Betty Ciliax was born in Bisbee, Arizona. She moved to the Las Vegas area in 1932 when her father found work in Goodsprings, Nevada. Ciliax graduated from Las Vegas High School in 1938.
Manhattan Dredge, Manhattan, Nevada, 1939. There is an inscription on the back of the image: "Known locally as the "Big Boat," the 3,000 ton dredge operation. The dredge began mining in 1938 and shut down in 1946. The operation recovered over $4,500,000 in gold. Water for the dredge's pond was piped to the site from Peavine creek across Smoky Valley." There is a date stamp: 1986.