World Wide Publishing ISBN 1-884550-35-5
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Cal Neva Resort
The Cal-Neva Resort floats above the lake sparkling in the sun like an ivory tower. Guests crowd the crap tables and line up to play the slots, but don’t let the party time atmosphere fool you. There are skeletons in the basement that go way back. In 1926, Robert P. Sherman, a wealthy San Franciscan, built the first Cal-Neva on land taken from the Washoe Indians. Two years later Norman Blitz, known as the “Duke of Nevada,” acquired the property in exchange for debts owned him. Blitz’s wife was Esther Auchincloss Nash, granddaughter to the founder of Standard Oil and aunt of Jacqueline Kennedy-Onassis. The original casino was little more than a glorified log cabin built across the California-Nevada state line. Before gambling was legal in Nevada, the canny owner shifted the tables back and forth (from “state to state”) to thwart local authorities from each side. In 1937, the Cal-Neva burned to the ground yet rose phoenix-like from the ashes. It’s said that all the materials needed to rebuild the casino were stored nearby. Five hundred men were employed to work round the clock to finish the new building within a month. This is what we know today as the Indian Room, Circle Bar and main casino area. The Cal-Neva Resort weathered heavy snowfalls and the remodeling of a succession of owners, including serious gamblers with names like "Pretty Boy," "Bones," and "Baby Face" during the 1940's and 1950's. It continued to thrive, growing bigger and more flamboyant all the time. No owner was as famous or visible as Frank Sinatra who acquired the casino in 1960. Today visitors may tour the underground tunnel that once linked Sinatra’s Cabin 5 to the hotel theater where he performed. Colin Stevens a guide, points out Cabin 4, reserved for the Kennedys, and Cabin 3 where Marilyn Monroe used to stay. He reveals the legend “A.G. 1946” on the tunnel wall which Frank is supposed to have carved. It would seem that in the 1960s Sinatra still carried a torch for his glamorous ex, Ava Gardner, and the year of their marriage. In 1962, Frank’s quick action saved Marilyn Monroe from an attempted suicide in her cabin, but only a month after her release from the hospital the actress tried again and succeeded. Guests staying in Cabin 3 have from time to time heard sobbing and smelled a lingering perfume. Strange tales more frequently center around Sinatra’s notorious tunnel. It’s an eerie place with vestiges of rat pack glamour—the exit to the casino is still carpeted. Small wonder staff members complain of angry voices and frightful apparitions. A controversy with the Nevada Gaming Control Board resulted in the revocation of Sinatra’s gambling license in 1963. He no longer owned the casino but continued to sing there in order to pay off his mafia connections. In 1980 the casino was summarily closed; staff and patrons alike were ordered from the premises. When Charles Book reopened in 1985. food still remained on the dining tables and the kitchen was in disarray. In 2000 with many staff members still fearful of using the tunnel, it was decided to hold a séance there. A vision of Sammy Davis Jr. was seen by some and a recording was made of unknown voices speaking a strange language. Later someone suggested that the language might be Native American.
It was decided to take the tape to a Washoe Indian living in Reno.
He confirmed that the voice was indeed speaking a Washoe dialogue but refused to
translate, saying instead:
The Cal Neva Resort is located on Crystal Bay on the north shore of Lake Tahoe with the California-Nevada line running through it. Phone (800) 225-6382. |