Abstract
The Ralph Roske Photographs (approximately 1917-1989) depict life in rural Southern Nevada and newspaper clippings from the Goodsprings Gazette. The collection consists of thirty-five images dated from 1917 to 1989. The images consist of unidentified Nevadans, Las Vegas landmarks, and members of the McAllister family in Carraca, Nevada.
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Date
Extent
Related People/Corporations
Scope and Contents Note
The Ralph Roske Photographs depict historic Las Vegas landmarks, rural Southern Nevada, and people who lived in the region from 1917 to 1989. In addition to materials focusing on rural Southern Nevada (such as train depots, animals, and landscapes), the documentation provides insight into the lives of those who called Southern Nevada home during this time period. The materials provide historical documentation on the Sands Hotel, construction of the Hoover Dam, the Last Frontier Hotel, Fanny’s Dress Shop, and the Bottle House in Rhyolite from the early to mid-twentieth century.The items described include photographic prints and negatives; some of the prints have corresponding negatives which are not listed separately. Items listed are photographic prints unless otherwise specified. Images listed specifically as negatives exist only in that format.
Access Note
The collection is open for research. Portions of this collection have been digitized and are available online.
Publication Rights
Materials in this collection may be protected by copyrights and other rights. See Reproductions and Use on the UNLV Special Collections website for more information about reproductions and permissions to publish.
Arrangement
This collection is organized into series:
Series I. Las Vegas , 1930-1989
Series II. Nevada, 1917-1969
Series III. People, 1930-1969
Materials remain in original order. Many of the photographic prints have corresponding negatives. Negatives have been housed separately and can be found in box 16.
Biographical / Historical Note
Ralph J. Roske was a professor of history at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) for over twenty years. He researched Las Vegas history extensively and authored Las Vegas: A Desert Paradise (1986). He was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1921 and earned his undergraduate degree at DePaul University. After serving in World War II, Roske went on to earn his doctorate in history from the University of Illinois. He taught at St. Mary's College and Humboldt State College (now Humboldt State University) in California before coming to UNLV in 1967. While at UNLV he served as dean of the College of Social Science and was a popular professor and speaker. He created an oral history program with his Nevada history students, who interviewed many Las Vegas pioneers. Roske retired from UNLV in 1990. He passed away in 1994.
Sources:
Green, Michael S. "History News: UNLV Professor Ralph J. Roske Retires." Nevada Historical Society Quarterly 33, no 1 (Spring 1990):41-44.
"UNLV Professor, Author Roske Dies." Las Vegas Sun, December 16, 1994, 2B.
Preferred Citation
Ralph Roske Photographs, 1917-1969. PH-00253. Special Collections, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Acquisition Note
Materials were donated in May 21, 1990 by Ralph Roske; accession 90-43.
Processing Note
Materials were processed by Special Collections staff. In 2016, as part of a legacy finding aid conversion project, Maryse Lundering-Timpano wrote the collection description in compliance with current professional standards.