Las Vegas Mayor Oran K. Gragson (at the podium) addressing the general session at the pre-telethon production meeting for the Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Telethon at the Sahara Hotel and Casino. Oran Kenneth Gragson (February 14, 1911 – October 7, 2002) was an American businessman and politician. He was the longest-serving mayor of Las Vegas, Nevada, from 1959 to 1975. Gragson, a member of the Republican Party, was a small business owner who was elected Mayor on a reform platform against police corruption and for equal opportunity for people of all socio-economic and racial categories. Gragson died in a Las Vegas hospice on October 7, 2002, at the age of 91. The Oran K. Gragson Elementary School located at 555 N. Honolulu Street, Las Vegas, NV 89110 was named in his honor. The Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon was an annual telethon held each Labor Day in the United States to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA). The show was founded and hosted by actor and comedian Jerry Lewis, who hosted the broadcast from its 1966 inception until 2010. The history of MDA's telethon dated back to the 1950s, when the Jerry Lewis Thanksgiving Party for MDA raised funds for the organization's New York City area operations. The telethon was held annually on Labor Day weekend beginning in 1966, and would raise $2.45 billion for MDA from its inception through 2009. The telethon aired up to 21½ hours, starting on the Sunday evening preceding Labor Day and continuing until late Monday afternoon on the holiday itself. MDA called its network of participating stations the "Love Network". The show originated from Las Vegas for 28 of the years it was broadcast. Beginning in 2011, coinciding with Lewis's controversial departure, MDA radically reformatted and shortened the telethon's format into that of a benefit concert, shortening the length of the special each successive year. Successive telethons from 2012 to 2014 renamed the show as the MDA Show of Strength and further cut its airtime. The 2012 edition was reduced to three hours as a primetime-only broadcast. The 2012 edition did not refer itself as a "telethon". The 2013 Show of Strength discontinued the long-standing format of being syndicated to individual stations of varying network affiliation and aired on a major national network instead of being syndicated to individual stations, airing on ABC on Sunday, September 1, 2013, and being reduced to two hours. While the 2012 edition did not refer itself as a "telethon", it referred itself as such for the 2013 edition. The final edition, for 2014, aired on ABC on August 31, again as a two-hour special beginning at 9PM ET/PT. This was the final edition for the telethon, as it was announced on May 1, 2015 that the MDA would be discontinuing the annual event.

Another shot of the "mole" Jarva Tunnel Borer poking its nose out of the tunnel through mountain as work on the Las Vegas River Mountains Project progresses. The first stage of construction was completed between 1968-1971, and is comprised of a main aqueduct, a 3.78 mile tunnel through the River Mountains, eight pumping plants, and 31.4 miles of pipeline. This stage has a peaking capacity of 26.7 million cubic feet of potable water per day. The second stage enlarged the first stage system by expanding some of the existing facilities. New features included five pumping plants, the second barrel to the main aqueduct, and about 30 miles of pipeline and laterals with surge tanks, regulating tanks, and other delivery facilities. In conjunction with this stage, the State of Nevada enlarged and modified the Alfred Merritt Smith water treatment facilities to accommodate additional water supplies. The River Mountains Tunnel was constructed to full capacity in the first stage, and the Saddle Island intake facilities were oversized to accommodate both stages. The aqueduct system has a peaking capability of 53.4 million cubic feet of water per day. The River Mountains Tunnel was constructed during the first stage to accommodate second stage expansion. It is 3.78 miles long and was excavated through the River Mountains, which lie between Las Vegas Valley and Lake Mead. The concrete-lined tunnel has an inside diameter of 121.5 inches, and a maximum capacity of 608 cfs. The SNWA also constructed a larger tunnel, parallel to the River Mountains Tunnel for further expansion. The River Mountains Tunnel is used to convey raw water from Lake Mead to the River Mountains Water Treatment Facility that SNWA constructed near Henderson, NV. The River Mountains Facility, which began delivering treated water in October 2002, treats up to 300 million gallons of water per day, and was designed so it can expand to meet Southern Nevada's needs. In the future, the River Mountains facility will be able to treat up to 600 million gallons of water a day. This facility provides additional reliability and capacity to Southern Nevada's municipal water treatment and distribution capabilities.

