Abstract
Oral history interview with Richard W. Dieleman conducted by Claytee D. White and Stefani Evans on October 21, 2025 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Dieleman describes his childhood and moving to Las Vegas, Nevada at age two so his father could work on building Hoover Dam. He recalls growing up in Boulder City, people watching on Fremont Street, and the yearly Helldorado parades. His father later started Jake's Crane and Rigging, which led Dieleman to work primarily in crane operation services. As a teenager and young adult, he recalls helping his father with work at Area 51. The work was top secret and Dieleman remembers seeing the SR-71 "Blackbird" flying in and out. After years of working for his father's company, Dieleman started his own crane company in the 1980s. He recalls helping work on the Sahara Hotel, Fremont Street, and Paris Hotel. He discusses some notable construction companies in Las Vegas, including Las Vegas Paving, Wells Cargo, and JA Tiberti. The interview concludes with Dieleman talking about the rapid expansion of Las Vegas. Digital audio available; no transcript available.
Date
Extent
Related People/Corporations
Scope and Contents Note
Oral history interview with Richard W. Dieleman conducted by Claytee D. White and Stefani Evans on October 21, 2025 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Dieleman describes his childhood and moving to Las Vegas, Nevada at age two so his father could work on building Hoover Dam. He recalls growing up in Boulder City, people watching on Fremont Street, and the yearly Helldorado parades. His father later started Jake's Crane and Rigging, which led Dieleman to work primarily in crane operation services. As a teenager and young adult, he recalls helping his father with work at Area 51. The work was top secret and Dieleman remembers seeing the SR-71 "Blackbird" flying in and out. After years of working for his father's company, Dieleman started his own crane company in the 1980s. He recalls helping work on the Sahara Hotel, Fremont Street, and Paris Hotel. He discusses some notable construction companies in Las Vegas, including Las Vegas Paving, Wells Cargo, and JA Tiberti. The interview concludes with Dieleman talking about the rapid expansion of Las Vegas. Digital audio available; no transcript available.
Access Note
Collection is open for research.
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.
Preferred Citation
Richard W. Dieleman oral history interview, 2025 October 21. OH-03958. [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 and transcribed by the Oral History Research Center (OHRC) which is part of the UNLV University Libraries Special Collections and Archives Division.
Processing Note
Interview materials were processed by UNLV Libraries Special Collections and Archives in 2025. Sarah Jones wrote the collection description. Access copies were created for born-digital audio files.