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March 25, 1953 Kiss Linda MoKeen f 23-3 237 Thayer St, Grafton, West Virginia Bear Hiss HcKeeni - W0$Wi * ' Referring to your letter of March 19, 1952 concerning the water supply serving the city of Lae Vegas* When the Railroad was being built shortly after 1900, fron Salt Lake City through Southern Nevada to Southern California, one of the essentials was water, both for use by construction gangs and later for steam locomotives. As this was an arid country, water was very scarce* The builders of the Railroad were advised by tii© Indians that there were two springs that could furnish ample water for the Railroad needs at a place called Las Vegas, which in Spanish means 8The Meadows", Arrangements were made to purchase the springs together with the land upon which they were located. Hoi South Second St* Las Veg&S, Nevada Beoauae of the available water supply and Las ' Veg&s being located approximately half-way between Los Angeles and Salt Lake City, the Railroad decided to develop a terminal at this point and laid out a townslt© for its employees* For a number of years, the two springs were ample,to supply sufficient water for the Railroad and the Townsite, but with the influx of population Incident to the beginning of construction of Hoover Bam, it was necessary to provide additional water supply. As there are no rivers in the immediate vicinity, the nearest being the Colorado River, some 25 miles away, it was necessary to secure the additional supply either from springs or by drilling wells into the underground channel* A hell was drilled to a depth of 600 feet and an artesian flow of three and one-half million gallons of water per day was secured from the well, which was adequate to serve the community for a number of* years .