On February 28, 1979, collector Alick Dziabczenko interviewed Jack Leavitt in Las Vegas, Nevada. In this interview Mr. Leavitt talks about his childhood in Las Vegas. He also talks about his family life and his career in the city, as well as some of the many changes he has seen in Las Vegas.
On March 25, 1981, Brenda Sue Cody interviewed local business owner, Charles Alvin (Todd) Early, Jr. (born in Yerington, Nevada) at his Central Credit office in Las Vegas, Nevada. The interview covers the history of Nevada. During the interview, Charles discusses mining, the building of Boulder (Hoover) Dam, and travelling by train as the central mode of transportation, in the early days. He also discusses a quick and easy divorce process and gambling as the main tourist attractions in Nevada.
Men harvesting celery on the Iki ranch near Logandale, Nevada.
Transcribed Notes: Bureau of Reclamation typed notes appended to back of photo: Boulder Canyon Project, Nevada Region 3 "Pickers" at work harvesting celery plants on the IKI Ranch near Logandale, Nevada. Raising celery plants is a relatively new type of irrigated specialty farming in southern Nevada. Water from the Muddy River is used to irrigate the fields. Twenty million celery plants were harvested from the 60 acres planted this season. The plants were shipped to the neighboring western states.
Black and white image of an abandoned steam tractor. Description from Special Collections accompanying image: "According to the story told, this was one of the first three tractors ever built. One was shipped here to Eldorado Canyon to move ore and one was shipped to Death Valley for the Borax works (it is still in Death Valley). The other one was sent to South America to a mine. The one in Death Valley supposedly worked out fairly well being used mostly in sand. This one, it is told, was not too successful. The drive mechanism was by way of teeth on the inside of the big black wheels, driven by a pinion gear at the top. Small stones fell into the wheel and stuck in the grease necessitating frequent stops to remove the stones. The driver stood on a platform at the rear. May 1947."
Black and white image of the following individuals signing official contracts and deeds from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to Boulder City: Standing, from left to right: Joe Manix, Thomas White, M.D., Albert Franklin, and Morgan Sweeney; seated, from left to right: Lorraine Kautz, A. B. West, Robert Broadbent, and Milton N. Nathanson.
Bonnie (Henley) Gragson was born February 8, 1913, in Mansfield, Arkansas, to James H. Henley and Elizabeth L. Cockrall Henley. She attended school in Mansfield, and married to Oran K. Gragson on December 21, 1934. The couple arrived in Nevada Christmas morning of that year, where Oran was employed in the construction of Hoover Dam. Except for brief periods in the 1930's when Oran was employed in highway construction in nearby Nevada cities, they lived in Las Vegas for more than 70 years.
Oral history interview with J.W. (John) Campbell (born June 13, 1918 in Pioche, Nevada) conducted by Raymond Haft on February 19, 1979 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. This interview covers the history of Nevada, including Mr. Campbell’s personal history. He discusses the Stewart Ranch, the Mormon Fort, swimming pools in Las Vegas, Nevada, and the above ground atomic tests. He also discusses the crash of Carole Lombard’s plane and the building of the Basic Magnesium Plant in Henderson, Nevada.
Erma "Linda" Rivera was born in Morenci, Arizona, in 1952. In the Las Vegas Valley, where Linda has lived for over twenty years, she has promoted educational opportunities for youth, particularly in the Hispanic community. Both she and her husband moved from Montana, where her husband worked as a power plant operator on Yellowtail Dam, to southern Nevada to work on Hoover Dam in 1986. Linda was put in charge of the affirmative employment plan for her branch of the Bureau of Reclamation. She thought there should be more Hispanics working for the Bureau of Reclamation, but she found that there weren't many Hispanics studying engineering. Linda reached out to John Medina at the Southern Nevada Hispanic Employment Program for help. He convinced her to become involved with the program, and she would later become its conference chair. Linda organized the Family Leadership Module for parents in the Clark County School District to give advice and encouragement for parents who are non-native speakers of English, so that they feel more confident becoming involved in the school district. She currently works as the Diversity Officer for the Bureau of Reclamation in Boulder City.