The Harrah’s Entertainment Corporate Archives (dating from 1811 to 2004 with the bulk of the materials dating from 1940 to 2000) contain the promotional and corporate files of Harrah’s Entertainment Inc. and its predecessors, as well as Bill Harrah’s personal papers and card game collection. The materials were compiled and developed as a corporate archive by Harrah's Entertainment, Inc.’s Corporate Communications Department. The collection is primarily comprised of casino and employee periodicals, reports, manuals, promotional files, ephemera, and newspaper articles that document Bill Harrah’s casinos in Reno, Nevada and Lake Tahoe as well as Harrah’s Inc., Holiday Inns, Inc., Holiday Corporation, the Promus Companies, and Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc. Also included are photographs that document the construction of Harrah’s properties, business operations, the people who worked and performed at Harrah’s properties, and Bill Harrah’s automobile collection. The collection also contains Bill Harrah’s collection of playing cards and card games. Also included are photographs of the Harrah family.
Archival Collection
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Gay Pride 1999 (Dennis McBride, photographer) Unidentified men dancing in Sunset Park.
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Gay Pride 1996 (Dennis McBride, photographer) Stage at Sunset Park. (5-4-96)
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Oral history interview with Wilma Freemyer conducted by Suzanne Haag on February 22, 1979 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Freemyer discusses early Las Vegas, Nevada’s history during the 1930's and the
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Lavell Jarrett conducted by Robert B. Grzywacz on February 22, 1975 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In his interview Jarrett discusses his early life in Utah and his career with the Union Pacific Railroad.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Ruth Poirier conducted by Joanne Goodwin on February 05, 2003 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Poirier opens her interview by discussing her partner Doris Pressler, who had passed away before the interview. She describes Doris' upbringing, her role in the first band at the Roseland Ballroom in New York, and explains how an all-women band in the 1930s and 1940s was a phenomenon. Poirier then discusses her own history, including how she became involved in music and all-women bands, and how she met Doris. Poirier describes in detail the importance of music to her family, the types of music she played, and what it was like to be a musician during the Depression. She talks about her relationship with Doris and recalls early interactions with other gay youths. Poirer ends her interview explaining why she and Doris decided to settle in Las Vegas, Nevada, and describes their impressions and involvement with the local LGBTQ+ community.
Archival Collection
Gay Pride at Sunset Park, 1998. Photographer: Dennis McBride. Pierced nipple.
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