The collection consists of letters, greeting cards, survey maps, newspaper clippings, legal papers, photographs, collected recipes, land sales and expense journals, and survey reference books. The material was created or collected by pioneering Nevada surveyor, engineer, and real estate entrepreneur J. T. (John Thomas) McWilliams and his wife, Iona, between 1900 and 1968.

The Stocker Family Papers (1860-1982) document the family’s personal, political, and business interests including Mayme Stocker’s 1931 Nevada gaming license and Harold Stocker’s involvement in the Nevada Republican party. The collection contains family correspondence, political documents and planning materials, and business records related to the family’s gaming and real estate interests.

The C. D. Baker Engineering Field Notebooks are comprised of the notebooks and informational texts Charles Duncan "C. D." Baker created and used between 1909 and 1966 while he served as the County Surveyor for Clark County, Nevada and the City Engineer for Las Vegas, Nevada. The field notebooks contain survey coordinates and elevation data for much of early Las Vegas and provide important information on early property boundaries, historical elevations, and lengths of streets from the 1920s to the 1960s. There are also oversized right of way maps for Clark County, Nevada.

The Doris Hancock Papers (1895-1987) consist of school memorabilia, correspondence, sketches, two scrapbooks, and material from her involvement in the Las Vegas Art League. Also included are materials about Southern Nevada and surrounding areas, particularly mining towns, Colorado River, Boulder Dam, Red Rock Canyon, early Las Vegas, and Death Valley.

The Robert B. Griffith Collection (1928-1975) documents the work of Robert B. Griffith, an instrumental figure in the development of water resources in Las Vegas, Nevada, as well as the creation of McCarran International Airport and Nellis Air Force Base. The collection consists of Colorado River Commission papers, 1928 International Air Race documents, general correspondence, a feasibility study, an airport guide, American Legion papers, the memoirs of Alfred Merritt Smith, and death and burial records belonging to his father. The collection also includes slides from various countries, including the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

The Sherwin "Scoop" Garside Papers comprise photographs and documents of Las Vegas Review-Journal writer and photographer Scoop Garside. The collection dates from 1930 to 1983 and includes publicity photos of the Old Spanish Trail, correspondence from the Nevada State Centennial Commission, history of mines (Tonopah, Goldfield, Bullfrog), copies of articles written by Garside, family photos and general photographs of people and places, negatives of Las Vegas, Nevada; Searchlight, Nevada; St. George, Utah; and several unlabeled negatives. The 2017 addition contains newspaper clippings, a scrapbook, Nevada Historical Quarterly, and information on Nevada historic preservation. There is also genealogical information on the Garside family.

The Bill Moore Professional Papers are comprised of documents, designs, and promotional materials of show producer Bill Moore from 1950 to 2010. From the 1960s until the late 2000s, Moore and his partner George Arnold produced a variety of stage shows, from musicals and revues to his famous "on ice" productions like Nudes on Ice and Playgirls on Ice. Materials include three-dimensional set designs, photographic prints, financial records, promotional posters, and audio and video recordings of shows at casinos in Las Vegas, Laughlin, and Reno, Nevada, and Atlantic City, New Jersey.