Oral history interview with Cecia Alvarado conducted by Barbara Tabach on September 15, 2020 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project. Cecia describes her personal history, moving to the United States as a teen in the year 2000. She talks of immigration, education, and her work as the State Director of "Mi Familia Vota."
Oral history interview with Angela Castro conducted by Stefani Evans, Cecilia Winchell, Kristel Peralta, Vanessa Concepcion, and Ayrton Yamaguchi on November 05, 2020 for the Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. Castro begins the interview by talking about her early life, childhood, what Guam was like, and the history of her parents and grandparents. She describes the difference in public and private education in Guam and compares it to the United States. She explains the reason why she moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1998 and attended the University of Nevada, Las Vegas for public relations. Castro then talks about the differences between older and newer generations, the political atmosphere in Guam, and the differences between the United States and Guam in politics. She also talks about the discrimination she has experienced throughout her life and diversity in the workplace. Lastly, she describes her culture and traditions during holidays, the struggles with an absence of culture within her family, and her personal religious beliefs.
The Desert Moon Motel sign sits at 1701 Fremont Street in Downtown Las Vegas. Information about the sign is available in the Southern Nevada Neon Survey Data Sheet. Site name: Desert Moon Motel (Las Vegas, Nev.) Site address: 1701 Fremont St Sign owner: Jerzy and Celina Kosla Sign details: The building was constructed in 1942 (Assessor). According to one commentator, the Desert Moon motel opened on the site in 1952 (Roadside Architecture.com). The cars on a vintage postcard of the motel appear to date from the late 1940's or early 1950's (Ebay). The same vintage postcard (Ebay) shows the motel as a member of United Motor Courts, an early motel referral chain founded in 1933 which published a travel guide until the early 1950's (Wikipedia). Based in Santa Barbara, California, United Motor Courts was made up of "a friendly group of independent owners of motor lodges..." (Historic Highways). The Quality Inn motel franchise was a spinoff of United Motor Courts (Wikipedia). The motel has been renovated by its current owner, Polish immigrant George (Jerzy) Kosla (Glionna, 2017). Sign condition: The sign is Condition 4, good. The paint appears slightly faded but there is no flaking or peeling. The cabinets, reader boards, and fiberglass moon are all in good condition. The neon is intact. Sign form: Pole sign Sign-specific description: The sign pole and metal cabinets are painted pink. The design and lettering are the same on both sides of the sign. The trapezoid-shaped lower cabinet extends horizontally toward the street. It contains a rectangular white plastic lightbox which states "FREE ADULT MOVIES" in red sans serif letters and "FLAT SCREEN TV'S in smaller black san serif letters. To the left of the letters is the black silhouette of a female figure. On the metal below the plastic screen are clear sans serif neon letters which spell out, "NO VACANCY" in red when illuminated. The upper metal cabinet hangs from the street side of the pole. White painted san serif letters, covered by clear sans serif neon letters which glow red when illuminated, run vertically down the cabinet to spell out, "XXX MOVIES". Five metal cabinets attached to the street side of the sign run vertically to spell out, "M-O- T-E- L" in white painted sans serif letters covered by yellow sans serif neon letters. On top of the pole is a white p Sign - type of display: Neon, Lightbox Sign - media: Steel, Plastic, Fiberglass Sign - non-neon treatments: Lightbox Sign environment: East Fremont Street, surrounded by other motels. Sign - date of installation: c. 1950s Sign - date of redesign/move: The now pink or faded red sign cabinets were painted blue in a 2003 photograph Sign - thematic influences: Desert, Space Age, Western Sign - artistic significance: The current sign appears to have taken the Western/Lunar theme from the previous sign and transformed it into a 1950's/1960's Space Age/Lunar theme Survey - research locations: Assessor's website Survey - research notes: Ebay. Las Vegas NV Desert Moon Motel roadside Nevada vintage linen postcard ca 1940s. Retrieved from https://picclick.com/LAS-VEGAS- NV-Desert- Moon-Motel- Roadside-Nevada- 141923576051.html Glionna, J. M. (2017 April 23). Motel, once a haven, now a crime-ridden jungle in downtown Las Vegas. Las Vegas Review Journal. Retrieved https://www.reviewjournal.com/local/local-las- vegas/downtown/motel-once- a-haven- now-a- crime-ridden- jungle-in- downtown-las- vegas/ Historic Highways. (2007 July 14). Archive for the "Motel Associations" category: Looking for a motel in 1933. Retrieved from https://historichighways.wordpress.com/category/motel-associations/ Roadside Architecture. com (n.d.). Las Vegas Signs: Desert Moon Motel. Retrieved from http://www.roadarch.com/signs/nvvegas.html RoadsidPeek.com. (n.d.). Downtown motels Las Vegas: Desert Moon Motel. Retrieved from http://www.roadsidepeek.com/roadusa/southwest/nevada/vegas/lvmotel/lvdownmotel/index5.htm Wikipedia. (n.d.). Motel: 2.6 R Survey - other remarks: A postcard circa early 1950's features a different sign with a saguaro cactus and quarter moon (Ebay). The current sign appears to have taken the Western/Lunar theme from the previous sign and transformed it into a Space Age/Lunar theme, which may indicate that the sign dates from the date from the late 1950's or 1960's. Surveyor: Mitchell Cohen Survey - date completed: 2017-08-22 Sign keywords: Neon; Steel; Plastic; Fiberglass; Pole sign; Light box; Sculptural
On March 1, 1980, Larry E. Cooper interviewed general contractor Ernest (Ernie) Jackson Junior (born December 6th, 1932 in Bruce, Mississippi) in Cooper’s home about his experiences in the Westside as a Black Las Vegas resident. Jackson Jr. discusses the lack of property buyers on the Westside and his goals of improving the Westside by building on the land. Jackson Jr. also discusses his youth as a baseball star for Las Vegas High School in the fifties.
