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Transcript of interview with Mazie Martin Jones by Jane P. Kowalewski, November 3, 1978

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1978-11-03

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On November 3, 1978, Jane P. Kowalewski interviewed Mazie Martin Jones (born in Las Vegas, Nevada) about her father, Doctor Roy Martin, the first doctor to own a private practice in Las Vegas. Jones explains how her father first arrived in Nevada and his different investments in real estate, hospitals, and hotels. She goes on to explain her father’s hotel pursuits after retiring from medicine in the late forties.

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OH_00973_transcript

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OH-00973
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Jones, Mazie Interview, 1978 November 3. OH-00973. [Transcript.] Oral History Research Center, Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.

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Digitized materials: physical originals can be viewed in Special Collections and Archives reading room

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English

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36.17497, -115.13722

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UNLV University Libraries Mazie Martin Jones i An Interview with Mazie Martin Jones An Oral History by Jane P. Kowalewski 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 Mazie Martin Jones ii © Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 2019 UNLV University Libraries Mazie Martin Jones 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 Mazie Martin Jones iv Abstract On November 3, 1978, Jane P. Kowalewski interviewed Mazie Martin Jones (born in Las Vegas, Nevada) about her father, Doctor Roy Martin, the first doctor to own a private practice in Las Vegas. Jones explains how her father first arrived in Nevada and his different investments in real estate, hospitals, and hotels. She goes on to explain her father’s hotel pursuits after retiring from medicine in the late forties. UNLV University Libraries Mazie Martin Jones 1 November 3rd, 1978. This is an interview of Mazie Martin Jones on the subject of her father, Doctor Roy Martin. The questions are being asked by Jane P. Kowalewski, at the home of Mrs. Jones. Tape one, track one. Mrs. Jones, can you give us your father’s full name? His full name is Roy Wood Martin. It’s Royse. Royse. R-O-Y-S-E. Huh? Okay. And where was he born? He was born in Table Rock, Nebraska, November 16th of 1874. Okay and when and where did he die? He died in Henderson on December 22nd, 1943. Okay. Can you briefly tell us about his life before coming to Las Vegas? He attended the schools in Table Rock and upon his graduation, he went to Wesleyan University for about a year and then he also attended the Omaha Business School. During one year, during that period, he made a trip to the west and traveled throughout the western states. Oh really? Just, you know, as sort of a fun trip. Mm-hmm. Did he come through this area at that time? He did not come to Las Vegas. He left to Washington and down the coast. Mostly California. Hmm. He attended the University Medical College in Kansas City in 1899 and graduated in 1903. During the summer vacations, he went to Oklahoma and was engaged in real estate. He belonged to some real estate company. And at that time of course, the land was Indian Territory and he UNLV University Libraries Mazie Martin Jones 2 worked in what later became Beaver County. I believe Claremore, Oklahoma was in that area, which is where Will Rogers for lived many years. Uh-huh. But as far as I know, he was there during one of the land rushes and it was his plan to claim some of the land and really go into the real estate business. This was just during the summers. And of course, when he graduated from medical school in 1903. He then went to Mexico and he was in Monterey and during that time, he was appointed quarantine officer. Huh? For Mexico, by the government. For the whole country? Or just around the—? Just for that area, the Monterey area. And also it was during that year that they had such a yellow fever epidemic and that he had a theory that it was caused by mosquitoes. Hmm. But he and his partner, the other doctor, created—decided to travel throughout the area of the Monterey area and did all they could to you know, treat the cases. So when he left Mexico he went back to Oklahoma where he spent several months practicing medicine. Then he heard about the goldfield boom. Mm-hmm. And came west to Nevada and by the time he arrived in August, of 1905, he learned that the boom was pretty much over and decided to settle in Las Vegas. He was here just about right in time for the Clark Town Site? That was in May. He arrived in August. But he did buy out quite a lot of land. Hmm. In the town-site itself? UNLV University Libraries Mazie Martin Jones 3 In the town-site and also in the surrounding areas. Now he purchased land throughout the years actually, and he bought quite a lot of property during the twenties also. So that when he died, we were very fortunate to inherit a lot of property. Yes, sounds like it. (Laughs) Okay, do you know anything of your father’s early practice in Las Vegas? I don’t know exactly where his very first hospital was, although according to the