Oral history interview with Roy Waite conducted by Dale Haley in approximately 1974 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Waite begins by discussing his athleticism, being a part of the first basketball team in Las Vegas, Nevada, and his general store in Bunkerville, Nevada. Waite lists the different social organizations and boards he was affiliated with, describes the arrival of the railroads, and the ranch he used to own near Bunkerville. He talks about the construction of Hoover Dam (Boulder Dam) and how Southern Nevada has changed socially and environmentally. Waite also discusses smelting lead for bullets and relocating Native American remains away from a grave site that would be submerged by Lake Mead.
Archival Collection
John S. Park Neighborhood Roundtable Discussion with Robert Forbuss, Ina Porter, Sue Ann Porter, John Gubler, Mary Hausch, Judy Smith, and Margaret McGhie conducted by Richard Bryan on December 11, 2008 for the Voices of the Historic John S. Park Neighborhood Oral History Project. In this roundtable discussion, the participants take turns discussing their upbringing in Las Vegas, Nevada and living in the John S. Park neighborhood since the 1940s. The group recalls the deserted surrounding area, Fremont Street, and life during the Second World War. They talk about John S. Park Elementary School, the increase of homes being built in the area, and above ground nuclear bomb testing at the Nevada Test Site.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Ida M. Gaines conducted by Claytee D. White on September 30, 2016 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Gaines discusses her early life in Louisiana. She recalls moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1959, living in the Westside, and her employment at the Nevada Test Site. Gaines remembers integration, her involvement with the Las Vegas Chapter of The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and becoming a member of Gamma Phi Delta. Gaines talks about working with Senator Harry Reid as a community liaison, the economic downfall of Jackson Street businesses, and redevelopment of the Westside. Lastly, Gaines discusses the issue of homelessness in the community, and the work that the Economic Opportunity Board (EOB) did to reduce poverty in the Westside.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Mary Eaton conducted by Dennis McBride on November 15, 1986 for the Boulder City Library Oral History Project. Eaton joined her husband Bruce in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1932, soon after he found work at the Hoover Dam building site. Within months of her arrival, the couple welcomed their first child and moved to Boulder City, Nevada. In this interview, Eaton recalls the early community formed by the wives of the dam workers, the establishment of the Grace Community Church and the death of the church's first pastor, "Parson Tom" Stevenson. She discusses the beginning of the school system in Boulder City and her career as an educator, as well as her involvement in numberous community projects and groups including the hospital and the Rainbow Club for young women.
Archival Collection
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Report describing the origins of the Las Vegas Land and Water Co., including recommendations that the Union Pacific Railroad keep title to water bearing lands, and that the company not sell out to the city.
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