Oral history interviews with Dennis McBride conducted by Claytee D. White and Stefani Evans on various dates in March, April, and May 2023 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. McBride goes into detail in this 4-session interview and covers a wide variety of topics, including: the history of Boulder City, working at various cultural institutions in Las Vegas, the evolution of the LGBTQ+ community in Las Vegas, researching his own history and publishing a book, and local advocacy groups. Digital audio available; no transcript available.
Oral history interview with C. D. Williams conducted by Edwin R. Smith on July 07, 1975 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Williams discusses his career as a firefighter in Las Vegas, Nevada and the history of the Las Vegas Fire & Rescue Department. He describes his early history, moving to Las Vegas in 1942, and how he obtained his position in the Las Vegas Fire & Rescue Department. Williams also describes his training, the equipment they utilized, and how that equipment, as well as the fire department itself, has changed over time. He tells anecdotes of calls and his experiences in the department. Williams explains how the construction of the Basic Magnesium Plant and Nellis Air Force Base affected the fire department. He talks about how and why the Clark County Fire Department and North Las Vegas Fire Department were established, and how Las Vegas casinos paid the city for fire protection. Lastly, Williams discusses being drafted during World War II and his service as a military fire fighter.
Oral history interview with Tancy and Richard Leonard conducted by Barbara Tabach on September 18, 2012 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, the Leonards discuss their respective parents' employment at the Nevada Test Site. Frances’ father, John Elmgren, was the liaison between Reynolds Electric and the Atomic Energy Commission. Tancy describes the difficulties that came with having a parent working at the test site, the Huntridge Movie Theater, Vegas Village, and living in Las Vegas, Nevada in the 1950s and 1960s. Later in the interview, Richard discusses his father’s employment at the test site, observing the detonation of bombs, and the secrecy surrounding his father’s work. Lastly, the two describe the Westside and the historical significance of that area.
Oral history interview with Corinne Entratter Sidney, Charlotte Nort, Mary Neivans, Joy Blaine Garner, and Judy Jones conducted by Su Kim Chung on January 11, 2014 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Sidney, Nort, Neivans, Garner, and Jones discuss their early lives and recall their memories as members of the Copa Girls at the Sands Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. They describe the audition process to become a Copa Girl, showgirl costumes, and the choreography that was created for their performances. The group recalls performing along famous singers, including Frank Sinatra, and the entertainment in Las Vegas during the 1950s and 1960s.
Oral history interview with Dr. Linda K. Miller conducted by Claytee D. White on July 10, 2019 for Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Dr. Miller discusses her early life in Kansas City, Kansas and arriving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 2002. She talks about Helen J. Stewart, the Old Mormon Fort, and the significance of that area. Later, Dr. Miller explains the importance of teaching local history to people in Las Vegas. Lastly, Dr. Miller discusses the process of writing a book about Helen J. Stewart.
The Dorothy Keeler Papers (1811-1977) document early Las Vegas history, the life and career of former United States Mint director Eva Adams, and contain images of the Western United States and Southern Nevada in the 1930s. The collection contains clippings on the history of Las Vegas and early Las Vegas weddings as well as photographs documenting the Keelers' travels throughout the Western United States and the construction and dedication of Hoover Dam.
Oral history interviews with Barbara and Norman Kaye conducted by Claytee D. White on February 24, 2010, March 09, 2010, and December 06, 2011 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Barbara Kaye begins the interview by discussing her career as a showgirl and moving to Reno, Nevada in 1955 to work as a dancer in a show at the Mapes Hotel in 1955. She then talks about later moving to Las Vegas, Nevada to dance at the Riviera Hotel & Casino. She also describes living briefly in Hawaii with her husband, Norman Kaye, his career as a musician, and the life of a Las Vegas showgirl. Norman Kaye discusses his career as a musician in the Mary Kaye Trio with his sister, Mary Kaye. He recalls when they performed at the El Rancho Hotel and Casino, Tropicana Hotel, and Sahara Hotel and Casino, as well as his songwriting outside of the group and being named the poet laureate of Nevada by Governor Grant Sawyer. Lastly, he talks about his career in real estate and his company, Norman Kaye Real Estate.
Oral history interview with Sigrid Capel conducted by Michael McKenna on February 10, 1980 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Sigrid Capel (b. 1915 in Ely, Nevada) discusses growing up in Southern Nevada and serving in several civil service positions. She begins by talking about her experiences of growing up in Ely, Nevada and then describes going to business school in San Diego before returning to work as a secretary for the Agricultural Extension Service. Capel goes on to describe her experiences working for the Nevada Gaming Control Board and eventually becoming assistant city clerk for Las Vegas, the jury commissioner for the county clerk, and executive secretary for the Clark County Board of County Commissioners.
Bruce Layne came to Las Vegas in March of 1955 when he was 10 years of age. He attended High school at Bishop Gorman and college at the University of Nevada Las Vegas where he received a B.S. in Economics. In college, he played baseball for three years and was named All Conference Player in 1966. Growing up in Las Vegas, two of his closest long time friends are Governor Bob Miller and Tito Tiberti. Bruce later went on to become the President of Layne & Associates Insurance which was the largest Insurance Agency in Nevada. Bruce tells fabulous stories of his 40-year experience in the Las Vegas community. When he first arrived there were only about 25,000 people living here. Since then, Bruce has been witness to the enormous growth the city has undergone. Throughout the interview, he discusses his book, My Gift, which he wrote after he discovered he had Parkinson's disease in 1999. The book contains valuable advice on life and it has touched the lives of many people who have read it. Today Bruce Layne is relentlessly fighting his battle with Parkinson's disease both for himself and for thousands of others. He continues to have a positive attitude and is supported by his wife, Sherry Layne, and his two sons, Chad and Trevor. VI
After serving as a nurse in World War II in Hawaii, Okinawa and Japan, Dorothy returned home to Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. She experienced a particularly bad winter and she set out for California but stopped in Las Vegas to visit the family of her traveling companion, a girlfriend from her home town. The girlfriend returned to Wisconsin and George applied for a nursing license and got it within three days. She never left. Dorothy met her husband while working the night shift at Clark County Hospital. He would come in regularly to assist his patients in the births of their babies. Their occupations and their service in World War II drew them together in a marriage that has lasted over fifty years. From 1949 to this interview in 2003, Dorothy George has seen Las Vegas grow from a town that she loved to a metropolitan area that is no longer as friendly. She reminisces about the Heldorado parades, family picnics at Mount Charleston, watching the cloud formed by the atomic bomb tests, raising six successful children, leading a Girl Scout Troop, and working in organizations to improve the social and civic life of Las Vegas.