Search Results
Danny Cassella Collection of Sheet Music
Identifier
Abstract
The Danny Cassella Collection of Sheet Music (1940s-1960s) consists of stock arrangements for songs and scores from the 1940s through the 1960s. The arrangements were collected by musician Danny Cassella. Additionally the collection contains several Tune-Dex cards.
Archival Collection
Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad Records
Identifier
Abstract
The Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad Records (1905-1977) contain correspondence, purchase requisitions, bills of lading, freight reports, and waybills. Also included are a ledger book, a rubber stamp, and a booklet, "Diagrams of Locomotives and Tenders." Incorporated in 1904, the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad operated for 35 years, connecting Ludlow, California with Beatty, Nevada by way of Death Valley on the Santa Fe Railroad main line. The records are concentrated on the later years of the railroad from 1930 to 1940.
Archival Collection
Frank Williams Papers on Early Nevada
Identifier
Abstract
The Frank Williams Papers on Early Nevada (1892-1946) consists of manuscripts written for the most part by Frank Williams, an early resident of Southern Nevada. The collection includes Williams' autobiography as well as histories of Goodsprings, Potosi Mine, Mesquite Valley, and the Yellow Pine Mining districts. Finally, this collection contains reports and material reflecting Frank Williams' two terms as University Regent (1909-1912 and 1923-1942) at the University of Nevada, Reno, and his four terms in the Nevada State Assembly.
Archival Collection
Marge Jacques Papers
Identifier
Abstract
The Marge Jacques Papers (1960-1990) comprise the personal papers of Marge Jacques, a prominent member of the Las Vegas, Nevada gay and lesbian community, and owner of the gay bar, Le Cafe. The papers contain correspondence, licensing records, financial statements, and artifacts from clubs that Jacques owned or managed. Also included are photographs, videotapes, audiotapes, newspaper clippings, and Gipsy Nightclub promotional material.
Archival Collection
Central Credit, Inc. Records
Identifier
Abstract
The Central Credit, Inc. Records (1956-1987) contain meeting minutes, employee records, business ledgers, newspaper clippings, membership applications, photographs, and reports. Also included are incorporation papers, a Code of Ethics, Credit Law, Tod Early's personal calendars/diaries, and audiovisual materials. Central Credit, Inc. had branches in Reno, Las Vegas, and Lake Tahoe, Nevada, and also in London.
Archival Collection
Larry Ruvo oral history interview
Identifier
Abstract
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.
Archival Collection
Celesta Lowe oral history interview
Identifier
Abstract
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.
Archival Collection
Photographs of Desert Moon Motel sign, Las Vegas (Nev.), April 18, 2017
Date
Archival Collection
Description
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
Mixed Content