Transcript of interview with Mary E. Habbart by Pamela Larkins, July 15, 1975

UNLV University Libraries Mary E. Habbart i An Interview with Mary E. Habbart An Oral History Conducted by Pamela Larkins Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas Special Collections and Archives Oral History Research Center University Libraries University of Nevada, Las Vegas UNLV University Libraries Mary E. Habbart ii © Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 2019 UNLV University Libraries Mary E. Habbart iii The Oral History Research Center (OHRC) was formally established by the Board of Regents of the University of Nevada System in September 2003 as an entity of the UNLV University Libraries’ Special Collections Division. The OHRC conducts oral interviews with individuals who are selected for their ability to provide first-hand observations on a variety of historical topics in Las Vegas and Southern Nevada. The OHRC is also home to legacy oral history interviews conducted prior to its establishment including many conducted by UNLV History Professor Ralph Roske and his students. This legacy interview transcript received minimal editing, such as the elimination of fragments, false starts, and repetitions in order to enhance the reader's understanding of the material. All measures have been taken to preserve the style and language of the narrator. The interviewee/narrator was not involved in the editing process. UNLV University Libraries Mary E. Habbart iv Abstract On July 15, 1975, Pamela Larkins interviewed Mary E. Habbart (born 1897 in Boothwyn, Pennsylvania) in her home in Las Vegas, Nevada. The two discuss Habbart’s personal family history and her family’s reasons for moving to Las Vegas. Habbart also describes social and economic changes to Las Vegas and her local dairy farm. UNLV University Libraries Mary E. Habbart 1 This is Mary Habbart, and I have a few questions for you. Were you born in Southern Nevada? No, I was born in Pennsylvania. And when did you come out here? I came here August the 23rd, 1920. Why did your family come here? We came here to take over the store at Arden, which at that time was the Gibson Company. Alright. There was a store for the Gibson Company, or you mean the Aria? No, a county store, it was a company store at Arden, Nevada. Which is right back up. Oh, I see. So how long did your family run the store? We ran the store for about seven or eight years and built a home then in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 1928. Oh, is that the home you had on Seventh Street? Right. Oh, I see. The first house on North Seventh Street in Las Vegas. Oh, I see. When we first—when we first came here, was August the 23rd, 1920. And there was not a paved street in Las Vegas. There was the First State Bank, and a few stores in two blocks on Fremont Street and the street was keck hole after another. (Laughs) Which it’s still today! As far as I can tell. And there was a boardwalk in front of two stores, and outside of that, there was no paving at all, and that was just boards, boardwalk. UNLV University Libraries Mary E. Habbart 2 How long was it before they paved streets? They didn’t pave any streets in Las Vegas for at least another three or four years, and then it was just Fremont Street paved from Main Street to Fifth Street. Were the streets as wide as they are now, or have the widened them? No, they are the same. Oh, I see. That really took a lot of forethought I think, because sometimes streets that were built that long ago were really narrow. No, the streets are the same as they were then. They are the same width and everything, and the sidewalks were put in, and streets are only as far as that goes today, only two sections of traffic, one each way. Oh, maybe I’m thinking about some of the other streets that are, ‘course there’s parking and so forth, it seems like on streets. There’s no parking on Fremont Street. I thought the Fremont has, where you can – there’s two lanes, one each way. Yes. Yes. ‘Cause I’m just comparing it to streets in Louisiana, where they’re— Much narrower. Two cars pass and that’s it. (Laughs)— Your house that you had on Seventh Street, did you have a garden in it then and grass and so forth? We had some fruit trees and also grass. How did you water it and how did you care for it? We were on a well to begin with and later, the sewer was put in later, and also the water lines were put in later. We built that house in 1928. UNLV University Libraries Mary E. Habbart 3 Did you carry buckets of water to your trees until—or something like that? No, we had put in lines for water— Oh, I see. From the well. Very similar to the watering systems we put in today. Yes. More or less the same as what I have right here today. Oh, I see. Get closer. Now let’s go on to your education. Where were you educated? In Pennsylvania and then in Phoenix, Arizona, I went to business school. We came to Phoenix first and I was married while there. And later, came to Las Vegas in 1920. Mm, I see. And I had three children then, all born in Arizona. But it was 1920 when we came to Las Vegas and ran the store in Arden, Nevada. I see, so you were, the last of your education was in Arizona? You were not educated any further here? No. Just the business