Transcript of interview with Bunny Harris by Kenneth Young, February 28, 1979

UNLV University Libraries Bunny Harris i An Interview with Bunny Harris An Oral History Conducted by Kenneth P. Young Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas Special Collections and Archives Oral History Research Center University Libraries University of Nevada, Las Vegas UNLV University Libraries Bunny Harris ii © Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 2019 UNLV University Libraries Bunny Harris iii The Oral History Research Center (OHRC) was formally established by the Board of Regents of the University of Nevada System in September 2003 as an entity of the UNLV University Libraries’ Special Collections Division. The OHRC conducts oral interviews with individuals who are selected for their ability to provide first-hand observations on a variety of historical topics in Las Vegas and Southern Nevada. The OHRC is also home to legacy oral history interviews conducted prior to its establishment including many conducted by UNLV History Professor Ralph Roske and his students. This legacy interview transcript received minimal editing, such as the elimination of fragments, false starts, and repetitions in order to enhance the reader's understanding of the material. All measures have been taken to preserve the style and language of the narrator. The interviewee/narrator was not involved in the editing process. UNLV University Libraries Bunny Harris iv Abstract On February 28, 1979, collector Kenneth P. Young interviewed office manager and real estate broker, Mrs. Bunny Harris (born November 21st, 1920 in Snyder, Texas) in her home in Las Vegas, Nevada. This interview offers an overview of the history of Las Vegas, including transportation, mining, farming, ranching, and housing. During the interview, Mrs. Bunny Harris discusses the Elks Club, Cashman Field, McCarran Airport, Howard Hughes and Nellis Air Force Base. UNLV University Libraries Bunny Harris 1 The date is February 28th, 1979, 8 P.M. The place, 1215 Francis, Las Vegas, Nevada. The collector is Kenny Young. 1425 Stanley, Las Vegas, Nevada. The project is Local History, Oral Interview. Bunny, when and why did you move to Las Vegas, Nevada? Kenny, my husband and I moved to Las Vegas in August of 1944. It will be thirty-five years this coming August. We moved here because the company that he worked for wanted to transfer him to their Las Vegas office. It was a transportation company. And they wanted him to come up and work for them here. The strange thing was quite a few of our friends in California tried to discourage us from moving to Las Vegas. Because they told us it was nothing but a—just an old desert hole and that we wouldn’t like it and they just thought it was terrible that we were even considering moving up here. So Bob insisted that I come up first before he’s made his decision and—to see if I would like Las Vegas. So in June of 1944, I came up to Las Vegas to meet him here and looked the situation over and truly I was very pleasantly surprised because from what my friends had told me that it was nothing but a—just a desert spot with nothing around, no green, greenery at all they had told me. And yet I was greeted by the most beautiful roses that were in bloom all over town and trees. I think that Las Vegas at that time had so many beautiful trees all over, every street was filled with trees and roses. So we immediately fell in love with Las Vegas. Bob had wanted to move up here mainly because he had heard that the fishing and the hunting was so good in this area. And I’ll tell you we certainly never regretted moving up here. How—your husband fished and hunted a lot for a long time? Oh yes. That’s was our hobbies for many, many years. Has the—has it gone down since like now, from there to now? Has the fishing and hunting gone down? UNLV University Libraries Bunny Harris 2 I don’t really believe so. Because—of course Las Vegas has become a very famous spot for the fishing and for the boating, particularly out on Lake Mead. I have many friends today that come up from California all the time to go fishing out on Lake Mead. As a matter of fact, one couple of my friends have their boat stationed out at Temple Bar in the lake all the time and they come up here two or three times a year just to go fishing. So I really don’t believe that it has. In fact, I’m sure that it has increased. And the hunting of course, we have to go, oh, quite a long distance to hunt, but we still are near enough to the areas like, well, Pioche, White Pine County, and around where there is a great deal of very good hunting. How would you say that—what were some of the first impressions, your, some of your first impressions of Las Vegas? Well, Kenny, it was a very small community. As a matter of fact, only, I believe it was eighty-nine hundred people, lived in Las Vegas at the time when we moved here. And as I said, it was a very small community. Fremont Street, of course, was the main, where all of the main stores were located on Downtown. The—from Main Street where the Union Pacific Depot was located down to Sixth Street where Sears was located at that time, was really about all of these stores in the entire area here. The streets were narrow. The—I would say, that the people though were extremely friendly. Everyone knew everyone else. You’d walk down the street in Las Vegas in those days and know everyone