bmc publications

RENO, 1947. Imagine you’ve had enough of your cheating spouse. You’re ready to leave. But it’s 1947. And that means unless your spouse ＂gives＂ you a divorce, you’re stuck.

Or you could go to Reno!

Divorce seekers by the thousands were running to ＂The Biggest Little City＂ for a six-week, no-fault divorce. If they had the money and the need for privacy, they stayed on one of the dude ranches around town. Someone called those dude ranches divorce ranches and the name stuck.

From 1947 to ’49, Montana cowboy Bill McGee was the dude wrangler on the exclusive Flying M E divorce ranch in Washoe Valley. He entertained Eastern socialites with names like Astor and du Pont, and Hollywood movie stars Clark Gable and Ava Gardner. During the day, he took guests on trail rides. In the evenings, he escorted them to Carson City or Virginia City for gambling and drinking.

Bill McGee and his co-author/wife Sandra McGee recapture Reno’s era as ＂Divorce Capital of the World＂ in stories illustrated with 180 vintage images, most never before published and from the private collections of former guests or their offspring.

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