Oral history interview with Gaelan Felt conducted by Perry Kaufman in approximately 1975 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Felt describes working at the Nevada Test Site and the effect the site had on Las Vegas, Nevada. Felt explains why Nevada was chosen as the location for the site, how they tested nuclear weapons, and how the local residents responded to the tests with varying levels of concern. He also talks about other aspects of the test site's history, such as workers' housing, and how Las Vegas has developed and changed.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Pauleen Foutz conducted by Don Scott Kaye on February 25, 1980 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview Pauleen Foutz talks about family life in Las Vegas, Nevada, the history of Southern Nevada, and social and religious life in Las Vegas. She also discusses her career as a school teacher, businesswoman, and genealogist. Foutz also discusses her involvement with the establishment of the Mormon Church in Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Lucile Bunker conducted by herself on March 10, 1977 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Bunker recalls her early experiences and various jobs in Las Vegas, Nevada. She also describes her experiences as the wife of former Senator Berkeley Bunker and living in Washington, D.C.. Bunker then discusses her missionary work, the early above-ground atomic testing, and the building of Hoover Dam.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Joy Boggs conducted by Claytee D. White on February 18, 2021 for African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project.
Joy Boggs talks of her work with the University of Nevada Las Vegas' College of Fine Arts as the Business Manager and her time serving as the Public Scholar in Residence for the Marjorie Barrick Art Museum's annual Womxn of Color Arts Festival.
She also briefly discusses her educational and family background as well as her personal philosophies.
Archival Collection
Oral history interviews with Julia Payne conducted by Claytee D. White on February 11, 2004 and March 07, 2004 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In the first interview, Payne discusses arriving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1961. She describes discrimination, redlining on the Westside, and recalls the lack of integration at the time. Payne then discusses Jackson Street and compares it to the Las Vegas Strip. Lastly, Payne talks about Cove Hotel, Hank’s Place, Colony Club, and the decline in African American businesses on Jackson Street. In the second interview, Payne discusses welfare rights, changes to the Westside and growth of suburban areas. She describes her employment with the Southern Nevada Drug Abuse Council and becoming the first African American substance abuse counselor. Lastly, Payne discusses her position as Executive Director of Nevada Treatment Center.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Earl Snyder conducted by Jeff McGilvray on an unknown date in 1974 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Snyder discusses living in Southern Nevada since 1945. He discusses his employment at the Nevada Test Site and explains how the test site was beneficial for the Nevada economy. Snyder then describes the increase of pollution, population growth, and environmental and social changes in Las Vegas. Lastly, Snyder discusses labor unions and their significance in Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Cora Williams conducted by Kathlyn Wilson on March 11, 1975 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Cora Williams discusses arriving in Las Vegas in 1952. She talks about working as a hotel maid and later owning a beauty shop. Williams also discusses the NAACP and housing discrimination.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Treva Roles conducted by Judy Harrell on February 12, 2014 for the West Charleston Neighborhoods: An Oral History Project of Ward 1. Roles discusses her father buying the Fair Price Motel in Las Vegas, Nevada and moving out to Las Vegas to help her family run it. Treva also discusses her parents buying the Del Mar Motel and running the Rummel Motel with her husband.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Joylin Vandenberg conducted by Charlie Bloom on February 09, 1977 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Vandenberg discusses life in Las Vegas, Nevada. Vandenberg then describes the plane crash that killed Carole Lombard, the opening of Boulder (Hoover) Dam with President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and the atomic bomb tests. Vandenberg later discusses the changes in Las Vegas, specifically the increase in pollution, population, and casinos.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Lucille Bryant conducted by Claytee White on December 13, 1995 and March 01, 1996 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Bryant begins the interview discussing her early life in Tallulah, Louisiana. Next Bryant discusses moving to Las Vegas, Nevada to look for work in 1953. Bryant discusses at length life in Tallulah from work to race relations. Bryant goes on to discuss her husband and children and to describe their family life. Bryant lastly discusses her experiences as an African American woman employed as a housekeeper on the Strip and her involvement in the Culinary Union local 226.
Archival Collection