The regional subject files include materials collected by anthropologist Katherine Spilde about Native American gaming, Native American communities in the United States, and the US and international gaming industries. The materials date from 1859 to 2015, with the bulk of materials dating from 1990 to 2010. Materials dating from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries are a reproduction of a federal treaty and an ethnohistorical essay. The majority of the materials document Native American gaming following the passage of the 1988 Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. The papers include research and subject files created by Dr. Spilde during her employment with the National Gambling Impact Study Commission (NGISC), National Indian Gaming Association (NIGA), and Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development (HPAIED). The materials document Native American gaming enterprises both on and off reservations, the socioeconomic impact of gaming, the political history of gaming in the US, and international gaming. The series includes socioeconomic reports, testimonies, correspondence, memos, press releases, photographs, audiovisual materials, promotional materials, brochures, fact sheets, summaries, booklets, pamphlets, advertisements, tourism materials, journal articles, legal briefs, legislative documents, court opinions, notes, presentations, conference materials, periodicals, community newspapers, and newspaper articles.
The collection contains documentation on a number of Native American nations, including the Misi-zaaga'iganiing Anishinaabeg (Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, Mille Lacs Band); Gaa-waabaabiganikaag Anishinaabeg (Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, White Earth Band); Forest County Bodéwadmi (Forest County Potawatomi Community); Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin; Mashantucket Pequot Indian Tribe; Mohegan Tribe of Indians; Tulalip Tribes of Washington; Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate of the Lake Traverse Reservation; Standing Rock Sioux Tribe of North and South Dakota; Mandan, Hidatsa, and Sahnish (Arikara) (Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation, North Dakota); and Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians. Other communities are also represented in the series, but to a lesser extent. In addition to materials about gaming and casinos, Dr. Spilde also collected documents, photographs, and audiovisual materials about Native American culture in general. The series documents regional and national trends in Native American gaming, and the greater gaming industry. Materials trace federal and state relationships with individual Native American nations, specifically concerning gaming enterprises.
Archival Collection
Katherine A. Spilde Papers on Native American Gaming
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Collection Number: MS-00092 Collection Name: Katherine A. Spilde Papers on Native American Gaming Box/Folder: N/A
The Kane Springs Ranch Records (1930-2005) contain materials related to the Kane Springs Ranch in Meadow Valley Wash outside of Moapa, Nevada. The collection primarily focuses on the property itself, but also contains a genealogy of the Huntsman family, the ranch's first owners. Records include deeds and materials from the sale of the Kane Springs Ranch to the Bureau of Land Management in 2005. The bulk of the collection documents how the Bradley Stuart family used its resources from 1952 to 2003. These materials are related to water usage on the property and a rock and sand mining operation.
Oral history interview with Celesta Lowe conducted by Patrick W. Canlton on February 06, 2002 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Lowe begins by discussing her early life in Baker, California and her father’s role as a station agent for the Tonopah Tidewater Railroad during the 1920s and 1930s. Lowe then describes her family moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in the 1940s. Lowe chronicles the process state legislatures took to open Nevada Southern University in 1957 and her role as an administrative assistant in the main office of the school. Lowe recounts her career at Nevada Southern University, the expansion of the campus, and renaming it University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Lastly, Lowe talks about her switch from an administrative assistant to a librarian at UNLV.
Oral history interview with Larry Ruvo conducted by David G. Schwartz on January 27, 2009 for the Remembering Jay Sarno Oral History Project. Ruvo begins by discussing his position as a front desk clerk at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada in the 1970s. Ruvo then describes how Jay Sarno changed the casino industry by designing Caesar’s Palace with a single theme. Ruvo then chronicles how gaming gradually was legalized in more areas throughout the world and how Sarno capitalized on making Caesar’s Palace an iconic casino which made people want to travel to Las Vegas. Lastly, Ruvo discusses Sarno’s focus on offering both gaming and entertainment options for guests at Caesar's Palace.
The Rancho High School Class of 1962 Collection (1956-2017) consists of materials donated by students of Rancho High School in Las Vegas, Nevada. The collection contains school event clippings, newspaper clippings, scrapbooks, pamphlets, physical and digital photographs, and school jackets and sweaters. Additionally, the collection chronicles the lives of many students after graduation through school reunion documentation from the 1970s to 2017. The collection also includes planning files for class reunion celebrations including the 40th, 50th, and 55th reunions.
The Corbin Harney Nevada Test Site Protest Photograph Albums (1995-1997) are comprised of three photograph albums documenting the life and spiritual, environmental, and political activism work of Corbin Harney, elder and spiritual leader of the Newe ("the People") Western Shoshoni Indians. The majority of the photographs are focused on the anti-nuclear protest demonstrations by the Shundahai Network at the Nevada Test Site during the 1990s.
The collection is comprised of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Department of Anthropology and Ethnic Studies administrative records, memoranda, and correspondence dating from 1966 to 2006. The collection includes information about UNLV's department of Anthropology and Ethnic Studies from its inception at Nevada Southern University, its transition to UNLV, and research initiatives the department has undertaken.
The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Alumni Association Records (approximately 1970-2009) primarily contain photographic prints of homecoming, graduation, award ceremonies, luncheons, career days, sports, and other events. Also included in the collection are photographic prints of UNLV merchandise, faculty, staff, students, and alumni, as well as subject files with correspondence, reports, brochures, university anniversary planning documents, promotional materials, meeting minutes, and newspaper clippings. Additional materials include contact sheets, negatives, a floppy disk, VHS tapes, a Betacam tape, and keychains.
The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Faculty Senate Records (1957-2001) primarily contain meeting agendas, minutes, correspondence, notices, and additional documents pertaining to the Nevada Southern University Faculty Senate and the UNLV Faculty Senate, as well as associated committees such as the Curriculum Committee, Graduate Program Evaluation Committee, and Status of Women Committee. The collection also includes constitutions, bylaws, handbooks, merit allocation lists, and reports.