by—and could call everyone by name, within a year after you had lived here, you knew everyone. And it was always a place where I think that everyone took part in all of the activities that were going on in the whole area. The—? UNLV University Libraries Bunny Harris 3 The very, I would say, the very first place that we stayed in Las Vegas was in a small motel at the corner of Garces and Las Vegas Boulevard South, which at that time was called Fifth Street. It is still there today, although there is a small wedding chapel in that location today. Where did you first live? We first lived on Bell Drive. We bought a home over there in a new housing tract. And by the way that was another thing, it was really difficult to find a place to live here. Because that was during the war. And we were very lucky that we found this new section of homes that were being built and bought a small home over there. And it’s very interesting to note that one of our neighbors and some of the first people that we met in Las Vegas were Howard and Dorothy Cannon. Howard of course is now our senior senator from Nevada. What were some interesting things about Howard Cannon? Howard had just returned home from serving in the Air Force, I believe it was. And a short time after he returned home he was elected as the Las Vegas city attorney, and of course he was an attorney, and he of course became immediately very active in politics and all through the years I remember very well that they were all, always active in all the community affairs and as I said, of course, he did become a senator for Nevada and is now our senior senator. I think Howard has done a wonderful job for Las Vegas and Nevada as a whole. They’re really very fine people. What was—what are some of the activities you became involved in? Well, Kenny one of the first things that we really became involved in was the Elks Club here in Las Vegas. One of our neighbors was very active in the Elks and immediately got us involved in it. And this was, I think the Elks at that time were really one of the leading organizations in Las Vegas. ‘Course they are so very active in their Helldorado by their Helldorado activities. And of course they, if, I believe that Helldorado activities are known throughout the country because of UNLV University Libraries Bunny Harris 4 their festivities that go on through the entire year, you might say. And I’ll never forget the first May that we were here when we took part in the Helldorado activities. The entire town turned out for the celebration and everyone dressed up in their Westerns, their ginghams jeans and calicos. And another thing that was extremely interesting, the square dancing, was very popular at that time and in fact we helped to start a square dancing group with some of our friends and always we had square dancing on the streets during the Helldorado activities. And in fact, another thing, at that time there were only two major hotels located in Las Vegas: the El Rancho Vegas and the Frontier Hotel. And always before the Helldorado started the—a group of the square dancers would be invited to participate in their show and we went out many of time and square danced on the stage for the Helldorado activities. It really was a lot of fun and everyone thoroughly enjoyed it. I have among my memories, someplace, and stored in some of my boxes, I have some square dance pictures that were taken down on Fremont Street and a lot of pictures that had been taken out on the, on some of the hotel stages. It was really interesting. Another thing, I joined those times, prizes were always given for the best dressed old fashioned costumes every year and as well as of course, which they still do today, the beard contest for the men. But the entire family took part in the Helldorado activities. And as I said, we’re, they were all— everyone was really dressed just like the old, old west. And we used to go out to the Frontier Village at that time, which was located right close to where the Silver Slipper is now. And they’d have barbeques out there and just a lot of contests for the people in the town. The rodeo was held where? Kenny the first rodeo that I attended in Las Vegas was down what is called the Horsemen’s, the City Horsemen’s Park. It was located right Downtown almost where the city hall is located now. It was right in that area. And they had a regular old rodeo ground there and later on, when the UNLV University Libraries Bunny Harris 5 Elks moved from their location at Third and Carson to the present location, which is now 900 Las Vegas Boulevard South, I mean North. And at the time when they moved down there they built the stadium, which was called Cashman’s Field. As a matter of fact, it was really very interesting when they, when the stadium was built down there, the members of the Elks built that almost completely with donated labor. And I—I well remember that almost all of us that were involved went down every weekend for about six months to complete it. Help to pour cement and put in all of the big tall lights and everything and it really was a big project but it was a lot of fun. It was a lot of hard work. But when it was completed it really was great. Of course, you know now the City of Las Vegas have bought their property, which the stadium was built. And they eventually, I believe, planned to do something with the property there because it’s quite a large parcel, that is