On This Date in El Rey History...

Willie Martello was defending the safety of his Searchlight runway in a hearing before the Clark County Commissioners on April 20, 1965.

He offered free flights to and from California on luxurious DC-3s and Lockheed Constellations. The runway was vital to Willie and the El Rey Club to bring in tourists to Searchlight and revenue to the town. Were it to be shut down it could have been devastating for the town of Searchlight and the El Rey Club.

The complete story of Willie's runway, the flights, and so much more will be told in my upcoming book. The second draft is completed and it is in the proofreading and editing phase.

If you'd like to see this book get published and in your local stores, please call, write, or email publishers of historical volumes encouraging them to publish my work.

The research & collecting of photos and memorabilia from the El Rey Club never stops! Please contact me at 702-465-5604 or email me at andy@andymartello.com if you have stories or memorabilia to share.