Oral history interview with Christine Szukala conducted by Bridgette Foote on November 12, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. Christine shares her family history and the story of her Thai mother and American Air Force father who met in Thailand and married before moving to the United States in 1970. She talks about her upbringing in Las Vegas, Nevada near Nellis Air Force base with her six siblings. Christine discusses her beliefs of how her newly immigrated mother adapted to American life, including altering her recipes to fit her husband's taste and reducing her visits to nearby Buddhist temples.
"The goal of this 2014-2015 project is to build a web and mobile resource that will connect researchers from around the world to thousands of historical items—photographs, brochures, scrapbooks, letters, drawings, videos, and more—detailing the lives and contributions of Jews in Southern Nevada. It will include carefully researched biographies, timelines, and histories of institutions, events, and prominent themes showing the integral roles Jews have played in the history of Southern Nevada.
The Katherine A. Spilde Papers on Native American Gaming include materials collected by anthropologist Katherine Spilde about Native American gaming and the greater gaming industry. The materials date from 1789 to 2015, with the bulk of materials dating from 1995 to 2010. Materials dating from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries are reproductions of key court opinions and treaties concerning Native American rights and sovereignty. The majority of the materials document Native American gaming following the passage of the 1988 Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA). The papers detail Native American gaming enterprises both on and off reservations, the socioeconomic impact of gaming, and the legislative history of Native American gaming in the United States. The papers include research and subject files created by Dr. Spilde during her employment with the National Gambling Impact Study Commission (NGISC), the National Indian Gaming Association (NIGA), and the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development (HPAIED). The collection includes socioeconomic reports; testimonies; correspondence; memos; press releases; photographs; audiovisual materials; promotional materials from casinos and tourist attractions; brochures; fact sheets; summaries; booklets; pamphlets; advertisements; tourism materials; journal articles; legal briefs; legislative documents; court opinions; Dr. Spilde’s notes; presentations; packets, agenda, schedules, and itineraries from conferences; periodicals; Native American and community newspapers; and newspaper articles. The collection includes materials about over one hundred federally recognized Native American nations. Also included are materials that document the socioeconomic impact of gaming, the international gaming industry, criminal activities related to gaming, advertising about gaming and casinos, lotteries, internet gaming, compulsive gambling, and bankruptcy as a result of gambling.
Interviewed by Elsa Lopez. Abraham Gomez is a College Navigator for the Nevada Treasurer's Office where he is responsible for providing and distributing information on post-secondary resources that may enable Nevadans to go to college. Gomez was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada and grew up on the East Side near Desert Pines High School. He received an Associate of Arts from the College of Southern Nevada before obtaining a bachelor's degree in Communication Studies from the University of Nevada, Reno. After graduating he worked as a GEAR UP Ambassador for Nevada State College where he advised a cohort of 46 low-income students on the importance of continuing their education. He has volunteered with various organizations throughout Southern Nevada and continues to work to better his community and make education accessible to students everywhere.
On March 8, 1980, Gary Wood interviewed Carl Ciliax (born 1941 in Las Vegas, Nevada) about his experiences living in Nevada. Ciliax first describes his family history, his early interests in wildlife, and his background and education in artwork. Ciliax then discusses his early experiences in hunting and his eventual interest in conservationism and preservation, including his involvement with organizations that sought the protection of desert bighorn sheep and the protection of wildlife in general. The two talk more about wildlife, the early development of Las Vegas, and the effects of the atomic testing. The interview concludes with Ciliax’s recollection of recreational activities and some of his thoughts on conservationism.