right Downtown. And hopefully one of these days they will either put in some type of a park or some—something that all of the people that live here can really enjoy. Because it really is a beautiful spot down there. Did you know Mr. Cashman, I mean? Oh yes. Jim Cashman, very well. Jim—in fact, it was because of Mr. Cashman that the Elks even were able to purchase the property down there. The property was part of the Old Ranch. The Stewart Ranch, which is commonly called the Old Ranch and this was all purchased from the Union Pacific Railroad. And at that time there were more buildings down there, not a great many but there were a few more buildings. And in fact, there was one large ranch house that had been turned into a restaurant and it was called the Old Ranch. And it really was a wonderful place to go to eat. In fact, one of the people that started the Old Ranch restaurant down there, just recently passed away last week, Carl Belding was his name. And he and his wife Nicky, ran the Old Ranch and course they were very active in all of the activities around too. Kenny, some of the UNLV University Libraries Bunny Harris 6 other activities that we did become involved in right away, there were about five ladies and I had, was asked to join them, that cooked and served breakfast every Sunday morning in a building that was known as the Old Wildcat Lair Building. It was located at the corner of Fourth and Mesquite. The breakfast was served every Sunday morning for all of the men in service that wanted to come in. It really was a wonderful thing for them. The—they could play cards and there was always someone there that could play music and someone that either could play the piano or they would—some of them would bring their own musical instruments with them. And we did this for several years. And even after the end of the war. I’m sure that many of the young people today have never heard of the Wildcat Lair. But it was the building that really, all of the activities for the young people was held in. They used to hold wonderful dances there and quite a few of us would go down and help to chaperone the dances. It really was just great. It was located, well, almost where the part of the city hall is now located. Why’d they take—? Very near the federal building. Why’d they take the building away? Because they had to—well, for one thing, they put Fourth Street on through, you see it didn’t—Fourth Street didn’t go all the way through at that time. And that is also where part of the city hall is now located. So they had to tear it down to progress. Besides the building, you know, did become too small for the activities later on. Also in 1946, I helped to organize the Las Vegas Emblem Club, which is a national organization that is composed of the, of the wives, mothers, daughters, widows and sisters of Elks. It is a charitable organization and I served as president in 1950 and became quite active in both the state and the state association of west California as well as the national organization. This is an organization that has really done a great deal for Las UNLV University Libraries Bunny Harris 7 Vegas through the years. Many of our projects have been well, we have worked toward particular youth activities and helping those that have been less fortunate then ourselves. One of our projects I remember a number of years ago was building a Girl Scout camp up in Fox Canyon at Mount Charleston. So, we have done, through the years so much for the community, too. Very—I feel that it was quite an honor in 1960, I was in—elected and installed as national president of the organization and had an opportunity to travel for a full year and all during that year was able to tell about Las Vegas and it was really quite interesting to learn the—well, the attitude that so many people had about our city. And I felt it was really quite an opportunity to tell them that Las Vegas really was a wonderful place to live instead of only the, well, the gambling and the shows that we had become known for. Another activity that I particularly have been interested in through the years is the YMCA. I became first involved with the YMCA in 1948. Because I was asked to help organize a Try-Hi-Y club for the YMCA and the schools. Mm-hmm. And Evelyn Stucky, who is very well known to the—all of the high school students here, and I, organized, three of the—about three Try-Hi-Y clubs. And because of that I became quite interested in the YMCA activities. Because it was one thing that was good for all of the family, and the very first office that we had was located at 711 East Fremont Street upstairs in a small two room office. And we stayed there for a couple of years and then later moved to a very, well, it wasn’t a very large room but a room behind the Society Cleaners at 11th and Fremont Street. And we held our activities there until we built and moved into our present building, which is located on Casino Center Boulevard and Bonanza Road. And by the way, we have just recently sold our Downtown property and are planning to build a four million dollar building on Valley view Boulevard, right across from the Meadow Shopping Center. I served for eleven years as UNLV University Libraries Bunny Harris 8 secretary of the board and so far had been the only woman to have served as president of the board to this date. I think that everyone that has been interested in the YMCA will be extremely proud