Oral history interview with Ethel S. Hatch conducted by P. Kohlman on November 24, 1975 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. This interview covers the history of Las Vegas from 1939 to 1975. Mrs. Hatch also talks about ranching in Nevada, Rex Bell, development on the Strip, the first hotels, and early local shopping culture. The interview concludes with discussion surrounding tree-lined streets, the Helldorado Club, and Fremont Street.
Oral history interview with Mazie Martin Jones conducted by Jane P. Kowalewski on November 03, 1978 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Jones discusses her father, Doctor Royce Martin, the first doctor to own a private practice in Las Vegas, Nevada. Jones then explains how her father first arrived in Southern Nevada and his different investments in real estate, hospitals, and hotels. She goes on to share her father’s hotel pursuits after retiring from medicine in the late 1940s.
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.
Oral history interview with Mae Farei conducted by Martha Cunningham on February 24, 1980 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Farei first talks about the development of the Downtown Las Vegas and Las Vegas Strip areas. She then discusses working at the Twin Lakes Lodge and Stardust as a housekeeper, and she later mentions some of the recreational activities available to those in Nevada. She also mentions the importance of Nellis Air Force Base and expresses her appreciation for living in Southern Nevada.
Oral history interview with Janice Allen conducted by Claytee White in 2009 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Allen discusses her early experiences in Las Vegas, Nevada and her involvement with the Junior League of Las Vegas. She describes the League’s membership growth, charity events, and women who mentored her in the League. She also discusses her experiences with Fremont Street and the Huntridge Theater, and her involvement with organizations such as Jayceettes, Beta Sigma Phi, and Young Audiences.
Oral history interview with Wilma Noyes conducted by Claytee D. White on April 11, 2007 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Noyes discusses her personal history and life in Las Vegas, Nevada from the 1920s onward. She describes moving to Las Vegas with her family in 1921 after her father got a job working for Union Pacific Railroad Company. Noyes explains how the railroad provided housing to its workers and what life was like in that housing. Noyes discusses attending the first schools in Las Vegas, one of them having had Maude Frazier as its principal. Noyes then describes what young people did for entertainment in Las Vegas, including dancing and going to movie theaters. Lastly, she discusses the history of the casinos and how the city has changed.
Oral history interview with Clare Woodbury conducted by James Greene on January 28, 1975 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Woodbury discusses his personal history and medical background. He then describes social life in Las Vegas, Nevada, education, and his involvement with the Clark County School District. Later, Woodbury discusses some of the issues surrounding education at the time and suggest solutions.
Oral history interview with Walter V. Long conducted by Tracy Tillander on March 24, 1981 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In the interview, Long discusses his experiences as a high school grammar teacher, assistant principal, and principal in Las Vegas, Nevada. Long also discusses his early life and teaching in Pioche, Nevada; Panaca, Nevada; and Tonopah, Nevada.
Oral history interview with Mary R. Lyles conducted by Lisa Ellis on March 18, 1978 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In the interview, Lyles discusses moving to Nevada from California in 1949 and experience of racial discrimination as an African American. Lyles also discusses her religious beliefs, her work as a maid and pantry waitress, and her experiences as a single mother raising eight children.
Oral history interview with Harold Chatterson conducted by Herman Grijalva on October 17, 1972 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview Harold Chatterson discuses moving to Las Vegas, Nevada, working as a construction worker, the First National Bank of Nevada, homesteading, atomic-bomb testing, Howard Hughes, the Las Vegas Strip, the Helldorado Parade, and the 1942 crash of Carole Lombard's plane.