCO.com

Thomas Young (May 26, 1895 September 11, 1971) was a British entrepreneur from Sunderland, England, who founded the Young Electric Sign Company. [1]

Biography

He was born on May 26, 1895, in Sunderland, England.

Young's family converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in his infancy. At age 15, Young and his family sailed from Liverpool, England, to Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and continued on to Ogden, Utah, United States, by train.

Young founded the Thomas Young Sign Company on March 20, 1920, in Ogden, Utah. Soon thereafter, Young changed the company name to Young Electric Sign Company. In 1931 he realized that with the start of the construction of Boulder Dam there would be enough electricity for Las Vegas, where gambling was now legal. [2]

Young and his company specialized in neon signs built for businesses throughout the intermountain west and Las Vegas. He and his company created many of the famous signs in Las Vegas, Nevada, such as the Circus Circus clown sign and the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign (created by Western Neon later acquired by YESCO. [3] [4]

He died on September 11, 1971, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Las Vegas</span> Largest city in Nevada, United States

Las Vegas, often known as Sin City or simply Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-largest in the Southwestern United States. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city, known primarily for its gambling, shopping, fine dining, entertainment, and nightlife, with most venues centered on downtown Las Vegas and more to the Las Vegas Strip just outside city limits. The Las Vegas Valley as a whole serves as the leading financial, commercial, and cultural center for Nevada. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city had 641,903 residents in 2020, with a metropolitan population of 2,227,053, making it the 25th-most populous city in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Circus Circus Las Vegas</span> Hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip

Circus Circus Las Vegas is a hotel and casino located on the northern Las Vegas Strip in Winchester, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Phil Ruffin. Circus Circus includes the largest permanent circus in the world. It features circus and trapeze acts, as well as carnival games, at its Carnival Midway. The resort also includes the Adventuredome, an indoor amusement park.

The Hacienda was a hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, that operated from 1956 to 1996. It was opened by Warren Bayley, who owned other Hacienda properties in California as well. Bayley opened the hotel portion in June 1956, although the opening of the casino was delayed as the Nevada Gaming Control Board objected to his choice of casino manager, Jake Kozloff. The casino portion eventually opened on October 17, 1956. The $6 million property had 266 rooms and the largest pool on the Las Vegas Strip. Like its sister properties in California, the resort included a neon sign that depicted a cowboy riding a palomino horse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Skene Ogden</span> British-Canadian fur trapper and explorer

Peter Skene Ogden was a British-Canadian fur trader and an early explorer of what is now British Columbia and the Western United States. During his many expeditions, he explored parts of Oregon, Washington, Nevada, California, Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming. Despite early confrontations with the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) while working for the North West Company, he later became a senior official in the operations of the HBC's Columbia Department, serving as manager of Fort Simpson and similar posts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Circus Circus Reno</span> Hotel and casino located in Reno, Nevada

Circus Circus Reno is a hotel and casino located in Downtown Reno, Nevada. It anchors a network of connected hotel-casinos in the downtown Reno core that includes Silver Legacy Reno and Eldorado Reno and are owned and operated by Caesars Entertainment. It includes a 1,620 room hotel and a 66,515 sq ft (6,179.4 m2) casino which features free circus acts on a regular basis throughout the day over the midway which also offers 33 carnival games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign</span> United States historic place

The Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign is a Las Vegas landmark funded in May 1959 and erected soon after by Western Neon. The sign was designed by Betty Willis at the request of Ted Rogich, a local salesman, who sold it to Clark County, Nevada.

The settlement of Las Vegas, Nevada was founded in 1905 after the opening of a railroad that linked Los Angeles and Salt Lake City. The stopover attracted some farmers to the area, and fresh water was piped in to the settlement. In 1911, the town was incorporated as part of the newly founded Clark County. Urbanization took off in 1931 when work started on the Boulder Dam, bringing a huge influx of young male workers, for whom theaters and casinos were built, largely by the Mafia. Electricity from the dam also enabled the building of many new hotels along the Strip. The arrival of Howard Hughes in 1966 did much to offset mob influence and helped turn Las Vegas into more of a family tourist center, now classified as a Mega resort.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fremont Street</span> Thoroughfare in Las Vegas, United States

Fremont Street is a street in downtown Las Vegas, Nevada that is the second most famous street in the Las Vegas Valley – and Nevada – besides the Las Vegas Strip. Named in honor of explorer and politician, and coordinator of the Sacramento River massacre John C. Frémont and located in the heart of the downtown casino corridor, Fremont Street is today, or was, the address for many famous casinos such as Binion's Horseshoe, Eldorado Club, Fremont Hotel and Casino, Golden Gate Hotel and Casino, Golden Nugget, Four Queens, The Mint, and the Pioneer Club.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neon Museum</span> Art museum in Las Vegas, Nevada

The Neon Museum in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States, features signs from old casinos and other businesses displayed outdoors on 2.62 acres (1.06 ha). The museum features a restored lobby shell from the defunct La Concha Motel as its visitors' center, which officially opened on October 27, 2012.

