Abstract
Oral history interview with Richard Caldwell conducted by Melvin Thompson on March 11, 1981 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. The interview begins with Caldwell discussing his family and what brought him to Las Vegas, Nevada. He then discusses him working at the Nevada Test Site. Other topics discussed include the hotels and casinos that were built on the Strip, his experience working at some of those properties, and the way of life in Las Vegas in the 1940s and 1950s. The interview finalizes with Caldwell’s account of the Westside of Las Vegas and African American entertainers who came to town to perform.
Finding Aid PDF
Date
Extent
Related People/Corporations
Scope and Contents Note
Oral history interview with Richard Caldwell conducted by Melvin Thompson on March 11, 1981 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Thompson interviewed Caldwell (b. 1919 in New Orleans, Louisiana) about his experiences living in Las Vegas, Nevada for over 49 years. The interview begins with Caldwell discussing his family and what brought him to Las Vegas. He then discusses working at the Nevada Test Site, the hotels and casinos that were built on the Strip, his experience working at some of those properties, and the way of life in Las Vegas in the 1940s and 1950s. The two also discussed politics, religion, and recreational gambling in the city. The interview finalizes with Caldwell’s account of the Westside of Las Vegas, African American entertainers who came to town to perform, and a brief mention of many specific historical sites in the city.
Digital audio and transcript available.
Access Note
Collection is open for research. Where use copies do not exist, production of use copies is required before access will be granted; this may delay research requests. Advanced notice is required.
Publication Rights
Materials in this collection may be protected by copyrights and other rights. See Reproductions and Use on the UNLV Special Collections and Archives website for more information about reproductions and permissions to publish. Some transcripts do not exist in final form, therefore any editing marks in a transcript (deletions, additions, corrections) are to be quoted as marked.
Preferred Citation
Richard F. Caldwell Sr. oral history interview, 1981 March 11. OH-00322. [Cite format consulted: Audio recording or Transcript.] Oral History Research Center, Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.
Permalink
Acquisition Note
University of Nevada, Las Vegas History Professor Ralph Roske donated materials for this oral history project to UNLV Libraries Special Collections and Archives in the 1980s.
Processing Note
Interview materials were processed by UNLV Libraries Special Collections and Archives in 2017. Nia Banks wrote the collection description. This interview was transcribed and edited by UNLV Libraries Special Collections and Archives as part of an ongoing effort to transcribe legacy interviews. This interview transcript received minimal editing and all measures have been taken to preserve the style and language of the narrator. The interviewee/narrator was not involved in the editing process. A digital version (PDF) of the transcript is available for research use. The audio cassette(s) for this interview have been reformatted by an external vendor into a digital format. MP3 files of the audio are available for research use.