Oral history interview with Mark Brandenburg conducted by Claytee D. White and Stefani Evans on September 22, 2017 for the Building Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Brandenburg discusses his upbringing in Las Vegas, Nevada. He talks about his stepfather’s involvement with the opening of the Golden Gate Hotel and Casino, becoming a co-owner of the property in 1990, and joining other downtown properties to form the Fremont Street Experience. Brandenburg describes the challenges in competing with mega-resorts on the Strip, modernizing the Golden Gate Hotel and Casino, and weaving the history of the Golden Gate Hotel and Casino with that of the more recent Fremont Street Experience. Lastly, Brandenburg discusses the monetization of the street, and the future of the Fremont Street Experience.
Archival Collection
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Gay Pride 1997 (Dennis McBride, photographer) Gay Pride 1997 at Sunset Park; parking lot.
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Oral history interview with Monroe Williams conducted by Claytee D. White on August 15, 2000 and August 22, 2000 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview Monroe Williams discusses moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1943, living in the historical Westside neighborhood, and being one of the first black fire fighters in Las Vegas. He also talks about being involved with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored Peoples (NAACP), being in the Navy for two years, and his real estate and property management companies.
Archival Collection
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Oral history interview with Sidney Lowe conducted by Claytee D. White on January 22, 2013 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Lowe begins the interview by discussing her upbringing in Alabama and South Carolina and her experiences with racial segregation and discrimination. She continues, describing places she has lived, her relationship with the father of her children, and moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1982. Lowe talks about life in Las Vegas during the 1980s, obtaining a position in the James R. Dickinson Library at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) as a library assistant, and her education. Lowe concludes by discussing her career working for the UNLV library system and the library's function on campus.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Mary Wesley conducted by Claytee D. White on October 22, 2007 for the UNLV University Libraries Oral History Collection. In this interview, Wesley discusses her early life in Quitman, Mississippi. She recalls the racism she experienced during her youth, the church community in Quitman, and traveling to Las Vegas, Nevada by train. She talks about the welfare rights movement in Las Vegas, Operation Life, and businesses on Jackson Street. Lastly, Wesley describes the entertainment on the Westside, and integration on the Las Vegas Strip.
Archival Collection