Oral history interview with Elaine and Robert Gallagher conducted by Rod Leavitt on an unknown date in 1974 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, the Gallaghers discuss moving to Southern Nevada with their families. Robert describes his father’s employment at Hoover Dam (Boulder Dam), and Elaine recalls the construction of the Basic Magnesium Plant in Henderson, Nevada. They describe above-ground atomic bomb testing, entertainment in Las Vegas, Nevada, and social life. Lastly, the two recall population growth in Las Vegas and the increase of casinos along the Strip.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Carolyn Goodman conducted by Barbara Tabach on August 18, 2016 and August 31, 2016 for the Southern Nevada Jewish Heritage Project. Goodman talks about her Jewish ancestry, moving to Las Vegas, Nevada; raising her children, and entering into politics in the city.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Tessa Marie Winkelmann conducted by Cecilia Winchell and Stefani Evans on October 21, 2022 for the Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. In this interview, Tessa Winkelmann recalls her transient childhood due to her father's job as a chef for Hyatt International which led to their family relocating to several places before they eventually landed in the Coachella Valley, California. Her mother, as a recent Filipino immigrant, stayed at home taking care of Winkelmann and her two siblings for a number of years before also beginning to work in sales at hotels. Winkelmann recalls her grandmother, who helped raise her and her siblings by cooking and taking care of them. She recalls living in a poorer part of Coachella Valley and having to attend school in a neighboring town without adequate transportation. Winkelmann attended the University of California, Irvine, where she majored in English and political science. She later attended San Francisco State University and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign for graduate school. Winkelmann discusses the themes of her research, touching on interracial relationships and their influence on colonial relations between the Philippines and the West. Throughout the interview, Winkelmann touches on topics regarding her identity, life in Las Vegas, and other aspects of her journey.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Betty Joyce Clark conducted by Steven Knowles on February 16, 1978 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Betty Clark discusses her places of residence, the schools she attended, and some of the businesses she remembers from when she first moved to Las Vegas, Nevada. She also discusses bus transportation, the first hospitals in town, and the early development of the Las Vegas Strip. She then talks about the development of utility services for homes, the development of North Las Vegas, the first airport and airline services, department stores, tourism, and the racial makeup of the city.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Edmundo “Eddie” Escobedo conducted by Maribel Estrada Calderón on February 25, 2019 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project. In this interview, Escobedo discusses his family background, growing up Latino in Las Vegas, Nevada, and his educational experiences. He recalls his father starting a promotional business where he would contract Mexican artists to perform, and describes his father’s involvement in politics. He talks about his family's newspaper business,
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Jeannie Olsen Burgwardt conducted by Irene Rostine on February 07, 1997 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN). Burgwardt opens her interview by discussing moving to Henderson, Nevada just after World War II to sell insurance and real estate to the fledgling town. Burgwardt describes assisting her husband with the business and eventually taking over the office when her husband became ill. She discusses the methods to make land suitable for building in Henderson, women in real estate, and life as a working mother.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Ruby Amie-Pilot conducted by Barbara Tabach on August 07, 2012 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. Amie-Pilot discusses various topics including the importance of the Zion United Methodist Church, experiences of segregated schools in the lower grades, and change in racism over time, from Texas to Las Vegas, Nevada. Amie-Pilot also talks about leaders of the local National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) members including Hank Greenspun and members of the local black community.
Archival Collection
Oral history interviews with Renée Marchant Rampton conducted by Caryll Batt Dziedziak on August 27, 2006, January 25, 2011, and March 03, 2011 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Rampton begins her interviews discussing her family's migration history. Rampton talks about the influences Mormonism and her mother's feminism had on her life. Rampton then describes moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1959 with her husband. Rampton discusses the musicians union, Musicians' Wives Club, and her work to keep music in the Clark County School District. Lastly, Rampton discusses becoming an elementary school teacher and her efforts to support the Equal Rights Amendment.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Gustavo Ramos Jr. conducted by Laurents Bañuelos-Benitez on October 25, 2018 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project. In this interview, Ramos discusses his family’s mestizo heritage and growing up in Presidio, Texas. He recalls moving to California in 1942, his experiences in high school, and his reliance on public housing at the time. Ramos talks about joining the United States Air Force and experiencing discrimination while serving. Later, Ramos discusses housing discrimination, being elected for City Council in Ontario, California, and his involvement in housing programs. Lastly, Ramos describes obtaining a position with the North Las Vegas Housing Authority in 1984 and being appointed Executive Director of Housing for North Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Joanna Rivas Nino conducted by Dr. Norma Lisa Flores on October 19, 2018 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project. In this interview, Joanna Rivas Nino shares her early childhood experiences and her family history, discussing her family's move from the United States back to Zacatecas, Mexico and the differences between the two countries. At the age of fourteen, she came back to the United States. Joanna relates her difficulties regarding cultural assimiliation and her experiences in the United States with racial discrimination. She came to Las Vegas, Nevada in 2016 and she details her time at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, both as a student and an employee. She explains the importance of personal and community development, as well as how both of those concepts affect her own life.
Archival Collection