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COPYRIGHT 2006 Las Vegas Review-Journal
Byline: Jennifer Robison
Jun. 28--Paul Albert's love affair with the Klondike Inn began nearly a quarter century ago.
Albert moved to Las Vegas from New York in 1977, after his wife died.
He worked as a chef at the El Cortez for two years, and then moved over to the Las Vegas Country Club, where he put in three years. In 1982, a friend urged him to apply for a job cooking at the Klondike, at 5191 Las Vegas Blvd. South.
Albert, an only child who has no children of his own, has lived and worked at the property ever since.
"This is my family. I have no other family," Albert said. "(Owners) John and Ellen Woodrum and my customers became my family."
Albert sat inside the Klondike on Tuesday, watching that family slowly disperse as the hotel-casino's end drew near.
Gaming operations at the Klondike were scheduled to cease this morning at 6. The restaurant and 153-room hotel will remain open through Friday, when the entire property permanently closes its doors.
The Klondike's history stretches back to 1962, when it opened as a Motel 6.
Its location at the edge of town on then-U.S. Highway 91 made it a popular stopping point for tourists driving in from California.
John Woodrum and partner Katsumi Kazama bought the motel from Imperial Palace developer Ralph Engelstad for about $1.2 million in 1974. Two years later, Woodrum took control of the property....
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