This part of the collection was photographed as part of the UNLV Special Collections and Archives' Building Las Vegas collecting initiative started in 2016. This photograph series documents ongoing construction work at the Las Vegas Convention Center expansion site.
Archival Collection
UNLV University Libraries Photographs of the Development of the Las Vegas Valley, Nevada
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Collection Number: PH-00394 Collection Name: UNLV University Libraries Photographs of the Development of the Las Vegas Valley, Nevada Box/Folder: N/A
Janice and Robert Spurlock were married in 1990 and each has a lifetime of Las Vegas memories. They have made Sandy Valley home for nearly 32 years. Together the couple recalls the people and places of Las Vegas' past from their points of view during this oral history interview. For Janice the stories begin in the 1930s after her family moved to Las Vegas from California. She was a youngster of about five. Among the topics she talks about is walking to Fifth Street Grammar School, graduating from Vegas High School, and fun had during Helldorado Days. In 1953, Robert arrived. He was a young man headed from Arizona to Colorado seeking work as a welder. He stopped in Henderson, Nevada and never quite made it out of the area. For the next two decades he worked construction and helped build many local landmarks. He shares stories about the range wars and about being accidentally exposed to radiation from the Nevada Test site.