of the—of the new building that we are going to have because it will be strictly for a family, family participation. And the facilities there are going to be so far superior to even what we have now but it is a, it really is so far, so much better than what we had thirty years ago. Were the—the ideas and goals of thirty years ago, they changed at all? Not really a great deal Kenny. We have of course through the years helped, many of the young people that have been, well, not able, you might say, to pay for their own, participation, and of course, this is one of our objects, to help young people that really need our help and are unable to afford to go to, well, for instance, even the summer camps. We sponsor a summer camp each year, and there are many of the young people that cannot afford to pay for their own and we always get someone to sponsor or send then young people up to the camps. We have always, since I have been involved in it, been actively engaged in a family type participation. I do believe though that the new building will be more so than what we have now even because of the type of facilities that we’re going to build. Another thing that we are going to have everything that we are building in the new building is built so that any of the handicap children or the handicap people will not have a problem of taking part in the programs. All of our ramps will be built such that anyone in wheelchairs can come in, you know, without having to climb the stairs and so on. And it really is ‘gonna be a great thing. We have helped with the Special Olympics for several years, which is the mentally retarded people, and young people, and adults, and these are the type of programs that we do try to help in. Kenny, one thing that I think probably many people in Las Vegas are not even aware of now that early in the 1950s, we’ve held our first Miss Rodeo America pageant here. And then for approximately the next fifteen years, Las Vegas was the host UNLV University Libraries Bunny Harris 9 city for the pageant. This really was a wonderful way and means of getting publicity and national attention for Las Vegas because the contestants came from all over the United States and usually there were about thirty states that sent representatives to these national pageants. Our first pageant was held at the old Flamingo Hotel. And from there it was held two or here years at the Desert Inn and two or three years at the Stardust Hotel and then later at the Sahara Hotel. So the various hotels sponsored the pageant each year and it really was a wonderful thing and in fact, one of the last years that it was held in Las Vegas, one of our own Nevada girls, was selected as Miss Rodeo America. Her name was Pam Martin. And Pam really did a great deal of good and as far as publicity was concerned for Las Vegas and for Nevada. So this is just another one of our activities in Las Vegas and I think perhaps many people have not even heard of now that live here. Who got it started (unintelligible)? Well, actually it was brought here to Las Vegas because of a man by the name of Austin Bower. He was very active in the Elks. He was the executive secretary of the International Rodeo Management Association and I think that it was about the second or third national pageant when it first came to Las Vegas. And because of Austin’s interest there were quite a few of us that did become quite interested in it and helped him on the pageant for eleven years, and it really, as I said, it did bring a great deal of wonderful publicity to us. After Austin passed away. Then the, some of the directors in the other states naturally tried to get the—they had been trying to get the contest to other states anyway. So they finally won because Austin was with us no longer to fight for us I guess. But anyway, while it did, while it was here it really was a wonderful thing for the young people to take part in. Bunny, do you remember anything about the early above ground atomic tests? UNLV University Libraries Bunny Harris 10 Oh yes I do Kenny. Because we always used to get up about two o’clock in the morning so that we could go out on, way out on the Tonopah Highway and see the results of the blasts. These were really beautiful. A number of times we went even up to Angel’s Peak, you know, that is up in the mountains north of Mount Charleston to see them set off and I, well, remember one of the biggest ones that we ever had, we were up at Angel’s Peak when the blast was set off and we were about twenty-five miles away and could actually feel the, you know, the blast itself. Right. And it was just like the whole earth was set on fire in through there and of course it was dark. It was as dark as it could be before they set it off and yet it was just as bright as day and it just looked like, just a big red ball of fire. All through the area there. Did you see—? In fact I think it was called—I think that was where the Yucca Flats was located. Could you see it from down here, in the county? Yes. You could see it from here but only the red up in the sky. You couldn’t see, you know, like on the ground because it was clear on the other side of the mountains. Actually, the one up there, that one time, though, after the red well like fire came across the ground, then the most beautiful mushroom formed and we could actually see every bit of the mushroom. It just started from the ground and worked up and then it went