newspaper report, it was a small building in what they call the recreation area, which was at North Third and Stewart Street. Hmm. His brother, Doctor Charles Martin, one or two years later, graduated from the Pennsylvania Medical School and came to practice here with my father. He was here only about a year but he has told me that at that time, they had a hospital which was a tent on West Charleston Boulevard. The tent contained two cots and the heat was provided by an old coil stove. Hmm. I don’t remember the exact year but it wasn’t too long after that that he established his hospital and office upstairs over the Las Vegas pharmacy at the northwest corner of First and Fremont. Hmm. He was there for several years and then he, I believe it was about in ’19 or ’20 that he remodeled the old (Unintelligible) hotel on North Second Street into a more modern hospital. It contained, oh I would say, twelve to fifteen beds. It had modern facilities for the time. There was a nursery, there was an operating room and of course all of the things that were needed in a hospital. At one time, there were two other doctors with him in this hospital. And they stayed, well, you know UNLV University Libraries Mazie Martin Jones 4 how it is—sometimes doctors leave and others come in. But the one who stayed the longest, I believe, was Doctor Forrest Mildren. He was there for several years. You don’t remember any of the other doctors? There was Doctor F.M. Ferguson—those are the only two that I remember. And Mrs. W.M. Schyler was the secretary. She kept the books and the records. Do you remember any stories about your father’s early patients? I do remember that in those early days the town was pretty wild at times. And he certainly treated any gunshot wounds and knife wounds— Mm-hmm. From my early recollection, he had a lot to do—he had a lot of business (Laughs) and of course there were fights, and this you know, and he delivered many, many babies. I still know people who were delivered by my father. Somebody was mentioning one day that a lot of times people would go to Los Angeles rather than stay in Las Vegas for some of their medical health. I don’t know whether it was because of the heat here in the summertime or if operating anything like that, or what, did your father ever talk about that? Or remember people? I know that a lot of people went to Los Angeles during the summer, in fact, we did ourselves. That’s interesting. Just to get away from the heat. Certainly there was no air conditioning. Mm-hmm. And the operating room in the hospital was on the second floor towards the back where there were some shade trees. And also windows that would open to let in the air. But I suppose people UNLV University Libraries Mazie Martin Jones 5 also thought they’d get better medical care, Los Angeles being a larger city, with more doctors and so on. But I think a lot had to do with the heat, the summer heat. It was hot, very hot. It still is. Yes (Laughs) How was your father paid for his services, do you remember? He was paid some of the time. And he also received payment in kind at times. Very often, he wasn’t paid at all. He was what I suppose you would call an old-time country doctor. Mm-hmm. He certainly made house calls. In fact, on a trip to Death Valley, years later, a woman came up to us when we were there and asked my father if she remembered that he had delivered her child— Hmm. A few years back. In other words, he went as far as Death Valley, if he was needed. Hmm. He went up into the muddy and the Muddy Valleys—you know, Moapa and Overton and (Unintelligible) Huh. I also remember he made several trips out to Arden there was quite a Mexican community out there. Mostly people who worked on the railroad. And I remember even going with him to make calls out of Arden. (Unintelligible) so you did travel quite a bit all over the Southern Nevada— Yes he did. And another rather interesting story, I think, was when he still had his hospital at First and Fremont Street, the Indians gave him quite a problem. Really? UNLV University Libraries Mazie Martin Jones 6 Yes. He had, I remember he had a buck for it. That was the way he traveled, or on horseback, and a call came in and a woman out of the Indian camp had given birth to a baby and they felt she needed treatment as well as the baby. The Indian camp at that time was not where it’s located now. It was farther out, located back in the area behind the cow ranch, toward that—in that direction. Yes. In any rate, he got on his buck horse and went out and found the Indians sitting around the tribal fire. The mother was sitting up holding the baby and the baby had a dirty shoelace tied around his navel. Oh. So he persuaded them to come into town and he put them under the bed and he took care of the baby. When he went—he evidently did not have a night nurse at that time. I believe he only had about four or five beds. At any rate, when he went to work the next morning, the mother and baby were gone. They had walked several miles back to the Indian camp. So he went back and got them again. The same thing happened during the night, so he finally gave up. (Laughs) Did he often treat the Indians or, when he was called upon, or? Oh yes, he did. (Unintelligible) of the county hospital when that got started. Well, at that time, there was no county hospital. That didn’t come up until I believe it was the late twenties or early thirties, as far as I