Oral history interview with William (Bob) Bailey conducted by Claytee White on November 19, 1997 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. William H. “Bob” Bailey discusses how he arrived in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1955 to become the emcee at the Moulin Rouge and how he entered a black community that used his talents in the fight for equality and justice. He then discusses how the closing of the Moulin Rouge after a few months of operation propelled him into services on the Equal Rights Commission as well as a career in the television industry, ownership in several local gaming establishments, and formation of the NEDCO (Nevada Economic Development Company).
Archival Collection
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The Don T. Walker Photograph Collection (1900-1995) is comprised of black-and-white and color photographs taken by or belonging to Las Vegas photographer and Nevada historian Don Travis Walker. The photographs taken by Walker include ghost towns in Nevada, Arizona, and California, as well as a series on Phil Benson, editor and publisher of the Southern Nevada Times. Other items in the collection include photographs taken by other people related to the Moulin Rouge Hotel in Las Vegas, various photographs of historic sites in Nevada, and a program from the Nevada State Museum and Historical Society for its "Moulin Rouge: History in the Making" exhibition.
Archival Collection
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Oral history interview with Norma de la Cerna Tolbert conducted by Claytee D. White on June 25, 2013 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Tolbert discusess her career as a professional dancer from the age of fifteen. She begins by describing her early childhood in Houston, Texas, moving to Chicago, Illinois where she began to study dance, and leaving home at fifteen years old to go to Atlantic City, New Jersey to dance in professional productions. Tolbert then discusses moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1955, performing at the Moulin Rouge, and living in the Berkley Square community where they built new housing for the dancers. She also discusses performing at the Dunes Hotel and Casino, the African American community of Las Vegas, and the closing of the Moulin Rouge.
Archival Collection