Last Chance Joe

Last Chance Joe Last Chance Joe has been the mascot for various Nugget casinos throughout western Nevada for more than half a century.

In 1954, when Idaho outlawed slot machines, Boise businessman Richard L. "Dick" Graves moved to Nevada and, with partner James H. "Jim" Kelley, took over The Nugget club on North Virginia Street in Reno. That same year, Dick Graves also opened The Nugget (formerly Broderick’s Bar) in Carson City, and The Nugget (formerly the Eagle Club) in Yerington. In 1955, Graves sold his interest in the Reno N

ugget, and opened Dick Graves' Nugget on the north side of B Street in Sparks. In 1958, Dick Graves' Nugget moved to a larger facility on the south side of B Street, and the old club on the north side of B Street became Trader Dick's, a Tiki-themed Polynesian restaurant. The new Dick Graves' Nugget featured a giant statue of the club's mascot, Last Chance Joe. In 2014, the Last Chance Joe statue was removed from in front of the Nugget, and found a new home a block to the east, in front of the Sparks Heritage Museum.

In 1955 Dick Graves sold the Yerington Nugget (formerly the Eagle Club) when he opened his new Nugget club in Sparks. At...
03/18/2025

In 1955 Dick Graves sold the Yerington Nugget (formerly the Eagle Club) when he opened his new Nugget club in Sparks. At right the Eagle Club & Café is seen next to the Yerington Theatre.

The historic Jacks Valley Ranch, owned by the late Sparks Nugget owner John Ascuaga, is for sale.
06/21/2024

The historic Jacks Valley Ranch, owned by the late Sparks Nugget owner John Ascuaga, is for sale.

For the first time in more than a half century, the historic Jacks Valley Ranch is on the market for $15 million. The 1,230-acre working cattle ranch located in northwestern Douglas County was purchased by...

In 1946, Frank E. Rosaschi, Jr., sold the Eagle Club, at 18 North Main Street in Yerington, to Alben & Joe Carlos; in 1...
02/17/2022

In 1946, Frank E. Rosaschi, Jr., sold the Eagle Club, at 18 North Main Street in Yerington, to Alben & Joe Carlos; in 1947 the Carlos brothers sold it Gordon Burnet and Frank Dodge; in 1954, Idaho businessman Richard Leroy "Dick" Graves took over the Eagle Club and changed the name to The Nugget for a year. In 1955, Graves put the Yerington Nugget up for sale as he opened his new Nugget club in Sparks. The Yerington club eventually became the Eagle Club & Café again. In 1968, the Sprouse-Reitz Variety Store would move into the old Eagle Club building.

From right are Philip DeLongchamps' insurance and real estate office, Walter “Mac” McKay's Barber Shop (where gangster Baby Face Nelson once stopped in for a shave in 1933), the Yerington Theatre (at 16 North Main Street), the Eagle Club & Café, and the U.S. Post Office (across the empty lot where the The Rex Drug Co. building would be constructed in 1961).

11/04/2021

Who saw the Batmobile in the Nevada Day Parade? Come see the Batmobile at the Carson Nugget!

10/31/2021

An automobile accident is being investigated with plenty of onlookers near the Block "S" and Crystal Bar. The businesses were located at the northwest corner of 10th Street and B Street where the Nugget Events Center is today. The Sparks Bootery housed in the Bank of Sparks building can be seen on the right side of the picture.

09/30/2021

Here's a unique aerial photo of West Sparks taken in the mid 1990's. As you can see downtown Sparks looks very different with the west tower of the Nugget not constructed yet and C Street has not been realigned.

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814 Victorian Avenue
Sparks, NV
89431

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