remember. But these were the early, early days you see. Huh. Okay, how about the—he built the Las Vegas hospital in 1931? Yes. Can you tell us a little bit about how that came about? UNLV University Libraries Mazie Martin Jones 7 He had envisioned building a modern hospital for many years. In fact, he, he had consulted an architect at the (unintelligible) it was just a matter of finding the right time to do it when he had enough money to do it and so on. So at the time, that the actual plans went for it, he and Doctor (Unintelligible) and Doctor F.M. Ferguson got together and built the hospital. And Doctor Ferguson and (Unintelligible) quipped that this was the partnership plan. So it had thirty-three beds, which at that time was considerable. Yes. And very modern equipment. It even had an elevator, it might’ve been the first elevator in town, I don’t know. It was not electric, it was the kind where you pulled the ropes to pull the elevator up, sort of like a toy. What else do you remember about the hospital? Well I remember, we were quite excited about it. It was really, a very nice building. Originally, it was built in an L shape. Mm. And the main part was the first part. And years since, they have added on to it. It’s quite a bit larger now than it was originally. But during—during that year, during ’31 and ’32, he had sent my mother and sister and me to Europe. We were in Paris, France for a year. So of course, we were always so anxious to get letters, hearing about the hospital. And we didn’t get back until it was August ’32 but it was quite a thrill because we knew that it had been a dream of his, you know, something he had wanted to do it for many years. It was quite exciting. Did the—Las Vegas hospital then just provided more modern facilities but the same type of services that he had at his hospitals previously? UNLV University Libraries Mazie Martin Jones 8 Actually yes, just the general services, you know, that it was larger, the equipment was more modern— Mm-hmm. The surgery facilities were much larger. And of course, the kitchen and the dining room for the doctors and all of these things— Were there just the three doctors? Just the three doctors started and very soon after they started—Doctor Woodberry came to town. And he was in the hospital. He also had an office next door to our house on North Second Street. Also, Doctor McDaniels came and he had an office in Boulder City. Oh! Just you know, his regular office— But he used the facilities as well—? He also used the facilities at Las Vegas Hospital. Oh, okay. What about the patients at the Las Vegas Hospital? Are they still the same type of patient that you had early on in his practice? Well, I think they were mostly the townspeople. The Union Pacific Railroad Hospital was also there. And that hospital treated Union Pacific employees and their families. I’d say that just generally, the patients were community people of all kinds. Was he still travelling about Southern Nevada as much in those days? Now what years are you talking about? Well, after the building of Las Vegas Hospital—? In the thirties? Well, yes, yes, he was always very active in trying to promote Las Vegas. He had, I believe, president of the chamber of commerce (unintelligible) two years. UNLV University Libraries Mazie Martin Jones 9 Huh. And past president of the rotary club and he was also a ruler of the Elk’s Club and he was a thirty-second degree mason. Oh. And a Shriner. And he was mainly concerned about the highways and roads. Mm-hmm. We didn’t have a direct route to Los Angeles for example, and he worked very hard to get this general route of the present highway. Also, we didn’t have a decent road to Reno, and he worked very hard to do this. And now actually, this started in the twenties, but his interests continued into the thirties. And he also advocated and dreamed of having a resort hotel in this area, beginning in the twenties. But his main selling point really, was the helpful climate and the location and he felt that Las Vegas had a great future and that it would just be an ideal place to—that has finally come about. Yes. Well, his—what was it? His second or third hospital though that housed a hotel? When he built Las Vegas Hospital, didn’t he re-convert it into a hotel again? The (Unintelligible) or? Oh. He sold his interest in the Las Vegas Hospital in 1937. Mm-hmm. And at the time, our home was next to the old hospital which had been the Palace Hotel. And he did convert the two buildings into remodeling so that they were joined together. Oh so the old hospital flushed your home? Yes. UNLV University Libraries Mazie Martin Jones 10 They were joined together to make the (Unintelligible) hotel. And that was on North Second Street? On North Second Street. And of course it was called the (Unintelligible) because the joining of the two buildings was in the front facing the street. Behind that we had a patio, it was the open area between the two buildings. So he operated that for oh, I think about four years. And then he sold that. Did it keep on as a hotel after he sold it? It kept on as a hotel, yes, yes. And it was—I believe it was Forty-One (Unintelligible). And of course it was just, just about the time we were getting into the War. Mm-hmm. And we had lived across the street from our former homes in the (Unintelligible) hotel. And I don’t remember the reason, I believe the property was sold or something. Anyway, we