way up into the sky. And now the mushrooms you could always see from Las Vegas proper. Because they would eventually get up, way up in the sky. But you had to go up higher like from here, if we didn’t—well, when we didn’t go up to Angel’s Peak we would go way out on the Tonopah Highway about the Lee Canyon turnoff so that we could see the red flash across the sky and they really were a beautiful sites and of course we could always feel the ground tremor afterwards, too, whether we were up there or down here. UNLV University Libraries Bunny Harris 11 There wasn’t any talk then about it being dangerous or anything, right? Not—I can’t remember ever anything being said about—certainly nothing to do with cancer or anything like that. I think that there was, it seems to me that there had been some question about the radioactivity but then they all seem to think that it was not dangerous and the winds, the high winds always blew it away. So when did they stop, stop doing this now? When was the last one that you can remember? Oh. Kenny, I honestly can’t—I can’t remember. I really can’t. It has been, it’s been so many years ago now because there were quite a few that, you know, that were above ground. And I really don’t remember when they stopped. You could feel them down here? Oh yes. Absolutely. As a matter of fact, it really shook the houses and shook our dishes and the dishes would rattle and the, you know, in the cupboards and everything. So how far—when you went up to Angel’s Peak how far away were you from there? About— Kenny, it was about, I would say twenty to twenty-five miles away from the blast when we were on top of the Angel’s Peak. And of course that was really a tremendous experience. It was funny, there were hundreds of cars from Las Vegas that drove that long distance up there and all of us that went up didn’t get any sleep that night. This—that one particular night, I think was probably the greatest of all the blasts that they have had that I remember anyway. And it really was certainly well worth it. Because it was a sight that you could just never see again, anyplace. Do people take advantage of that of that by having vendor machines up there and different things? UNLV University Libraries Bunny Harris 12 No. Because what you did and everyone that went up took everything that they—if they wanted a hot drink of coffee or something we took our thermoses and, and had some donuts or something like that to eat. But they didn’t have any vendor machines. Did you look straight at the blasts when it was—? Well, not exactly. We had even with our dark glasses, we had to kind of look away, you know, turn our heads just about like the, with the same effect as the sun eclipse had this—we, we couldn’t look right in to it. Because of the severe intensity of the heat from it. You start. Okay. How has the overall appearance of Vegas, from Fremont Street to south of Oakey changed? Oh gosh, Kenny, there’s such a tremendous change. Fremont Street as I had mentioned earlier was the only place where I had any stores. All of the main, that was the main shopping center. Now there’s hardly anyone that goes shopping on Fremont Street anymore because there are several very large shopping centers built in all directions around Las Vegas. For instance, as you know, I live very close to Charleston Boulevard and Maryland Parkway. And when we moved here, which has been over twenty years ago, this was almost at the edge of the city limits. In fact, Oakey Boulevard then, at that time, really was the end, or the edge of the city limits. Because we used to go rabbit hunting, just south of Oakey Boulevard, if you could believe it. (Laughs) Oakey and—out in, by Oakey and Maryland Parkway, heck, nothing but desert out there. Hm. And of course now, the city has expanded so tremendously out in that area that you have to go now clear out into the valley, Paradise Valley, to do any rabbit hunting today. Of course, I think even Charleston Boulevard has changed so tremendously to me, because when we first moved UNLV University Libraries Bunny Harris 13 here in this, I’m speaking of in the location I, in this house, there was nothing located near Maryland Parkway and Charleston at all in the way of shopping, shopping stores. Shortly after we moved here, Oran Gragson, our former mayor, moved his furniture store from North Main Street to a large building, which is now fantastic and he was located—his furniture store was located there for several years. Then, it Safeway bought the property or at least leased the building, which is now Fantastic and they were located there for several years, before the first shopping center then was built at the corner of Maryland Parkway and Charleston, where the Huntridge Theater is now. The Huntridge Theater is closed now and it was about the only thing that was operating in the area at that time. Now there’s the Huntridge drugstore, a barbershop, a large one, and another very large building for the Safeway, that is located on the west side of Maryland Parkway now. And of course all up and down both directions on Charleston Boulevard we have a large shopping center out on West Charleston and one on East Charleston. As well as, way out on Maryland Parkway and as I had mentioned previously in every direction, there is a shop, large shopping center. I think in our entire area if I remember correctly, I believe now that we have close to three