Oral history interview with Suzette Cox conducted by Andrew Lazarus on March 15, 1981 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Suzette Cox discusses her experiences living in Las Vegas, Nevada. She then discusses her careers in the police departments and a local newspaper company. Topics also included racial discrimination, sports, and how the development of the Strip influenced her life while attending school in Las Vegas, as well as its relation to tourism and aboveground atomic testing.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Ron Donoho conducted by Craig Brenner on February 28, 1978 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Donoho discusses the history of sheriffs in the Clark County Sheriff’s Office and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Donoho mentions various sheriffs that were his colleagues and the political dynamics during their leaderships. He also recalls a list of Southern Nevada police officers killed in the line of duty.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Howard Heckethorn conducted by Richard Eitland on February 15, 1979 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Mr. Heckethorn describes going to school in the early days of Las Vegas, Nevada. He also talks about many notable teachers he had, as well as the development of the Las Vegas area. Heckethorn also discusses his arrival to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1930, and recalls the Old Mormon Fort, El Rancho, The Last Frontier, and the tourism that gambling brought to the city. Heckethorn discusses the 1960s, and the impact Howard Hughes had in the development of hotels and casinos.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Robert O. Cannon conducted by Julia Bragg on March 11, 1973 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Cannon talks about the El Rancho Hotel and Casino, Carole Lombard’s plane accident, living in Boulder City, Nevada during World War II, segregation of African Americans from a white person’s perspective, and the creation of a course in hotel administration at the University of Southern Nevada (now known as the University of Nevada, Las Vegas).
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with James "Sailor" Ryan conducted by Perry Kaufman in 1975 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Ryan discusses moving to Nevada from Montana in 1935. Ryan describes his career as a construction laborer for the Hoover Dam (Boulder Dam) as well as later positions in construction. Ryan also details his involvement in politics and his position in the Nevada Assembly. Lastly, Ryan discusses gambling and the growth of Las Vegas, Nevada.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Zoe Allison conducted by Debra Ruth on February 21, 1979 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Allison discusses her career with Central Telephone Company, working at the Sahara Hotel as a switchboard operator, and owning a dress shop on Fremont Street. She also talks about notable locations such as Craig Road Speedway, Silver Slipper Race Track, Nellis Air Base and Mount Charleston, and the politics of prostitution in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Line Renaud conducted by Claytee D. White on January 08, 2015 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Renaud discusses her career as a singer and her experiences being in entertainment and show business. Renaud begins by describing her upbringing in northern France and what life was like in the country during World War II. She discusses becoming a prominent singer following the war, and performing at the Casino de Paris in Paris, France before being asked to lead a show at the Dunes Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada during the 1960s. Renaud talks about her associations with other celebrities, such as recording with Dean Martin and Nat King Cole, and meeting Bob Hope and performing on his show. Renaud also explains how she helped the Paris Las Vegas obtain the rights from the city of Paris, France to recreate the Eiffel Tower and how she organized the opening of the casino.
Archival Collection
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Oral history interview with Thelma Turner conducted by Claytee D. White on October 21, 2004 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Turner discusses her family background and moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1947. She describes the city at the time and recalls her educational experiences while attending the Fifth Street School and Las Vegas High School. Turner then talks about her involvement as a teacher for Sunday church school and her employment at the Moulin Rouge Hotel-Casino as a change girl and waitress. Later, Turner discusses the Helldorado Parade, racial integration, and being the first African American family to move to North Las Vegas in 1966. Lastly, Turner describes housing and what the community was like in the Westside.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Peter F. Perazzo conducted by Claytee D. White on July 22, 2016 for the Building Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Perazzo discusses his personal history and moving from Reno, Nevada to Las Vegas, Nevada in the 1940s. Perazzo talks about his Native American ancestry, his career in land surveying, and how construction and land surveying have changed over the years. He then describes designing public and residential buildings in Las Vegas, and at the Nevada Test Site. Later, Perazzo discusses his employment at the United States Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in 1985 and in 1995 at the Nevada Department of Transportation, where he was involved in many state projects such as the Hoover Dam bypass, Red Rock state road, and freeway widening.
Archival Collection