The "Las Vegas: Snapshots of History" Photograph Collection is comprised of photographic prints and slides as well as digital surrogates of photographic prints and ephemera representing architecture and events in Las Vegas, Nevada from approximately 1960 to 2017. Materials were donated by members of the Las Vegas community as part of a community scanning day sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities' Common Heritage grant. The majority of the collection documents landmarks in Las Vegas including the Stardust Resort and Casino, The Mint Las Vegas, Fremont Street, and the Desert Inn.
Oral history interview with Luceanne "Lucy" Taufa conducted by Jerwin Tiu, Cecilia Winchell, and Stefani Evans on December 16, 2022 for Reflections: the Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. In this interview, Taufa describes growing up on the Tongan island of Vava'u in a large family and later immigrating to the United States. She recalls her father first immigrating to Hawaii, and after obtaining a green card, her and her siblings following shortly after. While Kaufa's older siblings continued to pursue higher education and her younger siblings were too young to work, she took on a bulk of the responsibility to provide income and navigate life in Hawaii for her family. Eventually, Lucy moved to Dallas, Texas, met her husband, and moved to Las Vegas, Nevada for her husband's job. Later in the interview, she discusses joining the Culinary Union after experiencing racial discrimination at her workplace and her pride in her identity as a Tongan woman.
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 Sandstone Ranch Collection is comprised of bank statements, letters, correspondence, and photographs relating to the Wilson family from 1907 to 1941. The collection includes information about the financial aspect of the Wilson Ranch, later renamed the Sandstone Ranch, located outside of Las Vegas, Nevada. The collection also includes information about the personal lives of those working on the including contracts about grazing cattle, selling cattle, and appropriation of water.
The JW Zunino Landscape Architectural Records (1986-2003) contain landscape and architectural drawings depicting work performed in Las Vegas, Nevada by JWZ. Casino work includes The Mirage Resort Hotel and Casino, the Monte Carlo Hotel and Casino, Tropicana Hotel and Casino, Suncoast Hotel and Casino, Caesars Palace, and Desert Inn Hotel and Casino. The type of casino work performed include creating master plans for gardens and walkways, as well as developing planting, irrigation, and landscape lighting plans. The records also include work performed for parks, residential properties, public and civil buildings, and commercial facilities.
The Squires Family Photographs document the Squires Family and the development of the Las Vegas Valley in Nevada from approximately 1860 to 1980, with a bulk of the photographs depicting people and events from 1900 to 1950. The photographs depict the Euro-American settlement and growth of Las Vegas, Nevada; traveling and exploration of Southern Nevada and the Southwestern United States; the Hoover (Boulder) Dam and the Colorado River; clubs and social groups; and the Squires Family, especially prominent newspaper editor and publisher Charles Pember (C. P. or “Pop”) Squires, Delphine “Mom” Anderson Squires, and their children.
The Southern Nevada Gem and Mineral Society Records (1950-2024) contain the records of the Clark County Gem Collectors, Las Vegas Gem Collectors, and the current Southern Nevada Gem and Mineral Society. The collection contains articles of incorporation, by-laws, membership directories, meeting minutes, correspondence, financial records, show paperwork, and award certificates. Also included are photographs of the organizations since the 1970s and digital scans of Gem Times and The Polished Slab newsletters.
In this interview Glusman discusses his early memories of being raised in Vancouver, Canada and how he ended up in Las Vegas. He reflects on how he first got his start in the town and his early dealings with casinos and their owners while he was working as a carpet and drapery salesman and while working for Fabulous Magazine. Glusman explains how he started his restaurant and tells about the people he encountered while doing this that where significant to both the Jewish community and Las Vegas as a whole. He recounts stories that include such people as Meyer Lansky, Al Sachs, and Moe Dalitz.