Abstract
The James Cashman Sr. Papers date from approximately 1890 to 1969 and contain correspondence, photographs, insurance records, and bank records related to Cashman and his businesses in Southern Nevada. Also included are three scrapbooks of newspaper clippings documenting the 14th and 15th Helldorado Parades in Las Vegas. The collection documents the lives of the Cashman family and their businesses in southern Nevada.
Finding Aid PDF
Date
Extent
Related People/Corporations
Scope and Contents Note
The James Cashman Sr. Papers date from approximately 1890 to 1969 and contain correspondence, photographs, insurance records, and bank records related to Cashman and his businesses in Southern Nevada. Also included are three scrapbooks of newspaper clippings documenting the 14th and 15th Helldorado Parades in Las Vegas. The collection documents the lives of the Cashman family and their businesses in Southern Nevada. The materials also include records from the Cashman garages and automobile dealerships in Searchlight and Las Vegas, Nevada, organizational notes from the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and Las Vegas Rotary Club, and Cashman and Barker family photographs.
Access Note
Collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
This material is made available to facilitate private study, scholarship, or research. It may be protected by copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity rights, or other interests not owned by UNLV. Users are responsible for determining whether permissions are necessary from rights owners for any intended use and for obtaining all required permissions. Acknowledgement of the UNLV University Libraries is requested. For more information, please see the UNLV Special Collections policies on reproductions and use or contact us at special.collections@unlv.edu.
Arrangement
Material remains in original order.
Biographical / Historical Note
James "Big Jim" Cashman was born to Benjamin Franklin Cashman and Ella Mary Stovall in Ladue, Missouri on December 16, 1884. Cashman moved to Searchlight, Nevada in 1904 and began working a variety of jobs until he opened an automobile garage in approximately 1910. Cashman later sold automobiles and operated in Searchlight until the mining boom halted around 1920. As a result, Cashman decided to move his business to the growing city of Las Vegas, Nevada. Cashman met his future wife, Leah Barker, in Las Vegas and they married in 1923.
In 1920 the voters of Clark County, Nevada elected Cashman to the position of county commissioner. During his time in office, Cashman operated a ferry service across the Colorado River, until the beginning of the Hoover Dam project. In 1931 Cashman sold six Caterpillar Inc. diesel tractors to Six Companies Inc., which made him as an official partner for the Hoover Dam project. After his time in office, Cashman continued to operate his automobile dealership until his retirement in 1955.
Cashman was active in Las Vegas organizations such as the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and the Las Vegas Rotary Club. Cashman died from a heart condition in 1962. Clark County named James Cashman Middle School in honor of Cashman and his contributions to the city of Las Vegas, and the Cashman family was inducted into the Nevada Business Hall of Fame in 2007.
Sources:
"Big Jim Cashman." Cashman Equipment. Accessed December 31, 2019. https://www.cashmanequipment.com/about/cashman-history/big-jim
"Commissioner James Cashman." Clark County Nevada. Accessed December 31, 2019. http://www.clarkcountynv.gov/parks/Documents/centennial/commissioners/commissioner-j-cashman.pdf
Fechita, Bogdan. ""Big" Jim Cashman, Everything Started with 10¢." Casino Inside (Romania). Accessed December 31, 2019. https://www.casinoinside.ro/%E2%80%9Ebig-jim-cashman-totul-a-inceput-cu-10%C2%A2/?lang=en
Genealogy files about "James Cashman." Accessed December 31, 2019. Accessed from Ancestry.com and FindaGrave.com.
Preferred Citation
James Cashman Sr. Papers, approximately 1890-1969. MS-00144. Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Acquisition Note
Materials were donated in 1983 by Tona Cashman Siefert and James Cashman Jr.; accession numbers 1983-059 and T-041.
Processing Note
Materials were processed by Special Collections Staff. In 2015, as part of a legacy finding aid conversion project, Hana Gutierrez created the collection description and brought it into compliance with current professional standards and entered the data into ArchivesSpace. In 2019, as part of a backlog elimination project, Ryan DiPaolo updated the finding aid and brought it into compliance with current professional standards. In 2025, Sarah Jones added three additional scrapbooks not previously listed in the inventory.