moved. And at that, it was during the time when Basic Magnesium was built and was operating and housing was impossible to find. So it was in 1942 that we moved up to Para-Springs. I’m not even sure I know where that is. Well we call it Para-Springs Ranch. It’s up in the Charleston Mountains, roughly thirty miles from here. And it was the United States patent. He and Jim Cashman Senior had homesteaded this property. Oh! And we had had it for, well, since—I think they started developing it in 1927 and we finally got the papers in 1937. It took ten years to prove up on this property. At any rate, there were a couple buildings on the property and my sister had two children and came from her home in Kansas when her husband went into the Army. And she came and stayed with them for about a year. UNLV University Libraries Mazie Martin Jones 11 And they were up in the Mountains, really pioneering—pioneer living, believe me. We had no running water, no electricity, so it was really camping out, but they enjoyed it immensely. Were you living up there too at the time? No, I was living in town. I had been working in Reno for two years at state welfare department. And I came back in ’42 and continued to work for the state welfare department and I rented room with a friend. But I went up there weekends. We all just loved it, it was really fun. I bet. Before we get too far away from the Las Vegas Hospital, I was just curious, do you remember who your father sold his share in the hospital to? When he sold out? Actually, before he sold out, Doctor Ferguson had sold his interest to Doctor (Unintelligible). Mm-hmm. My father sold out to—I’m not sure about this—Doctor (Unintelligible) was one, and I know later, or at some time later, Doctor Woodberry became involved in the ownership. Mm-hmm. But I believe he sold to Doctor (Unintelligible) at that time in 1937. And then basically he retired after, after selling his interest in the hospital? I mean retired from medicine for a few years. Yes. Yes he did. He didn’t even keep the private practice going on during that time? No, no he didn’t. He was—after that, he was in the hotel business for those few years. He was still very involved in real estate right? It was earlier when he was involved in real-estate. In fact, he was part of a real estate company that had an office at the northeast corner of Second and Fremont Street. Oh. UNLV University Libraries Mazie Martin Jones 12 I believe he was probably just on the board of directors and that he wasn’t actively selling real estate. But he did accumulate quite a bit of land over the years? Yes he did, he did. And actually, he and several others had bought a whole section of six hundred and forty acres where Nellis Air Force Base is now located. Oh! And when the government is making negotiations to build Nellis Air Force Base, they sold this property for twenty-five dollars an acre. Mm. Now this was back—it would’ve been ’41, I suppose around there. But if you can believe that now (Laughs) Hard to imagine. He probably thought he was getting a great price then too. Well, I suppose considering that the War was on and they needed base, they were probably lucky to get the twenty-five! Yes. Your father was very active in a lot of civic organizations, mostly before, with the Elk’s and the Rotary and the Chamber of Commerce. Was he involved in politics at all? Yes he was. For several years, he was chairman of the Clark County Republican Committee, Central Committee. And then he served one term— (Tape one ends) November 3rd, 1978. Interview with Mazie Martin Jones on the subject of her father, Doctor Royse Martin. Questioned by Jane P. Kowalewski at the home of Mrs. Jones. Tape one track two. Okay, you were saying that your father was in the state legislature in what year? UNLV University Libraries Mazie Martin Jones 13 In 1923. 1923? Yes. Did you live in Carson City at that time? Yes, and he took the whole family to Carson City. And we stayed Clara Chrysler who was quite a well-known person in Carson City. Mm-hmm. And I remember we weren’t used to the winters like they had in Carson City. And the blizzard one day on a school day. And my sister and I plowed through the snow to go to school and discovered we were the only two who went to school. People in Carson City were—knew enough to stay home when they had a blizzard. It was very interesting, he took us to the legislature and we were able to observe, and he was a friend of Governor Scrugham. So a few times we were invited to mansion, to dinner, and this was nice. How did it happen that he was only there for one year? I don’t know—well actually, they were elected every two years. And they only held the legislature every other year, as far as I know. He was elected to the position though, it wasn’t like he was appointed—? Oh no, he was elected. Hmm. So did he run the following year? No he didn’t, that was the only time he ran for everything. Although, as I said, he was active in the Republican Party. He used to say there’s so few republicans even in those days that sometimes they held their conventions in a telephone booth. (Laughs) Didn’t you say he was chairman of the Republican Party for Clark County for a while? UNLV University Libraries Mazie Martin Jones 14 Yes he was. I don’t know how many years exactly, but he was more than one year. You don’t have a rough time frame for it? It had to have been in the twenties. Although I recall