Oral history interview with Elizabeth Garrison conducted by Walter John Ritzau on February 25, 1977 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Garrison first talks about her schooling in Las Vegas, Nevada, the atomic testing, the Devils Hole in Ash Meadows, early church involvement, and some of the environmental aspects of Las Vegas. Garrison later describes her work for the Central Telephone Company and the Helldorado Parade.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Austin R. Wardle conducted by Elizabeth Nelson Patrick on August 05, 1981 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Wardle discusses the history of Tonopah, Nevada, a town in which he first arrived in 1902. Wardle discusses theaters in Tonopah, Jewish families that lived in Tonopah, and the prominent immigrant population that worked in the mines. He continues talking about other families that have lived in Tonopah and life in the town. Wardle also discusses how Tonopah has changed, housing in Tonopah, and the mining industry of the town.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with William Star conducted by Tony Morneau on September 15, 1973 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Star discusses moving from Brooklyn, New York to Henderson, Nevada in 1955. In 1959, Star moved from Henderson to Las Vegas, Nevada to run a family-owned pawn shop. Star goes into detail about atomic bomb testing, the growth of Las Vegas, and gambling.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Russel Howard conducted by James W. Howard on January 10, 1972 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Howard recalls being transferred to Las Vegas, Nevada for work in 1947 and how impressed he was by the number of celebrities from the movie and entertainment industry that frequented Las Vegas in the early 1950s. He also discusses the expansion of the Las Vegas Strip and how rapidly the number of hotels grew.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Ruth Gust conducted by Rebecca Bonenfant on March 10, 1981 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Gust discusses about her life in Nevada. Gust first talks about her original move to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1947 and some of the first businesses that existed at the time. In this brief interview, she also talks about the first casinos, the culinary union, her employment as a server, and Mount Charleston.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Janzon Stewart conducted by Claytee D. White and Karen Shank on May 28, 2010 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview Janzon Stewart discusses his family history, how his grandfather William T. Stewart brought his family to Alamo, Nevada, his family ranch, and life on the ranch.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Grant M. Bowler conducted by David N. Cunningham on February 20, 1972 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. During this interview, Bowler discusses his personal family history in relation to Nevada, education, employment, and his thirty seven years of experience as a principal in Moapa Valley, Nevada.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Sarah Ortiz conducted by Rodrigo Vazquez on December 20, 2019 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project. In this interview, Ortiz discusses being born and raised in Austin, Texas and spending the majority of her life there before attending the Columbia Publishing Course in Manhattan, New York. Ortiz describes her family's many moves throughout the city of Austin and the changes that have since happened in the city. Ortiz recounts her trajectory in the publishing industry, which led her from Manhattan back to Austin, and eventually to Las Vegas, Nevada. Ortiz is currently the program and festival director for The Believer magazine and the Black Mountain Institute. She writes about what she and her colleagues hope to achieve with the magazine and annual festival, and about the changes that she hopes to see for Las Vegas' publishing and literacy industry.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Fernando Rocha conducted by Nathalie Martinez and Barbara Tabach on November 13, 2019 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project. In this interview, Fernando Rocha recalls growing up in Santa Ana, California and in Sunrise Manor in Las Vegas, Nevada. Fernando Rocha is a Mexican professional who is committed to giving back to the Latinx youth of Las Vegas. He talks about his responsibility as a translator in his family with his siblings. He credits his academic and professional success to the Clark County School District and programs such as GEAR UP and Upward Bound. After studying at Hofstra University, he came back to Las Vegas to work with Wells Fargo and is an active community member as co-founder of the Nevada Youth Coalition and work through the Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA) and Nevada Promise Mentor at the College of Southern Nevada (CSN).
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Aquiles Garcia conducted by Claytee D. White on January 10 and February 20, 2015 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Garcia discusses the political atmosphere and risks of being gay in Juan Perón’s Argentina in the 1940s, Las Vegas, Nevada life in the late 1950s and early 1960s, and his dual Las Vegas careers as a dancer and a casino dealer throughout the second half of the twentieth century.
Archival Collection