Fayle Family Photographs (PH-00113)

The Fayle Family's association with Southern Nevada began in 1904, when 23-year old George Arthur Fayle arrived in Goodsprings Junction, Nevada with nine horses and two ore wagons. Born in Los Angeles in 1881, he had previously worked hauling ore near Barstow, California. Fayle said he was drawn to this area of Nevada in order to take advantage of the considerable mineral wealth in the nearby mountains, and he accurately predicted the boom in mining with the advent of railroad service.

In addition, Fayle's uncle, Samuel E. Yount, operated a general merchandise store in Goodsprings, Nevada, a small settlement seven miles from the new railroad junction. The store sold clothes, food and mining supplies to the nearby mining community.

A year after his arrival, George's wife Jean and their two sons Arthur and Leonard arrived at Goodsprings Junction. A native of Glasgow, Scotland, Jean Henderson Fayle had immigrated to California with her parents when she was ten. She had met George Fayle in Barstow, where her father worked as commissary agent for the Santa Fe Railroad.

By the time of his wife's arrival, George operated a tent store with an underground storage area for perishable foods. In his later years, Leonard Fayle recalled the family sleeping on the floor of the store in bedrolls that were stored under the counter during the day. A post office was soon established in the area and named Jean in honor of George's wife, who was the first postmaster. Their daughter, aptly named Jean Nevada Fayle, was born in 1908.

The mining business exploded with the opening of a narrow gauge railroad where ore from the Yellow Pine Mine could be brought to Goodsprings for processing and then to Jean, where the ore would be transported for smelting. Besides operating the mercantile store, George and his uncle also handled the transactions between the miners and the smelters.

In 1912, George purchased half interest in the Goodsprings store; in 1915, Samuel Yount retired and George took over the business and moved his family to Goodsprings. The embodiment of the self-made man, George soon pursued other ventures, most notably the construction of the Pioneer Saloon and Hotel Fayle. The hotel, which boasted hot and cold running water as well as steam heat, opened in 1916. The grand opening was a gala affair with guests from Los Angeles and Clark County dancing throughout the night.

In addition to his business interests, George was elected in 1912 to the Board of County Commissioners and served until his death. He was also instrumental in the development of the mining industry and the creation of the Yellow Pine Mining District. George died in the influenza epidemic of 1918 at the age of thirty-seven. At the time of his death, his estate was valued at over $175,000.

After George's death, Jean moved the family to Los Angeles. In 1928, she remarried former Las Vegas Police Chief and businessman O. C. Boggs. Throughout her life, Jean remained active in the community as a member of civic organizations such as the American Red Cross, Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce, and Order of the Eastern Star as well as women’s clubs like Mesquite Club and the Hostess Club. She died in Las Vegas on January 9, 1950 at the age of 66.

Arthur Fayle, a long-time resident of Delano California, died on January 19, 1973. Arthur and his wife Roberta had two children, Roberta Jean and George A. Fayle. Jean Nevada Fayle married Howell Purdue, the assistant U.S. attorney for Los Angles, in 1933 and had one son, Burt Purdue. Jean died in 1941 and Burt lived with his grandmother in Las Vegas until her death in 1950.

Leonard Fayle graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1926, and married Anna Trapnell in 1932. Anna, a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles, later received her master's degree in education from University of California, Berkeley, and went on to teach high school in Los Angeles, California and Las Vegas, Nevada. Leonard and Anna had three children; two reached maturity – Jane and Edward. Their eldest son, Leonard Ray Fayle Jr., died in a car accident at the age of seven in California.

After completing his education, Leonard moved to Delano, California where he owned and operated a tire store for eleven years. It was while living in California that Leonard met his future wife. With the advent of World War II, Leonard returned to Las Vegas and bought the Quality Bakery. In later newspaper articles, Leonard commented that he moved back to Nevada because he expected the war to revitalize the mining industry. However, the mines only opened on a small scale, the bakery business had to cope with frozen wages, sugar rationing, and the black market. After several frustrating years, Leonard sold the business in 1951 and managed various family properties.

Paramount to the lives of Leonard and Anna was their involvement in civic and fraternal organizations. Leonard was an active and member of Rotary International, the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce, Shriners of North America, and the Royal Order of the Jesters. He was also active with the Masons, and was later named an Honorary 33rd Degree Mason. Leonard was especially active in the Las Vegas Rotary, serving as president from 1949 to 1950, and he was named Rotarian of the Year in 1983.

In addition, Leonard volunteered for eight years with the Selective Service Administration and was an active member of the Republican Party. His ten years (1958-1968) of service as member and later chairman of the Las Vegas Valley Water District culminated in the opening of the Fayle Reservoir, which was named in his honor. Perhaps Leonard's most significant recognition came in 1970 when the University of Nevada, Las Vegas honored him as a "Distinguished Nevadan." Leonard died on July 27, 1983 at the age of 79.

Anna was also an active member of numerous Las Vegas service organizations. These included the Daughters of the Nile, Rotary Ann's, the Junior League, Literacy Advocates, and the Mesquite Club. Anna Fayle died on October 30, 1996 at the age of 88.