On This date was May 22, 1943, this first wedding at the Little Church of the West took place.

Captain George N. Calvert of the fourth armored division of the United States army and Miss Helen Gates of Hollywood, California came to Las Vegas for a quiet wedding. Because of gasoline rationing and restrictions on other travel, their friends and family were unable to make the trip here for their ceremony. The Last Frontier Hotel, site of the Little Church Of The West, made all of the arrangements for this landmark wedding, including the guests. There were 100 guests in western and pioneer costumes attending the ceremony. Roy Rogers and radio star Chester Lauck were the ushers.

The Little Church of the West opened its doors in 1942 on what would become The Strip. The chapel was originally built as part of the Hotel Last Frontier complex on the Las Vegas Strip. The chapel was moved from the north side of the hotel to the south side in 1954. In 1979, to make way for the Fashion Show Mall, the chapel was moved onto the grounds of the Hacienda. In 1996, when the Hacienda was closed and demolished, the chapel moved again to its current location on the east side of the strip south of the Mandalay Bay.

The church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 14, 1992.

Photo By: Larry D. Moore