The Prospectors Club was originally called the Willow
Island Club and founded by R.H. Bergstrom in 1944.
Menbers met in a clubhouse on an island on a lake south
of Reno for fun and I imagine some drinking. The name
was changed to Prospectors in 1947 when they met a the
newly opened Mapes Hotel. Some early members
were Bill Harrah, Newt Crumley, E.L. Cord and Norman
Biltz. Over the years they also met at the Riverside, Holiday,
Harrah’s, Flamingo and presently the El Dorado. I imagine
some deals were cooked up along the way as all members
we’re movers and shakers in Reno.