On March 5th, 1978, Karen Croteau interviewed Don Perry (b. 1928 in Clarksburg, West Virginia) about Paiute Indians and life on a reservation. Perry begins by mentioning his own Indian heritage with a Cherokee mother and his wife’s Paiute heritage. Perry focuses on his conversations with his wife’s grandmother, who lived on the Paiute reservation since birth, from who he learned about the reservations history. He particularly delves into the traditions of Indian burials, governing on the reservation, and the difference between an Indian reservation and an Indian colony. Additionally, he talks about recreation on the reservations, education of Paiute Indians, and how reservations have changed. Throughout the interview, Perry gives personal anecdotes about his life in connection to the Paiute people and his experiences with their traditions and belief systems. Perry ends by discussing governing politics of the Paiute reservation and the start of Las Vegas as a gambling town.
Byron Underhill's father owned the first Coca-Cola bottling plant, the first beer distributorship, and the first bowling alley in Las Vegas. Byron moved here from Needles, Calif., with his family in 1927. Byron later took over the bottling plant, served in the Army as an aircraft mechanic and a glider pilot during World War II, was a private pilot who worked with Search and Rescue, played in various bands, and suggested to the Lions club that they found a burn unit at University Medical Center that is still the only one in the state
This photograph has four images. The first one (0272_0052) with the upside-down picture, has a handwritten inscription that reads, "View of hi-line and carriages on a double cable. First used on buckets. Was a little slow. These hi-lines stretching across the dam on a huge cable. Consist of several small cables in center, weaved together. In the center, outside, the carriages ride on smooth surface of one inch wide steel strips wrapped around the cables for a tight and smooth surface." The second image (0272_0053) reads, "'Pipe fitters' raising air and water pipe to a higher elevation for easier access." The third one (0272_0054) reads "'The water bag', a very popular item on Dam. Warning signs placed around, 'Do not drink water from taps on dam'. Arsenic in the water and in the mts. Once you get an open cut, you must avoid getting water from the dam in it. You have a good chance of arsenic poisoning. A boy in my dormitory got it. He broke out in sores at some spot. After long treatments it would heal, but two or three weeks break in another spot. Once in the blood, too bad." The fourth image (0272_0055) reads "Another good view. Stiffleg making a pour on dam nearest and #7 working in a lower pour - pours are numbered - from face to upstream face. 1-2-3 etc. across from wall to wall by alphabet, the slot (center) is between J & K."
The Stephen Nasser Papers (1992-2018) mainly contain letters written from school children to Nasser who travels to schools, churches, and organizations around Las Vegas, Nevada to share his story of surviving the Holocaust during World War II. Materials in this collection document his captivity in various prison camps and includes photographs, awards, and newspaper clippings. Also included are speeches given by Nasser and book reviews and a teacher's guide of his book My Brother's Voice written by students of Dixie College, St. George, Utah. This collection includes a copy of Pista, a documentary film profiling Nasser's life. The collection also includes a script, flyer, and newspaper clippings about the stageplay (Not Yet Pista) adaptation of the documentary.