We were a long way from Portland still and passed some great sights. One was the Shoe Tree... unfortunately we did not stop to grab a picture of that, perhaps next time!
Then there is the stop in Reno, Nevada at the Nugget. Hmmm, just a few miles from the California border and it was time to call it a day. The Nugget has this Golden Rooster in the lobby and there is a history of this objet 'd art in the room as well as in front of the case. The short history I found to be monsterously hilarious for the simplistic reason that it exemplifies foolishness in so many ways. It seems that in May of 1958 the management of the Nugget were casting about for something (a focal point) to use as a claim to fame. They got permission from the U.S. Treasury to commission this Rooster because it was to weigh more than the amount legal for an individual to own of 50 ounces of gold. In fact when all was said and done it weighed in at 206.3 troy ounces of 18-karat gold!!! That's when the fun started. About early 1959 the Treasury Department started its quest to seize the Bird through law suits and such harrassments as they thought appropriate... the Nugget pleaded its case and things went silent for awhile. Then again in 1960 the Treasury grabbed the Bird and made off with it for a further two years of continuous litigation. In the end the chosen jury said this was all nonsense and awarded the Bird back to its owners and it has resided happily in various places in the casino ever since. One of the things that struck me as funny in reading the story was the claim by the Treasury that this was not art... as if they know?!?! Anyway, the long and the short of it is that here is a little peice of Americana that I would never have guessed when I saw this Polished Brass looking creature!! So, in a way, the Treasury still got the Bird!!
No comments:
Post a Comment