Oral history interview with Katherine Duncan and Sarann Knight Preddy conducted by Claytee D. White on November 11, 2004 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview Katherine Duncan and Sarann Preddy speak about creating a black cultural/historical tour of Las Vegas, Nevada. Preddy also discusses buying the Moulin Rouge Hotel and Casino to preserve its history. Both women then talk about racism, segregation, and the involvement of African Americans in the history of Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Helen Joy Stadler conducted by Claytee D. White on August 21, 2012 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Stadler begins the interview by talking about moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1942 with her boyfriend who purchased a beverage distribution company on the Strip. Stadler recalls their apartment on 7th Street and Fremont and working at nearby hotels. She discussed the nightlife, shows, and performers at the El Rancho Hotel and Casino and the Frontier Hotel. She also details the fashion in Las Vegas, Nevada during the 1950s and 1960s, as well as Helldorado Parades. Stadler also describes organized crime members and their relationships to the Strip, and her perceptions of the individuals.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Roy Stinedurf Jr. conducted by Deborah J. Taylor on March 15, 1981 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Stinedurf discusses the development and growth of Las Vegas, Nevada. Stinedurf recalls the earliest hotels and casinos including El Rancho, Desert Inn, Sahara, Riviera, Stardust, and The Royal Nevada. Later in the interview, Stinedurf discusses Las Vegas history regarding the development of casinos and the increase in local businesses. Stinedurf then describes natural resource management, specifically the use of water and explains how artesian springs were used at the time. Lastly, Stinedurf discusses desert warfare training during World War II.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with William McLeod conducted by Valerie McLeod on March 16, 1978 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. McLeod begins by speaking about his career as a contractor, the growth of Las Vegas in the 1960s and the city’s population. Moreover, he speaks about recreational activities such as riding motorcycles and exploring mines around Nevada. McLeod also spends time going over Indian reservations around Nevada and neighboring states, the Lost City in Nevada, boomtowns and ghost towns. Lastly, McLeod talks about the history of water and springs in the state of Nevada, what he would consider to be the Old Ranch and the stagecoaches that passed through Gold Point, Nevada.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Hank Kovell conducted by Patrick F. Smith on September 26, 1973 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In the interview, Kovell briefly discusses his life in Northern California before moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in July 1956, where he would open and run a Las Vegas, Nevada advertisement agency, Kovell Inc., between 1964 and 1969. He then discusses his company's publications of political campaigns, Las Vegas casino publicity, and his work as a public relations director in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Marie Schamaun conducted by Elie Elias on February 21, 1979 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Schamaun discusses her personal history and the history of Las Vegas, Nevada. Schamaun discusses being a member of the first Methodist church in Las Vegas and her involvement with an auxiliary of the Optimist Club which helped young girls. Schamaun describes how Las Vegas and its casinos have changed since she first moved to the city in 1947, and how the city has changed socially. Schamaun also discusses nuclear weapons tests, youth centers in Las Vegas, and the important role the youth centers have in the city.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Allen Fritzsche conducted by Joyce Moore on February 12, 2008 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Fritzsche begins by discussing his time in the United States Air Force, his interest in electronics, and moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1964 after being employed by EG & G, Inc. He describes his job duties measuring radiation levels at the Nevada Test Site, as well as at other test sites and nuclear power plants around the country and the world. Fritzsche talks about the effects of radiation and nuclear fallout, nuclear weapons tests, and life in Las Vegas during the 1960s.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Morgan Mills conducted by Matthew Carr on March 26, 1981 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Mills discusses being involved in major projects in the Las Vegas, Nevada area while he was living in California. Mills also discusses Boulder City, Nevada and Reno, Nevada. He later discusses his career as an electrical engineer, as well as working on the Hoover Dam (Boulder Dam).
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Tommy Nelson conducted by Art Rader on November 29, 1974 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Nelson discusses the history of Boulder City, Nevada and his career as a musician. He describes moving to Boulder City in 1932 and working as a laborer on the construction of Hoover Dam (Boulder Dam). Nelson describes life in the city during the construction of the dam, how the dam was built, and how Boulder City has changed. Nelson continues, talking about being a trumpeter, performing in various orchestras in Las Vegas, Nevada casino shows, and for injured United States service members during World War II.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Don R. Waitman conducted by Eileen Green on February 09, 1976 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Waitman begins by describing life in Las Vegas, Nevada during the 1940s and explains how the city has changed and expanded. He describes other aspects of Southern Nevada history and life, including recreational activities and the growth of Henderson, Nevada because of the construction of the Basic Magnesium Plant. Waitman then discusses what life was like in Nevada during World War II, being drafted, and later returning to Las Vegas to work for the United States Postal Service. Waitman concludes by talking about mining in Nevada and his family history.
Archival Collection