Tuesday Afternoon Diversion: CPD visits Las Vegas in 1962

Michael Williams brings us this amazing 16mm Kodachrome home movie of a group of Chicago police officers and their wives visiting Las Vegas. Aside from this being perfectly clear and in focus, and of astonishing quality given the equipment and era, this video also gives us a glimpse into what Las Vegas looked like in a different time, but also a sense of the aspirations of a burgeoning Midwestern working class. Note along the way the emphasis on organizational affiliation - these men are attending some sort of event specifically for police officers, possibly an FOP event. Even the prevalence of garrison caps on the participants speaks to the era and the values held by our Chicago ancestors; with World War Two not far behind them, it's a fair bet that a number of them were veterans of that war in some capacity or another.