A close-up view looking down from the left side of the outlet portal showing the mole preparing to walk into the tunnel. Three unidentified men can be seen working near the mole. The first stage of construction was completed between 1968-1971, and is comprised of a main aqueduct, a 3.78 mile tunnel through the River Mountains, eight pumping plants, and 31.4 miles of pipeline. This stage has a peaking capacity of 26.7 million cubic feet of potable water per day. The second stage enlarged the first stage system by expanding some of the existing facilities. New features included five pumping plants, the second barrel to the main aqueduct, and about 30 miles of pipeline and laterals with surge tanks, regulating tanks, and other delivery facilities. In conjunction with this stage, the State of Nevada enlarged and modified the Alfred Merritt Smith water treatment facilities to accommodate additional water supplies. The River Mountains Tunnel was constructed to full capacity in the first stage, and the Saddle Island intake facilities were oversized to accommodate both stages. The aqueduct system has a peaking capability of 53.4 million cubic feet of water per day. The River Mountains Tunnel was constructed during the first stage to accommodate second stage expansion. It is 3.78 miles long and was excavated through the River Mountains, which lie between Las Vegas Valley and Lake Mead. The concrete-lined tunnel has an inside diameter of 121.5 inches, and a maximum capacity of 608 cfs. The SNWA also constructed a larger tunnel, parallel to the River Mountains Tunnel for further expansion. The River Mountains Tunnel is used to convey raw water from Lake Mead to the River Mountains Water Treatment Facility that SNWA constructed near Henderson, NV. The River Mountains Facility, which began delivering treated water in October 2002, treats up to 300 million gallons of water per day, and was designed so it can expand to meet Southern Nevada's needs. In the future, the River Mountains facility will be able to treat up to 600 million gallons of water a day. This facility provides additional reliability and capacity to Southern Nevada's municipal water treatment and distribution capabilities.

A group of 13 key federal, state and contractor representatives who were on hand when the mole broke through the tunnel on 6-26-69. Two unidentified workers are visible above them with the "mole." The first stage of construction was completed between 1968-1971, and is comprised of a main aqueduct, a 3.78 mile tunnel through the River Mountains, eight pumping plants, and 31.4 miles of pipeline. This stage has a peaking capacity of 26.7 million cubic feet of potable water per day. The second stage enlarged the first stage system by expanding some of the existing facilities. New features included five pumping plants, the second barrel to the main aqueduct, and about 30 miles of pipeline and laterals with surge tanks, regulating tanks, and other delivery facilities. In conjunction with this stage, the State of Nevada enlarged and modified the Alfred Merritt Smith water treatment facilities to accommodate additional water supplies. The River Mountains Tunnel was constructed to full capacity in the first stage, and the Saddle Island intake facilities were oversized to accommodate both stages. The aqueduct system has a peaking capability of 53.4 million cubic feet of water per day. The River Mountains Tunnel was constructed during the first stage to accommodate second stage expansion. It is 3.78 miles long and was excavated through the River Mountains, which lie between Las Vegas Valley and Lake Mead. The concrete-lined tunnel has an inside diameter of 121.5 inches, and a maximum capacity of 608 cfs. The SNWA also constructed a larger tunnel, parallel to the River Mountains Tunnel for further expansion. The River Mountains Tunnel is used to convey raw water from Lake Mead to the River Mountains Water Treatment Facility that SNWA constructed near Henderson, NV. The River Mountains Facility, which began delivering treated water in October 2002, treats up to 300 million gallons of water per day, and was designed so it can expand to meet Southern Nevada's needs. In the future, the River Mountains facility will be able to treat up to 600 million gallons of water a day. This facility provides additional reliability and capacity to Southern Nevada's municipal water treatment and distribution capabilities.

A group of nine key federal, state and contractor representatives who were on hand when the mole broke through the tunnel on 6-26-69. Three unidentified workers are visible above them with the "mole." The first stage of construction was completed between 1968-1971, and is comprised of a main aqueduct, a 3.78 mile tunnel through the River Mountains, eight pumping plants, and 31.4 miles of pipeline. This stage has a peaking capacity of 26.7 million cubic feet of potable water per day. The second stage enlarged the first stage system by expanding some of the existing facilities. New features included five pumping plants, the second barrel to the main aqueduct, and about 30 miles of pipeline and laterals with surge tanks, regulating tanks, and other delivery facilities. In conjunction with this stage, the State of Nevada enlarged and modified the Alfred Merritt Smith water treatment facilities to accommodate additional water supplies. The River Mountains Tunnel was constructed to full capacity in the first stage, and the Saddle Island intake facilities were oversized to accommodate both stages. The aqueduct system has a peaking capability of 53.4 million cubic feet of water per day. The River Mountains Tunnel was constructed during the first stage to accommodate second stage expansion. It is 3.78 miles long and was excavated through the River Mountains, which lie between Las Vegas Valley and Lake Mead. The concrete-lined tunnel has an inside diameter of 121.5 inches, and a maximum capacity of 608 cfs. The SNWA also constructed a larger tunnel, parallel to the River Mountains Tunnel for further expansion. The River Mountains Tunnel is used to convey raw water from Lake Mead to the River Mountains Water Treatment Facility that SNWA constructed near Henderson, NV. The River Mountains Facility, which began delivering treated water in October 2002, treats up to 300 million gallons of water per day, and was designed so it can expand to meet Southern Nevada's needs. In the future, the River Mountains facility will be able to treat up to 600 million gallons of water a day. This facility provides additional reliability and capacity to Southern Nevada's municipal water treatment and distribution capabilities.