The Burrell C. Lawton Photograph Collection on the Hoover Dam depicts the construction of the Hoover (Boulder) Dam on the Colorado River near Las Vegas, Nevada from 1931 to 1934. The photographs primarily depict workers, construction equipment, and the progression of the dam's concrete structures. The photographs also depict construction of diversion tunnels, bridges, the gravel plant, the intake towers, and the concrete mixing plant.

The Murl Emery Photograph Collection consists of seventeen black-and-white photographic reprints of ferries and recreational activities near Searchlight, Nevada on the Colorado River taken from approximately 1910 to 1946, and reprinted from approximately 1970 to 2004.

The Elbert Edwards Photograph Collection contains photographs of Nevada from 1852 to 1991. The collection has a wide variety of photographs, including: white pioneers and settlers; early Nevada towns; Nevada politicians; early Las Vegas landmarks; Boulder City schools; petroglyphs from Nevada's indigenous populations; Lost City and Lake Mead; railroads; the Hoover Dam (Boulder Dam); Basic Magnesium Inc. in Henderson, Nevada; geographical features; the Edwards family; and photographs of Elbert Edwards's participation in the Las Vegas Education Association and the Rotary Club.

Oral history interview with Helen Mott Cecil conducted by Claytee D. White on April 24, 2007 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Helen Mott Cecil discusses growing up in Las Vegas, Nevada on the Westside, including seeing the Helldorado parades and Hoover (Boulder Dam). She also discusses working for Farmers Home Association and in the medical care and entertainment industry during the 1930s. She then discusses her divorce and other topics like the atomic bomb testing, the bus system, and downtown Las Vegas.

The Ferron and Bracken Photograph Collection depicts Southern and Central Nevada and other western states from 1890 to 1961. The photographs primarily depict the development and growth of early Las Vegas, Nevada; mines and mining operations in Southern and Central Nevada; towns and mines in Nevada; and the Hoover (Boulder) Dam and the Colorado River.

The Squires Family Photographs document the Squires Family and the development of the Las Vegas Valley in Nevada from approximately 1860 to 1980, with a bulk of the photographs depicting people and events from 1900 to 1950. The photographs depict the Euro-American settlement and growth of Las Vegas, Nevada; traveling and exploration of Southern Nevada and the Southwestern United States; the Hoover (Boulder) Dam and the Colorado River; clubs and social groups; and the Squires Family, especially prominent newspaper editor and publisher Charles Pember (C. P. or “Pop”) Squires, Delphine “Mom” Anderson Squires, and their children.

The Betty Ham Dokter Photographs depict the Ham Family from 1850 to 1976. The materials include photographs of the family after they moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1916 and document the early growth of the city. The materials also include photographs of the Colorado River, the Hoover (Boulder) Dam site before and after its construction, dinner parties, family photographs, and citizens of the Las Vegas area. The materials also include photographs of Alta Mereness Ham, Betty Ham Dokter's mother, on the set of the film Water.