Edward Parry Thomas was an American banker who helped finance the development of the casino industry of Las Vegas, Nevada. Along with his business partner, Jerome D. Mack, he is credited with building Las Vegas into what it is today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vegas Vic</span> Neon sign of a cowboy in Las Vegas, Nevada

Vegas Vic is a neon sign portraying a cowboy which was erected on the exterior of The Pioneer Club in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA in 1951. The sign was a departure in graphic design from typeface based neon signs, to the friendly and welcoming human form of a cowboy. The sign's human-like abilities of talking and waving its arm received an immediate acceptance as the unofficial welcoming sign, reproduced thousands of times over the years and all over the world. The sign can still be found at 25 E Fremont Street, where it has been since 1951 on the exterior of what used to be The Pioneer Club but is currently a souvenir shop. The trademark is currently owned by Pioneer Hotel, Inc., which owns and operates the Pioneer Hotel and Gambling Hall on the Colorado River in Laughlin, Nevada. Laughlin has a twin of the Vegas Vic image on another large sign referred to as River Rick.

Pat Denner was the designer of Vegas Vic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Cromwell Las Vegas</span> Casino hotel in Nevada, United States

The Cromwell Las Vegas is a luxury boutique casino hotel on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Caesars Entertainment. It was originally opened by Michael Gaughan as the Barbary Coast on March 2, 1979. Several nearby resorts were opposed to its construction, partially due to concerns about increased traffic congestion. The property featured Victorian décor and later became part of Gaughan's company, Coast Casinos. The Barbary Coast would go on to add two popular restaurants, and a nightclub by Victor Drai.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">YESCO</span> American manufacturer of electric signs

YESCO is a privately owned manufacturer of electric signs based in Salt Lake City, founded by Thomas Young in 1920. The company provides design, fabrication, installation and maintenance of signs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pioneer Hotel & Gambling Hall</span> Casino hotel in Nevada, United States

Pioneer Hotel & Gambling Hall is a hotel and casino located on the banks of the Colorado River in Laughlin, Nevada. It is known for its neon cigarette-puffing "River Rick" marque. It was a sister property of the Pioneer Club in Las Vegas until both properties were sold to separate parties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pioneer Club Las Vegas</span> Former casino in 20th century Downtown Las Vegas

Pioneer Club Las Vegas was a casino that opened in 1942 and was located in Downtown Las Vegas, Nevada, at 25 East Fremont Street. It ceased operating as a casino in 1995, the same year the Fremont Street Experience was completed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wendover Will</span> Casino sign in Nevada

Wendover Will is a sign created for the Stateline Casino in West Wendover, Nevada in 1952. It is now a landmark for the town of West Wendover.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Betty Willis (artist)</span> American graphic designer

Betty Jane Willis was an American visual artist and graphic designer. Born in Overton, Nevada, she is best known for having been the designer of the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign, and has been attributed to being an influencer in defining modern Las Vegas' visual image.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prosper Goumond</span>

Prosper Goumond, was a businessman who received the first gaming license issued in Las Vegas.

The Algiers Hotel was an Arabian/Persian-themed hotel located at 2845 South Las Vegas Boulevard on the Las Vegas Strip in Winchester, Nevada. The Algiers opened on November 25, 1953, as a 110-room sister property to the adjacent Thunderbird hotel and casino. The Algiers was noted for mostly retaining its original design throughout its operation, giving it the appearance of an older Las Vegas hotel. In 1991, the property was earmarked for possible condemnation, allowing for the realignment of nearby streets in order to reduce traffic.

References

  1. "A Legacy of Light: Take a Tour Back through History". YESCO. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
  2. Dave Bernslas (February 7, 1999). "Thomas Young". Las Vegas Review-Journal . Retrieved 2015-10-13.
  3. "Lighting, Billboards & Sign Company in Las Vegas". YESCO. During the 'Golden Age of Neon' YESCO designers created a steady stream of displays at the Dunes, Sahara, Tropicana, El Morocco and Circus Circus.
  4. "County Commission to Honor `Welcome to Las Vegas' Sign Designer". Government of Clark County, Nevada. 4 May 2015. Young Electric Sign Company (YESCO), which bought Western Neon a few years after the sign was created, is now the sign's owner and operator.