I used to have an apartment across the street from the El Rancho
on Virginia st. in the 70s and would stop in occasionally. The place
was originally Farley’s Dude Ranch and I remember a pool and motel
rooms constructed from rocks that were at one time horse stables.
Pete Cladianos, who later owned the Sands, ran slots there starting
in the 40s. At one time they had crap and 21 games. It’s now Carl’s
Bar. I used to play the mechanical slots at the 4th st. location in the
70s. There was a Denny’s restaurant and a bar called the Brickyard
all in the same building. The place is still there but has been
boarded up for years. There’s a lot of information on the El Rancho
properties and other long gone places in Reno in Cladianos’ book.