school. Business school. I see, I suppose that helped with your store. Well, I suppose so. How many times have you moved in Southern Nevada? We moved here to take over the store in Arden, which is about ten miles from Las Vegas. And later in 1928, build our home in Las Vegas because our children then were in high school, two of them. UNLV University Libraries Mary E. Habbart 4 Mm-hmm. And consequently, we moved. And then later, my husband was in charge of the Sixth Company Store, in Boulder City. Mm-hmm. But we still lived in Las Vegas for a year or two after that, before we moved to Boulder City. And then we moved back after the dam was built, to Las Vegas, and in the years since that, moved once from Las Vegas to the ranch which is in the valley, Paradise Valley. Mm-hmm. This is where I live now. Okay. So what high school did your children go to? Las Vegas High. On Seventh Street. What do you think of the quality of education they got here in high school? I think their quality of education in Las Vegas has always been tops because at one time, my son was with his aunt in Long Beach, California, and lost a grade when he came back to Las Vegas because they were one year ahead of the schools in California. Did your children go on to college here? They went to the University of Nevada. At Las Vegas? No, Reno. At Reno, I see. At that time, my husband then was U.S. Marshall for the state of Nevada. Oh is that right? And then I had three of them in the university at the same time. UNLV University Libraries Mary E. Habbart 5 What occupations did your children go into from here? Well, one is in Northern California, Sacramento, and he has big equipment for building railroads in Northern California. The other one is in Reno, Interiors by Greville. Oh I see. On Main Street in Reno. So none of your children live here now? My daughter lives next door to me. Oh I see. My granddaughter lives next door to her. (Laughs) And this is the ranch and it’s solely held down by family, four generations. Oh, I see. Do you still have all your original land that you had when you first came to Vegas? I have sold some of it now. To begin with, I had a dairy here, built the first grade-A dairy in Clark County. And after my husband’s death, I—it was just too much for me. Oh I see. What was the name of the Dairy? It was Vegas Valley Dairy, which produced milk here until about a year or so ago. It was sold out to another big, I forget the name of (unintelligible). Unidentified woman: Mr. Larger, Deery that’s here in town. Oh, I see. What—was church activity an important part of your life? I’ve always, came to this country in 1719 when my grandfather founded the first Presbyterian Church in Lancaster County in Pennsylvania, so I better be a Presbyterian. (Laughs) But you were very active in the affairs here in Las Vegas? UNLV University Libraries Mary E. Habbart 6 Yes, until well, I have had my back and both legs operated on; sitting in those seats in church, I’m not up to it much. Right, but in the past, you were just more active? Yes. What did you do for recreation? For recreational activities here during the years? Well, I think we more or less made our own in the early days here. Were they church oriented more, or did you just—was it more family oriented? More family oriented I would say because we had a small orchestra that we went all around the small towns around and play for dances. My oldest boy play the violin, and there was four others in the little band that played all over towns around at Las Vegas. Oh. Well, were you active in politics? For my husband to be U.S. Marshall? I guess I’d have to be. Which party? If you don’t want to say, you don’t— Democrat. Democrat? There was no Republicans in Southern Nevada. (Laughs) Let’s put it that way. (Laughs) Were you a member of a social club other than a special interest group? No, I’ve never been, I couldn’t, more or less, with a school, schools, because my brother was a teacher in the high school here, and all picnics and the junior prom and the senior ball and everything else, I—they always had to have some parents you know, and I took part in all those activities. So you were always helping the young people. UNLV University Libraries Mary E. Habbart 7 And football, and everything like that. Put on the bench for the first two football teams in Las Vegas. Is there (Laughs)—I know this is going to be a good question. Was gambling an important recreational activity for you and your family? Never. And did you want to express your views on how you feel about the gambling? Or would you—? Well, I think that it has the, caused the state to have just one thing to depend on and nothing else. Because manufacturing, and things of that nature, would never come in here with the gambling, and that’s a fact. Well, I agree with you on that one. So today, Nevada has nothing to depend on but gambling. Arizona, which came along, developed more or less the same time that Nevada did, has everything, and we have nothing to depend on but gambling. You mentioned before we started recording, that they first legalized gambling to help raise taxes, or to help bring in more taxes. That was the understanding, that’s how they got their gambling licenses to begin with in 1928. Do you think