Oral history interview with Mary Habbart conducted by David R. Patt on March 07, 1975 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. This interview offers an overview of life in Las Vegas, Nevada in the early days, which included: atomic testing, floods, prostitution on Block 16, early Fremont Street and Duck Creek. Also discussed during this interview: Sunset Park, The Roosevelts, Bugsy Siegel, local government and the Hoover Dam.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Stan Irwin conducted by Cork Proctor on August 24, 2003 for the All That Jazz Oral History Project. In this interview, Irwin talks about his early life performing comedy in nightclubs, hotels, and casinos in Las Vegas, Nevada, writing comedic material, his military service, starting a family, and racism in the Las vegas entertainment industry in the 1950s and 1960s. He also discusses his work as vice-president and executive producer for Sahara Nevada Corporation, bringing The Beatles to Las Vegas, Nevada when all other hotels refused to do so, and the band's appearance at the Las Vegas Convention Center. He continues talking about being a comedian, actor, and special materials writer and his life since retirement.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Harry Hall conducted by Dennis McBride on June 20, 1986 for the Boulder City Library Oral History Project. Hall discusses how the hope of work on the dam encouraged his move to Nevada with his mother and stepfather. He then talks at some length about living in a tent in Ragtown, the various illegal bootlegging establishments along the dirt road running between Las Vegas and Boulder City, Nevada, and working on the dam. He continues talking about working conditions, the heat, and the labor strike at the dam in August, 1931.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Toshiyuki “George” Goto conducted by Christina Oda on February 26, 1979 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Goto first talks about his move to Nevada in 1951 before talking about his family, church activities, politics, and recreational activities. He then discusses the building, economic, and environmental changes in Las Vegas, Nevada. Goto later talks about his profession in landscaping, including the work he completed for some of the hotels and resorts built on the Las Vegas Strip. The latter part of the interview includes discussion about Goto’s Japanese ancestry and his perceptions as a minority when first moving to and living in Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Louis Richardson conducted by Stefani Evans and Claytee D. White on July 29, 2016 for the Building Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Richardson discusses his personal history growing up in South Carolina and his education in construction and engineering. Richardson describes being deployed to Vietnam after graduating college and his career as a design engineer for Mead Corporation. He then talks about teaching youth and young adults in Sierra Leone, West Africa in the mid to late 1960s. Later, Richardson recalls starting his construction business, Richardson Construction, and the first projects he was involved with throughout Las Vegas, Nevada. Lastly, Richardson discusses working on buildings at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Lawrence Weekly conducted by Elsha Harris Yolanda on November 19, 2014 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Weekly discusses his personal history and growing up in Las Vegas, Nevada. He talks about the importance of religion in his upbringing and his parent’s employment in the hospitality industry in Las Vegas. Weekly describes the racial discrimination he experienced in education, attending the College of Southern Nevada and later transferring to Grambling State University in Louisiana. Later, Weekly discusses his rationale for attending a historically Black college, his career as a Clark County Commissioner, and the reopening of F Street. Lastly, Weekly talks about the lack of progress in race relations across the United States.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with LaMoyne Hinricksen conducted by Chuck Williams on July 03, 2013 for the Friends of Red Rock Canyon in Nevada Oral History Project. Hinricksen begins the interview by discussing his time working on different ranches, his move to Wilson Ranch, then finally to Oliver Ranch in 1954. Hinricksen also speaks about his time working with others and of strange unexplained events that happened on the ranch. He describes Blue Diamond Village and his time living there. Lastly, he talks about property structures and speaks more about his time at Oliver Ranch.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Mabel Newton conducted by Don C. Bittle on February 26, 1977 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Newton discusses moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1945. Newton discusses living in Henderson, Nevada. Newton also talks about growth in housing, flooding, and overall changes in Henderson.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Tom Maveal conducted by Cheryl Peters on April 13, 2004 for the Public School Principalship Oral History Project. In this interview, Maveal reflects upon his nearly 30-year career as a teacher and administrator with Nevada’s Clark County School District from the 1970s to the 2000s. He discusses his experiences working as an administrator with Title I, and compares this with his experience as a principal. He describes his regular job responsibilities and challenges, and discusses bilingual education programs.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with John Scott conducted by Stephen M. Magee on April 29, 1986 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Scott discusses his personal history living in Las Vegas, Nevada since 1940. He then describes life in Las Vegas and the growth in both population and infrastructure. Later, Scott discusses the Las Vegas economy, the Helldorado Parade, and describes the above ground nuclear bomb testings.
Archival Collection