Our Sparks Rotary lunch meeting scheduled for July 24th will be held at the National Automobile Museum located at 10 State St. The National Automobile Museum is located just south of the Truckee River in Reno, Nevada and displays historic automobiles from the late 19th century and from throughout the 20th. When the Museum opened in 1989, it was reported to have set the standard for automobile museums around the world. Since then, it has received many accolades and today it is recognized as one of 10 Best Automobile Museums in the U.S.
The idea for this Museum developed following the death of Bill Harrah and the Museum exists today thanks to a persuasive public and the generosity of many. Bill Harrah was a prominent gaming pioneer who founded Harrah’s Hotels and Casinos and the former Harrah’s Automobile Collection. He assembled the largest and most historically significant collection in the world that reached approximately 1,400 vehicles. His legacy lives on at the National Automobile Museum (The Harrah Collection). After his death in 1978, Holiday Inns purchased Harrah’s Hotels and Casinos and Harrah’s Automobile Collection in 1980.