they pay—what percentage do you think they might pay in taxes now? That was their promise, to get the gambling in the state of Nevada. The people voted it in. No, they do not. You don’t think they pay enough taxes in—? No. They get all the protection and everything else, the rest of us don’t get, the police give them all the benefits of the protections, where if you see, out here you don’t see ‘em. UNLV University Libraries Mary E. Habbart 8 Do you remember visits from prominent people? Say presidents, or heads of state coming to the Las Vegas area? When the dam was dedicated, I was sitting right there within ten feet of Mrs. Roosevelt. Is that right? Furthermore than that, she had holes in the bottom of her shoes and had cardboard in ‘em. (Laughs) Now that’s a joke, you can leave that out. Would you know? No, I was right there, the dedication of the dam. And my husband was U.S. Marshall so consequently, was in charge of his protection at that time. At that time, do you think there—was much security was worried about as they would be today if he was president? No, no. They’re simply one or two men assigned to protect him? Well there was—yes. They definitely had the men here too, but nothing like what they have to do today. Was there any other people that came with him, or came in other times? Well, his wife was with him and Jim, his youngest son, James, I think, was the one who helped him stand up. In other words, when he went to get up, they pushed the braces on his legs, and then helped him stand, and then he could move, because he had some braces on his legs. Right. Well, is he about the only president that’s ever come to our area over here? Kennedy. When did Kennedy come? Oh, I remember the day he was here. I can’t just say just about when it was. (Laughs) UNLV University Libraries Mary E. Habbart 9 What particular reason did he come for? Well, he was here in Vegas Peak, at the convention hall. Oh, I see. ‘Course Roosevelt, there was no convention hall at that time. He was just simply here, made a speech out the dam. They built a platform overlooking the dam when the dam was finished, and just a dedication at the dam. And I would say if there was five hundred people there, that cover the—and it was maybe about fifty cars in the lineup going to the dam from Boulder City, from Las Vegas, when he went out to—and then they took him up to Charleston after they finished at the dam, and I wouldn’t say there was over twenty cars, all going up to Charleston, and he (unintelligible) about six thirty in that evening. So he was here just for one day, wasn’t for the rest of the day. I’ll admit it was a heck of a day. Oh yes, I bet it was. There’s something else I wanted to ask you that we probably skipped over when we were talking about your home and area—how did you cool your house during the days of the summer? Were you one of the people that went to Los Angeles (unintelligible)? No. Well, I’ll tell ya’, during the hottest part of the summer, the way that people did things, they wet a sheet and rolled up in it to sleep outside or inside. And then came the desert coolers, the water dripping down over them, and that was—we had a water coolers with a fan back in the, in this house, built in forty-nine or fifty. We first had that for one year and I put in the barrier, cooling, refrigeration, which I still have today. So you got that in the fifties? About fifty-two. UNLV University Libraries Mary E. Habbart 10 Oh, I see. That’s just so interesting to me because I think it’s so (unintelligible). Well at the beginning, with the way you cooled your food, you had a box, like with shells that had the water dripping down. In other words, was cloth down the sides, and the water dripped on the top, and kept those wet, and the little bit of wind would stir and keep it cool, and all was in the shade so. So there was really nothing you could make and keep for a couple days. No. Well, we had ice and a refrigerator—I mean the old ice box. But to really keep anything (unintelligible) was a little ice-cube box that we used. That was the early days in Las Vegas. So for instance, like, so say mayonnaise, or something you’d make like that, it’s something that you’d use in one or two days? You had to, pretty much put it to use. Probably difficult with an entire jar of mayonnaise. Well we had, my kids, in 1909, (unintelligible), and right here, is the family house or ranch, and they raised all kinds of vegetables. And then they rose all kinds of fruit, so (unintelligible), and of course, (unintelligible) everything like that. So that’s where we got the biggest part of our vegetable and fruit supply. It was grown right here. What about your dairy farm, how did you keep it (unintelligible)? At first, well of course, by that time, my son and I had the dairy. They did have the (unintelligible) and refrigeration and the ice. Not the refrigeration that we have today. Just ice to cool the milk. How long would the milk stay fresh? (Unintelligible) Well it was (unintelligible) I see, and how did—? (Unintelligible) UNLV University Libraries Mary E. Habbart 11 It was (unintelligible) Las Vegas dairy. (Unintelligible) No, they were big tanker cows, so you pick it up out of the farm. (Unintelligible) (Unintelligible) (Tape ends)