Carrie Townley Porter, a 6th generation Texan, was born in Central Texas near present-day Fort Hood. Her father, a highway patrolman, was called into the Army Reserve in 1940 and spent some years moving around the country. At one point, his wife and children stayed in Belton, Texas tor three years because her father was transferred to places they couldn't go. Carrie finished high school in Austin, Texas, and attended two years at University of Texas in Austin. She left college to get married, and she and her geologist husband lived in Kansas, Oklahoma City, and Albuquerque. He took a job with the Atomic Energy Commission that required frequent trips to the Nevada Test Site, so the suggestion was made that they just move to Las Vegas. At this point they had three children with no reliable child care so Carrie became a housewife for a while. The Townleys lived a full and active life in Las Vegas and she eventually got hired as a substitute teacher. Carrie mostly subbed at Gibson Junior High School. She decided to finish her degree at Nevada Southern University (now UNLV) after her principal told her that if she could do that, he would have a job waiting for her. Several of the courses that Carrie took were Nevada history correspondence courses from UNR. These courses were prepared and graded by Dr. Russell Elliott. Carrie also fondly remembers two Nevada Southern history professors in particular, Dr. John Wright, whom she considered a mentor, and Rosemary Masick, who taught English history. After receiving her bachelor's, Carrie returned to teaching math at Gibson Jr. High. She started an archaeology club on her own and she and Russ Elliott started the first Trailblazer Club (junior history) in the state. She got students involved in the history of the Native Americans in the area and took them on field trips which gave them a chance to participate in a dig. Carrie has worked in Special Collections in the UNLV library as an archivist, with Sierra Pacific Power Company as a records analyst, and at Caesar's Tahoe as records administrator. She has also been very deeply involved with the Nevada Women's History Project since 1994. This group was responsible for the Sarah Winnemucca Statue Project, which placed a statue of this Native American in Washington, D.C., and a copy of it in the capitol building in Carson City. Today Carrie is doing a collaborative book on Helen J. Stewart with Sally Zanjani. She has done extensive research on Helen Stewart's life, and to this day makes "living history" presentations dressed as Helen J. Stewart. In addition to her history commitments, Carrie still holds onto her records management consulting firm, which she started in 1985.
From the Sister Klaryta Antoszewska Photograph Collection (PH-00352). Sign on the left reads: "NOTICE vehicles transporting explosives STOP 1000 ft. ahead use telephone for instructions". Sign on the right reads: "Unauthorized explosives prohibited on the Nevada Test Site".
Frontier Strike participants march near the Hilton Hotel and Casino and the Las Vegas Convention Center. Strikers are holding banners, signs, and multiple flags, including the American flag. Banners reading "Conquering the Frontier, Culinary Local 226, Bartenders Local 165" and "Service Employees International Union, AFL-CIO, CLC" are prominently displayed. On site are former secretary-treasurer of the Culinary Workers Union, Jim Arnold, and American civil rights activist, Jesse Jackson. Arrangement note: Series I. Demonstrations, Subseries I.A. Frontier Strike. Site name: The Strip (Las Vegas, Nev.)
Frontier Strike participants march on the Las Vegas Strip near the Riviera, Hilton, Stardust, and Frontier. Strikers are holding banners, protest signs, and multiple flags, including the American flag. Banners reading "Conquering the Frontier, Culinary Local 226, Bartenders Local 165" and "Service Employees International Union, AFL-CIO, CLC" are prominently displayed. On site is former secretary-treasurer of the Culinary Workers Union, Jim Arnold, and American civil rights activist, Jesse Jackson. Arrangement note: Series I. Demonstrations, Subseries I.A. Frontier Strike. Site name: The Strip (Las Vegas, Nev.)
Bound proposal for Playboy Hotel and Casino including artist's conceptions, vicinity map, themes, and architectural drawings for all major components. Includes note on protective cover: "First concept, Constructed as modified." Site Name: Playboy Hotel and Casino (Atlantic City) Address: Florida Ave & Boardwalk, Atlantic City, NJ
Oral history interview with Roosevelt Toston conducted by Claytee D. White on July 11, 2006 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Toston discusses moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in the 1950s and his various careers at the Test Site, Bell Telephone of Nevada, as a television anchorman and cameraman, and the Convention and Visitors Authority to bring conventions to Las Vegas. He also talks about ways African American entrepreneurs might get involved in the convention business.
Oral history interview with Linda Hartley conducted by Pauline Marchese on March 10, 1978 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. During the interview, the two discuss Hartley’s personal history, such as schools that she had attended and her recollection of local recreational activities. The two go on to talk about changes in crime, the environment, and briefly discuss a variety of issues at the time, including: segregated schools, prostitution, and effects of the Nevada Test Site.
Four photographs of the famous "Bluebell Girls" who performed in various productions at the Lido in Paris, France. Site Name: Lido (Cabaret: Paris, France)