one time in 1937 he was still being very active in politics. I don’t know if he was chairman or if he was on the central committee in 1937. In fact, he hired me as the office girl in their headquarters during that year. (Laughs) You were kind of a gopher, huh? Yes. You mentioned earlier in our earlier conversation that your father was very interested in mining the fact that he was looking towards the gold boom in Nevada. Was he actively involved in mining at all? Actually he was very interested in locating a mine that would be of profitable venture. I don’t remember any of the odd prospectors’ names. I do remember many a prospector to go out and search for ores, various ores. I do remember he had several samples that were very interesting. That was my first time seeing raw ore, you know? And then actually, it was also—in 193—many you know, and then actually, it was also –in 1941, I believe—after he built the (Unintelligible) hotel, he had claimed on some property, gold mining property and the area that is south east of Overton—it was an area where there had an old gold mine was formed there. And after Lake Mead was formed— Mm-hmm. It was very close to the lake that had been formed. There is a name for this but I can’t think of the name of the area. It was pretty remote and he did hire somebody and they were just—well, they were in the process of developing this mine—redeveloping it—when there was a moratorium called on all mining. So he lost a considerable amount of money on that deal UNLV University Libraries Mazie Martin Jones 15 because he had spent a lot of money on all of this development. But of course, they couldn’t continue because of the moratorium. But the idea had been that had they been able to continue, that the ore could have been sent to Boulder City by water. And barges. Because it was a very remote area. Yes. Huh. It was a practical idea. Uh-huh. But unfortunately it didn’t work out. And it was right after that that my sister and her two children came out and they moved up to Para-Springs Ranch for about a year. (Unintelligible) That was the only mine that he was ever actively involved with? Actually, there were several, there were several with all kinds of ores. He mostly had stock. He had a great deal of (unintelligible) stock in the water company. But for some reason or other, none of them actually panned out so to speak. But oh, I remember growing up in the desert. The whole family would go out to the desert and we’d look around, and if there were roads you know, that were accessible to these sites, we’d go out and look at the property. Of course, as far as the prospectors are concerned, they had their boroughs, they had their places they could read by car and (unintelligible) Was this one of your father’s reasons for taking the shortcut to Pioche? It might’ve been, it might’ve been. I was so young—I do remember, I remember that trip vaguely. But I specifically remember was that it rained a bit and we were so thirsty that we got out and licked the raindrops off the car. We should back track—do you wanna tell us about your back trip to Pioche? UNLV University Libraries Mazie Martin Jones 16 Well, that day, we were stranded. We ran out of gasoline. And we—we took what little water we had in the (unintelligible) and started out. And he judged it was 84 miles, it was pretty much measured off later, but what happened, was that was in July, and for a little while, he went out of his head, the expression, he went out of his head a little bit, because he discovered that he had been going in circles. He noticed that he had been passing a clump of bushes or something that he had seen before. Hmm. Fortunately it did rain and there was enough water in some cow tracks that he drank and that was just enough to revive him to make him realize that, you know, he was going in the wrong direction. So he was able to get it back to (unintelligible) It was thirty-six hours— Thirty-six hours that we were out there. And that was yourself and your mother and your sister and a friend from New York? From New York City, yes. What was her name? Leslie Louis was her name and I believe her husband is a Doctor Louis. Now he may have been involved—he must’ve been involved in the Las Vegas Hospital. I’m just not surer about that, but I was pretty young at the time that I do remember licking those raindrops off the car. Do you remember what year that happened? Nineteen-Eighteen, during World War One. What were you going to Pioche for? Do you remember? We were going to Pioche to visit friends. We had friends there that were also in the mining business. And that was our main reason for going. As I recall, I do remember we had friends UNLV University Libraries Mazie Martin Jones 17 there and we visited them fairly often. I think their name was McKormic, but my memory only goes back so far you know? Yes. I understand later on that your father after selling the El Patio, he went back to being a Doctor during World War Two at the Basic Hospital in Henderson? Yes. After they were at Para Springs Ranch then my sister’s husband who had been to officer candidate school, went to some cabin in Kentucky, in Louisville, Kentucky, and she went back. She took her children back to be with him. And it was just at that same time when because of the war there was a shortage of doctors at the Basic Hospital. And he was asked to return and help out. So his—he and my mother moved to Harrison