hundred and fifty thousand to three hundred and seventy-five thousand people in our immediate area. And that is by speaking of the—taking in all the Strip area and the Paradise Valley. And I mentioned at the very beginning of the interview that when I moved here in 1944 there were approximately eighty-nine hundred people. So you can see that, the change has really been tremendous in all areas and in every direction, north, east, south, and west. Nellis Air Base of course was located in the same spot that it is now, and Nellis has always had a lot of activities too for the people that live here to take part in. I think almost every year or every two or three years, they always have these big air shows, you know, and— They had those in 1944? UNLV University Libraries Bunny Harris 14 Oh yes. They did have them. And of course at that time— Were they better? Well, no, I won’t say they were better, because in those days remember that was still the war days and the planes though were coming in and out all the time. So there was more—it was more—busy? And it was—the fellas were, you know, they were all, well, stationed here and it was really war time. So it—it was quite different. Their feelings were different because at that time we were in war. Was it more, let’s see, more involved then? Was Nellis more involved with the city then, than it is now? I don’t believe that they were more involved. Because as I say they were—they were very busy. And I think they were too busy to really take part in what we call local activities. Now they take part—the Nellis personnel take part in more of the local activities then they did at that time. And another thing the housing was such to begin with that there really was not enough housing for the fellows that were stationed there to bring their families in, you know because they— So most of the people that were stationed there lived on the base? They did in those days, yes. Because there just wasn’t any other place for them to live. Was—? Until they started building, you know, then when they started building a lot of apartments and of course as every city goes through a growth pattern, they have their ups and downs and a period, two or three different periods here. They had an overgrowth and an overbuilding back about in the early 1960s about ’62 or ’63, there was a tremendous change in the apartment building, for instance, and everyone, I think every builder decided to build apartment houses and it seems that UNLV University Libraries Bunny Harris 15 it was about 19—if I remember right ’63 or ’64 there were several hundred vacant apartment houses and there were a lot of people that lost quite a bit of money at that time, because see they had had such an overgrowth all of a sudden that it hit before anyone realized it. Hm. How were the buildings between Fremont Street and Nellis Air Force Base in 1944? Were there any? Or was it like desert all the way between? There were some. There were—I would say a few, and particularly out on the Salt Lake Highway, there were a few little ones. Nothing large like we have now, you know, like the, oh, the buildings out there where (Unintelligible) are now located, we didn’t have any large business like that at that time. Did the war affect Las Vegas? Oh yes. Definitely. In what way? Well, by that I mean by the people that were coming in and out. And the fellows that were stationed here, I feel that it did. And at the same time I do believe that the people that did come in here came in with the thought and the attitude of trying to enjoy themselves a little bit more because of the war conditions. Do you think we—did we grow a lot during that time or did we kind of stay stale? No. We didn’t. We had not started to grow very much at that time. Although they had, as I mentioned started several of the housing tracks, like the one that we built it, that we thought in at first. And then, they built the—what is now known as the Huntridge section, which, in which I live, was one of the next largest sections that was built. And then, of course from then on, the builders, you know, little by little started building up West Charleston way, Hyde Park area for instance was then started and so then the West Charleston I think was the next area that really UNLV University Libraries Bunny Harris 16 started growing very much. Now of course way out in the valley areas, the—there are a lot of housing sections, and as I had mentioned in every direction. Bunny what was some entertainment groups which popularized Las Vegas? Well, the first one that come to my mind, Kenny is the Las Vegas High School, were the Mets. They were a group of young ladies from Las Vegas High school, which of course at that time was the only high school in the entire area. This was a group that was started by Evelyn Stucky who was the director of the high school—were the Mets. And these girls weren’t selected for their, well, their ability to dance. They had to have high grades before they could even be considered for it. They had to be very dedicated because they practiced almost every day during the school year. And they really did a great job of entertaining for the—not only all of the school activities but one after three years they went on national tours. And I remember one of their first tour groups that they went on the Washington D.C. even was sponsored by the local Las Vegas Elks Lodge. And in fact, one of the Las Vegas E