The Edith Giles Barcus Family Papers document the lives and work of three related individuals who lived in Goldfield, Nevada: noted mining engineer Edwin S. Giles who settled in Goldfield in 1907, his daughter Edith Giles who was raised in Goldfield, and Clyde Barcus, also a mining engineer, who came to Goldfield in 1923 and married Edith Giles soon thereafter. The papers date from 1848 to 1979 and document the business and personal lives of two generations of the Giles-Barcus family in Goldfield and Las Vegas, Nevada. The collection includes: property, commercial, financial, and mining records; mining and engineering reports; notes on minerals; correspondence; and photographs of the family, Goldfield, and travel shots of the western United States.
On March 10, 1981, Floyd Jenne (born June 6th, 1915 in Ogden, Utah) was interviewed by Ping Lee at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The interview covers Mr. Lee’s life as a police officer in Boulder City, Nevada. Mr. Lee also recalls going to school in McGill, Nevada and Ely, Nevada and working in Boulder City and Las Vegas, Nevada.
On March 1, 1979, Lance Cooper interviewed Suzette Cox (b. 1945 in San Diego, California) about her experiences living in Las Vegas, Nevada. Cox talks briefly about her career history in working at the Las Vegas Sun, as a deputy sheriff, and eventually as a secretary at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She also talks about the various parts of Las Vegas in which she has lived since moving to the city in 1953. The two also discuss the Las Vegas Strip, gambling, recreational activities, atomic testing, the Mormon Fort, and how Las Vegas has changed over the years.
On February 26, 1981, collector Iskandar A. Batlouni interviewed Harvey N. Dondero (born November 12, 1909 in Hawthorne, Nevada) in his office in Las Vegas, Nevada. As a member of the Las Vegas Board of Education, Mr. Dondero discusses relocating to Las Vegas in 1931 to teach at Las Vegas High School. During this interview, Mr. Dondero also discusses the Boulder (Hoover) Dam, the gaming industry, school integration, the Westside, the Strip, Howard Hughes, Block 16, and the growth of Las Vegas from a sleepy railroad town to a thriving metropolis.
On March 3, 1979, Michael Martocci interviewed Laura (born in California) and Don Garvin (born in Goldfield, Nevada) about their lives in Las Vegas, Nevada. The two provide details on their family background, the first sources of water in Las Vegas, and the early city limits. They also describe their early occupations, religion, gambling, the Mormon Fort, and the effects of the Great Depression. The interview concludes with a brief discussion on the development of the Las Vegas Strip and recreational activities.