and his main job was to examine all the (unintelligible) however he was practicing medicine in other ways also. I remember he was delivering babies and giving eye tests and doing general practitioner works. So he was there from April 1943 until, until he died in December of ’43. Is there anything else specific that you would like to comment on about your father and what his life in Las Vegas was like living in Las Vegas? Well, is that it on your list? Well, there was one incident that I think might be of interest. It was, I believe, the latter part of ’37 and the beginning of ’38. There was a rather huge blizzard and snowstorm up at the (Unintelligible) Mine. And these people were stranded. Hmm. And it was—they called it the (Unintelligible) Party—the people who were there. And of course, people in town knew they were going, when the storm came and they didn’t return. People tried to go up there but they just couldn’t get through, because of too much snow. So they finally sent an airplane over the area and the people had trampled out a sign in the snow saying “one dead others sick, help” or words to this effect. It seemed that two men had started out in a car hoping UNLV University Libraries Mazie Martin Jones 18 to make their way out of there and get help. And they became stranded in the snow. One man got out of the car and attempted to walk. And he froze to death—he just didn’t make it. So a rescue party was formed and in fact they were finally able to get through by using huge bulldozers and my father was the doctor who volunteered to go in the party. And I believe it took him at least two days maybe more to get into the (Unintelligible) Mine. But it was quite a thing at the time. And as a matter of fact, this incident was portrayed in, remember the old radio program, Death Valley Days? I remember the television version. Well this story was told. Hmm. Was it? In one of those, in one of their shows. We listened to it, it was very interesting. Someplace I have the script. I can really find that Can you do it? (Laughs) Well I can’t really—probably. If I had a lot of time, a lot of things would come to me. I mainly remember that my father was a very enthusiastic and energetic person. Always busy doing something for the community. He loved Las Vegas, he just loved it. And he had great hopes for its future. He served on the first Colorado River Commission in promoting the Boulder Dam project and I do remember he made many, many trips to Washington DC to promote (unintelligible) Johnson Bill. It’s the bill that was approved to build the Boulder Dam. But he really worked to promote that. I believe it was Governor Scrugham that appointed him to the commission. Another rather interesting incident as I recall, one time, oh—in the matter of the highways and the road, the north, south roads—he also made many trips to Reno and Carson City on this promotional project. And on one trip he brought back Governor Scrugham with him. UNLV University Libraries Mazie Martin Jones 19 And just a few miles out of Las Vegas, they were on the road which was a dirt and gravel road. It was the old railroad grave is what it was. It filled up so that they were dropped of varying degrees on either side. It was raining hard, it was muddy and slippery, and they skidded and the car turned over. No one was really hurt, but Governor Scrugham saw a really great opportunity to have a week’s rest. So my father put him in the hospital for a week. And he had a very nice rest for a week. Do you remember what year that was? It was—it could’ve been ’25, ’26, ’27, ’28— Mm. Possibly ’26. I think the late ’27 I believe. Wait now wait a minute, it was earlier than that. I may have remembered that it was in the twenties because I was such a young child, and of course, Governor Scrugham was governor when my father was in the assembly in ’23. My memory is not too accurate on that. But I do remember the incident. That’s amazing. Something else that we forgot to talk about. Your father was a railroad doctor? Yes he was. For which railroad now? The Las Vegas and Tonopah. He was chief surgeon and I believe that it was in 1905—1905 when he was given this job and he continued for several years, I suppose probably until the railroad was taken out. I don’t remember what year that would’ve been. What were sort of his duties? Do you remember him saying anything about what his responsibilities were as far as his railroad position? UNLV University Libraries Mazie Martin Jones 20 I don’t recall his talking about it. But I was presumed that the job was to take care of the railroad, just general practice and of course he was a physician and surgeon, so I’m sure that’s what his duties were. (Unintelligible) Oh this is something my picture reminded me about. In the very early days, he joined the Vegas Baseball team. I didn’t realize Vegas had baseball. It evidently did. And I overheard that (Unintelligible) who was a pioneering secretary, in the hospital, she was also a good friend, it was during one of the baseball games—now what year is this—I forgot that’s for sure, but it was during one of those baseball games that the makeshift grab stands collapsed. Mm. And she came out of it with a broken leg. Uh-oh. So they had to stop the game and so he took her to the hospital instead. (Laughs) And then they went back and finished the game. (Laughs) (Laughs) He was also very involved in the first golf club. Hmm. They didn’t have a