Courtney Mooney is the Urban Design Coordinator for the City of Las Vegas. Her job description includes a knowledge of historic preservation, which is her passion. In this interview she shares her professional and personal thoughts about John S. Park Neighborhood. She moved to John S. Park in 2002. As a professional she explains that "how I look at preserving neighborhoods or buildings, is more of a community preservation, not saving the individual building for the individual building's sake..." Courtney offers a big picture of the neighborhood's past, present and future. John S. Park, like so many other Las Vegas neighborhoods, was built during World War II and has been affected by history of segregation and the wave of changing demographics, and the work that went into the plan and requirements to be designated a historic neighborhood. Courtney provides a summary of the story about the land, its ownership and what lead to the foundation of the neighborhood: from John S. Park to George Franklin and John Law, to Mary Dutton and explains how the proposed development of the land differed from other communities being built to FHA standards and specifics that declared Las Vegas a Defense City in the 1940s. She lists the factors that made the neighborhood a logical and important target for the historic designation, a small neighborhood tucked away, that is "a snapshot of the types of people that were coming here," filled with community leaders, entrepreneurs, blue-collar and casino workers. She also mentions about the missed opportunity of the Las Vegas High School neighborhood for preservation while supporting the John S. Park designation.

From the Nye County, Nevada Photograph Collection (PH-00221) -- Series IV. Pahrump, Nevada -- Subseries IV.D. Wiley Family. The site where the buildings are located was known by Wiley and others as Dora's Place, where Dora Brown and her family resided. When Wiley purchased the Hidden Hills Ranch, Dora Brown lived in John Yount's cabin. When Wiley occupied the property in 1941, Dora Brown moved to the site pictured here. All but one of the buildings pictured were eventually burned down and the willow trees in the canyon were wiped out in a flash flood in the 1970s. The site was obviously occupied by Indians in the previous times, as evidenced by holes in rock formations nearby that are 6 to 8 inches in diameter and 12 to [8] inches deep, in which Indians ground grain. Rider on horse unidentified.