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Louise LeClair oral history interview
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Abstract
Oral history interview with Louise LeClair conducted by Dennis Luppens on March 21, 1978 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, LeClair talks about her family history in Nevada, and the flu epidemic of 1918. She specifically talks about Boulder (Hoover) Dam, Eldorado Fair, and how Las Vegas, Nevada has grown.
Archival Collection
Ward Lindquist oral history interview
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Oral history interview with Ward Lindquist conducted by Martin A. Judd on February 28, 1979 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In the interview, Lindquist discusses his work as a bartender, maritime pilot, and sheet metal worker in Southern Nevada. He also discusses his early life in South Dakota, family, and his various occupations prior to arriving in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1946.
Archival Collection
Leon Harteson oral history interview
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Abstract
Oral history interview with Leon Harteson conducted by David Bash III on June 20, 1972 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In his interview Harteson discusses his views on the development of Las Vegas, Nevada.
Archival Collection
Hubert Sampley oral history interview
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Oral history interview with Hubert Sampley conducted by Karen Franke on February 24, 1980 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Sampley discusses moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1950. Sampley details his career at an oil refinery, farm, as well as his career in the U.S. Air Force. Sampley also describes the gaming industry.
Archival Collection
Harold Smith oral history interview
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Oral history interview with Harold Smith conducted by Troy Durham on July 08, 1975 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Smith discusses arriving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1943 and recalls his first impressions of the city. Smith also talks about his employment at the Basic Magnesium Plant in Henderson, Nevada. Finally, he discusses the development of Fremont Street, recreational activities, and the Las Vegas Strip.
Archival Collection
Melvin Carter oral history interview
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Oral history interview with Melvin Carter conducted by Claytee D. White on October 12, 2000 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: A Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Carter begins by describing his family history, his father's experience in World War II, and his parents meeting in Chicago, Illinois. Carter describes his family's move to Las Vegas, Nevada in the late 1950s. He goes on to describe businesses on the Westside, including the Cove and the Brown Derby. Digital audio available; no transcript available.
Archival Collection
J. K. Houssels, Sr. oral history interview
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Oral history interview with J.K. Houssels Sr. conducted by an unknown collector on November 12, 1975 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Houssels discusses his ownership of the Las Vegas Club casino on Fremont Street in Las Vegas, Nevada in the 1930s. Houssels also discusses other casino partnerships that he invested in, and the casino business.
Archival Collection
Ellen Lempe oral history interview
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Oral history interview with Ellen Lempe conducted by Paul Pearson on March 23, 1977 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Lempe discusses arriving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1952 and recalls her experiences as a telephone operator. Lempe then discusses the various recreational activities that Las Vegas, Nevada had to offer.
Archival Collection
Samuel E. Wright oral history interview
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Oral history interview with Samuel E. Wright conducted by Claytee D. White on October 08, 2010 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Wright discusses Stokely Carmichael, the black power philosophy, and his remorse in the Washington riots. Wright also discusses job opportunities in Las Vegas, Nevada and the lack of commissioner support to build a public mass transit system. Wright then shares stories about the Westside neighborhood and other black neighborhoods of the 1980s. He talks about the closing of F Street and resulting protests in 2008 and 2009, and the creation of Symphony Park.
Archival Collection
Mary Sparrow oral history interview
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Oral history interview with Mary Sparrow conducted by Robert Tolbert on March 20, 1976 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Sparrow discusses her career as a telephone operator and the history of Las Vegas, Nevada. Sparrow describes her duties as an operator before the advent of the dial system, the growth of Las Vegas, and life in the city during the 1950s.
Archival Collection