Skip to main content

Search the Special Collections and Archives Portal

Dorothy and Altus E. "Tex" Nunley oral history interview (OH-01400)

Abstract

Oral history interview with Dorothy and Altus E. "Tex" Nunley by Dennis McBride on June 9, 1986 for the Boulder City Library Oral History Project. The interview starts with Tex, who relates how he arrived in Nevada in 1931 as a government "rod man", employed to assist the engineers planning the infrastructure for the construction of Hoover Dam. He discusses the early tent city called "McKeeversville" named after the mess hall cook who pitched the first tent in the area, and the process of building railroad tracks from the Union Pacific spur that ended in what would soon become Boulder City. After this, both speak at length about the details of the dam's construction, Tex's work as a high rigger, the development of Boulder City, and many anecdotes about individuals associated with bost the city and the dam.

Finding Aid PDF

Date

1996-06-09

Extent

3 digital_files (0.157 GB) MP3

Related People/Corporations

Scope and Contents Note

Oral history interview with Dorothy and Altus E. "Tex" Nunley by Dennis McBride on June 9, 1986 for the Boulder City Library Oral History Project. The interview starts with Tex, who relates how he arrived in Nevada in 1931 as a government "rod man", employed to assist the engineers planning the infrastructure for the construction of Hoover Dam. He discusses the early tent city called "McKeeversville" named after the mess hall cook who pitched the first tent in the area, and the process of building railroad tracks from the Union Pacific spur that ended in what would soon become Boulder City. After this, both speak at length about the details of the dam's construction, Tex's work as a high rigger, the development of Boulder City, and many anecdotes about individuals associated with bost the city and the dam. Digital audio available; no 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. No release form is on file for this interview. The interview is accessible onsite only, and researchers must seek permission from the interviewee or heirs for quotation, reproduction, or publication. Please contact special.collections@unlv.edu for further information.

Preferred Citation

Dorothy and Altus E. "Tex" Nunley oral history interview, 1986 June 09. OH-01400. [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.

Acquisition Note

This interview was conducted by Dennis McBride. Materials from this oral history project were donated to UNLV Libraries Special Collections and Archives on an ongoing basis ending in 2016.

Processing Note

Interview materials were processed by UNLV Libraries Special Collections and Archives in 2015. Melise Leech wrote the collection description. 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. The audio has been minimally reviewed and all readily available information has been included in the description.

Collection Type

EAD ID

US::NvLN::OH01400

Finding Aid Description Rules

Describing Archives: A Content Standard
English