C.O.C.A. Times

With the erection of the marker in its very obvious location it would seem some of the city authorities would
have become aware of the E Clampus Vitus plaque. If so, they did nothing. Possibly it was because the origin of
the slot machine contributed to the aura of "Frisco 's" early days known for being "wide open" with its notorious
"Barbary Coast" and "Tenderloin" districts. This complacency led to the next strategy which was to replace the
Clamper plaque state with an official state
marker. This was accomplished by the
considerable influence one of the Clam-
pers had with the state marking commis-
sion. Official state recognition was then
granted for what would become California
Registered Historical Landmark No. 937.
Later a new conventional state plaque was
cast and mounted on a monument made of
brick, making it installation ready. Once
again the Clampers, dressed in traditional
red shirts, would assemble on a Tuesday
evening to finish the project. A trailer haul-
ing the new monument and equipped with
a hoist was backed into the site. The old
E Clampus Vitus monument was lifted out
and the new, legitimate state monument
dropped in- shown below.
Dressed as city laborers, No ble Grand Humbugs of E Clampus Vitus
are mixing cement in a wheelbarrow in the process of erecting the
firs t Fey monument., Facing Market Street in do wntown
San Francisco, it gets hundreds of p edestrians walking by it daily.
With the second marker placed the Clamper crew, guests
and the entire Fey family hastened to the Fey's hospital-
ity suite in the nearby, opulent Palace Hotel- the premier
hotel at the time slots first operated in San Francisco. Here
the celebrants toasted their success with music, gayety and
laughter, and of course, a few libations. Then it was down-
stairs to the banquet room were there were more liquids and
an abundance of solids. Later, the E Clampus Vitus monu-
ment was moved to Reno and placed in front of the Fey
Brother's Liberty Belle Saloon & Restaurant. The plaque
reads, "The first slot machines were manufactured by the
inventor JUST WEST OF THIS SITE ... " This statement of
distance remained fairly valid, especially if you live east in
Chicago and even more so if you reside in New York.
LIBERTY BELL SLOT MACHINE
CHARLES AUGUST FEY BEGAN INVENTING AND MANUFACTURING SLOT MACHINES IN 1894. FEY PIONEERED MANY
INNOVATIONS OF COIN OPERATED DEVICES IN HIS WORKSHOP AT 406 MARKET STREET, fNCLUDING THE ORIGINAL
THREE-WHEEL BELL SLOT MACHINE IN 1898. THE INTERNATIONAL POPULARITY OF THE BELL SLOT MACHINES ATTEST
TO FEY'S ING ENUITY AS AN ENTERPRISING INVENTOR WHOSE BASIC DESIGN OF THE THREE REEL SLOT MACHINE
CONTINUES TO BE USED IN SLOT MACHINES TODAY.
CALIFORN IA REGISTERED HISTORICAL LANDMARK NO. 937 PLACED BY THE STATE DEPARTMENT
OF PARKS AND RECREATION IN COO PERAT ION WITH E CLAMPUS VITUS OCTOBER 21 , 1984
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