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 Janet Savalli conducted by Irene Rostine on September 21, 1996 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Savalli begins her interview by discussing her move to Las Vegas, Nevada as a child in 1945. Savalli then goes on to discuss her 46 year long career at the Southern Nevada Telephone Company. She describes rising through the company starting as an operator and ending as a community relations coordinator. Savalli discusses the company's merger with Sprint and the changes this brought about including the creation of a union and wage and benefits changes. Savalli ends her interview by talking about atomic testing, and how the testing grew to be a part of Las Vegas culture at the time.
The Howard Booth Papers are comprised of the personal papers of environmental activist Howard Booth from 1964 to 2017. The collection includes information about Booth's efforts to help turn Red Rock Canyon into a National Conservation Area. Booth was a member of multiple conservation organizations and the collection includes meeting minutes and newsletters from the Toiyabe chapter of the Sierra Club. The collection also contains correspondence, newspaper clippings, official reports, newsletters, and meeting minutes collected by Booth from various environmental organizations. The papers also include numerous photographic slides with handwritten captions Booth took of Red Rock and the surrounding area from the early 1980s to 2000s.
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.
The Donna Silva Lighting Design Plans (1986-1996) contain blueprints and schedule binders for a number of projects Silva worked on in Las Vegas, Nevada including the New York-New York Hotel & Casino, The Orleans Hotel & Casino, Golden Nugget, and the MGM Grand Hotel. Also included are lighting plans for the Foxwoods Resort Casino (operated by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation) in Connecticut, Caesars Atlantic City, and Players Island (now CasaBlanca Resort) in Mesquite, Nevada.
Oral history interview with Eric Mendoza conducted by Holly O'Donnell on November 29, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project.
In this interview, Eric Mendoza shares his family's chain migration history from Manila, Philippines to the United States and his difficult immigration and naturalization process once arriving in America in 1996. He talks about what brought him to live in Las Vegas, Nevada, his education and professional pursuits, what his life is like in the United States compared to that of the Philippines, and the lives of his eight siblings. Eric Mendoza discusses the historical past of the Philippines, the infrastructure in place there, and government corruption. He also speaks to Filipino traditions and festivals, food and customs, his cultural identity, and assimilating to American culture.
The Charles Aplin Photograph Collection (approximately 1935-1955) consists of black-and-white photographic prints and negatives. The images primarily depict the Fraternal Order of Eagles, Las Vegas, Nevada chapter events and members. Also included are images of Las Vegas, Helldorado parades, and Conrad H. Mann, former president of the Fraternal Order of Eagles.
Oral history joint interview with the "Holiday in Japan" dancers conducted by Claytee D. White on May 26, 2011 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. The dancers present for the interview were Sachiko O. Thompson, Minoru Saito, Kazu Hamada, Kyoko Nakamura, Nobuko Suda, and Katsuko Tomoko Billman. The dancers begin by discussing their lives in Japan before coming to the United States in 1960 to perform their "Holiday in Japan" stage show. They describe their reactions to coming to the United States and compare it to life in Japan, as well as their reactions to coming to Las Vegas, Nevada specifically. They discuss performing their show at the New Frontier Hotel and Casino, Desert Inn Hotel and Casino, and Dunes Hotel and Casino. They describe their show, which presented Japanese culture to Western audiences, and the work that went into it. They end the interview by detailing their lives and careers after performances of the show concluded in 1961.
Oral history interview with Therese Thomas conducted by Dennis McBride on March 13, 1995 for the Boulder City Library Oral History Project. In the interview, Thomas discusses her early life in Thistle, Utah before moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in approximately 1931, where her father worked on the Hoover Dam (Boulder Dam) construction. Thomas then talks about her early schooling in Boulder City, Nevada, her experiences as a swing and dance band musician, Block 16 in the Clark Las Vegas Townsite, and her memories of Las Vegas hotels and casinos. Other subjects Thomas covers include Las Vegas entertainers, entertainment venues, and women in the music industry during the 1930s.
The Albert S. Henderson Photograph Collection (1860s-1959) primarily contains black-and-white photographic prints of Albert S. Henderson and his family. Also included in the collection are photographic prints of Henderson during his tenure as a Nevada legislator and district judge. Other materials include postcards, negatives, and a tintype.