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Transcript of interview with Alice Ward Boyer by Joanne Goodwin, June 26, 1996

Date

1996-06-26

Description

Alice Ward Boyer arrived in Las Vegas from Oklahoma in 1937. Her brother and former husband came earlier to escape the dustbowl depression and get settled. In the middle of the summer, just at dusk, she emerged from the train at Kingman, Arizona with her two small children to meet her family and drive through the darkness to her new home in Las Vegas. Although she missed the trees of the Plains, she soon became accustomed to her desert home. Her recollections revive the older Las Vegas when community life characterized the small town. At the heart of her story is the Mesquite Club. The non-partisan civic activities of the Mesquite Club are part of a national history of women’s club voluntarism in the nineteenth and twentieth century United States. Founded in 1911, this pioneer Las Vegas women's club played an essential role in the development of the growing town. When few cultural or social services existed, the club raised funds for the first public library, developed parks for the city, and provided services and funding for the aged and youth. The Mesquite Club, along with the Parent Teacher Association, scouts, and church activities formed a network of community relations commonly found in developing towns and cities, but not ususally associated with Las Vegas. Alice Boyer joined the Mesquite club in 1944. She first served as the chair of the Garden Committee, then "went right up through the chairs," and was elected President of the club for 1958-59. (See Table of Offices Held). Speaking about the Mesquite Club founders, Alice Boyer said, “They were very forward-looking women. They knew that the town would grow and they wanted the best for the town.” As one of the second generation of members, she has found the club to be a continuing source of congenial social life and civic community building. Born in rural Oklahoma, she spent her early years on a ranch. Her parents met there shortly after "the run to open Oklahoma" around 1892. They met, married and had twelve children, nine of which survived. Alice came right in the middle. She spent her early years riding horses, wearing “overalls," and spending as much time as possible outside. The family moved into Clinton, Oklahoma for better schools for their children when she was in the fifth grade. Alice graduated from high school just as the Great Depression began and worked briefly at a newspaper before marriage. At the time of the interview, Alice Boyer’s vivaciousness, gracious manner, and sharp memory belied her 82 years. This interview has been produced with the assistance of the Mesquite Club and the History Department of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. It is part of a series on women community builders in Las Vegas. The transcript has been edited only slightly for clarity while the syntax and style of the narrator were retained.

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Transcript of interview with Stella Fleming by Suzanne Wright, February 24, 1979

Date

1979-02-24

Description

On February 24, 1979, Suzanne Wright interviewed Stella Fleming (born December 1, 1897 in Victoria, Canada) about her experiences as a Las Vegas, Nevada resident and as a worker in the welfare department in Clark County. Fleming first talks about some of her work in welfare and specifically the early practices of the welfare administration. She also discusses her work as it related to the Works Progress Administration, the American Red Cross, and the Nevada Emergency Relief Program. Fleming also provided some anecdotes about her experiences in that field before moving on to discuss some of the historical aspects of Las Vegas, such as the atomic testing, specific landmarks and locations, and the development of the city.

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Transcript of interview with Hal G. Curtis by Bill Teepe, February 24, 1977

Date

1977-02-24

Description

On February 24, 1977, Bill Teepe interviewed Hal G. Curtis (born 1926 in Galt City, California) about his life in Southern Nevada. Curtis talks first about his work on the Union Pacific Railroad before discussing changes and development in Las Vegas, including development on the Strip and Downtown areas. He also talks about Block 16, the El Rancho Vegas fire, social clubs, and religion.

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Transcript of interview with Marie Horseley by Suzanne Becker, June 13, 2007

Date

2007-06-13

Description

Twenty years after her birth in Utah in 1924, Marie Horseley met and married her husband who was an engineer for the Union Pacific Railroad. They settled in Las Vegas, his home town and soon purchased a home for $9800 in the new John S. Park neighborhood. Sixty years later Marie, twice a widow, remains in the home. Up the street four doors, one of her granddaughters lives with her three children. Marie recalls the new housing development that appealed to railroad workers. The roads were dirt and there were no streetlights, but soon a community blossomed. Marie is a self-described quiet resident; her life was about raising her three daughters and being a member of the LDS church. However, she knew everyone on her street no matter their religious affiliation. Today the businesses are gone. Homes have changed appearances over the years as owners have changed. Ethnic diversity is apparent and the sense of community closeness has slipped away for her. Yet she loves her place there, feels safe and secure. When asked about the ides of John S. Park being designated a historic district, she is not all that wowed by the idea of restrictions that might be included in that. Nevertheless, she has no intention of relocating from the comfort of the place she has called home all these years.

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Report on water spreading in Clark County, Nevada as a means of controlling floods, May 9, 1949

Date

1949-05-09

Description

Report on the efficacy of water spreading to disperse flood water in Southern Nevada. Under the immediate Supervision of A. T. Mitchelson, State Project Supervisor. Prepared under the direction of George D. Clyde, Chief, Division of Irrigation and Water Conservation

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United States Supreme Court case documents: Nevada exhibits, Arizona v. California, May 6, 1958

Date

1958-05-06

Description

Nevada exhibits of the AZ v. CA case before the U. S. Supreme Court. The exhibits include topographic maps, photomaps, excerpts from correspondence and other published documents, and charts.

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Transcript of interview with Guy Hamblin by Barry Merrell, February 22, 1975

Date

1975-02-22

Description

On February 22, 1975, Barry Merrell interviewed former railroad worker Guy Hamblin (born 1896 in Clover Valley, Nevada) in his home at 4306 Kay Place, Las Vegas, Nevada about the history of Southern Nevada. Specifically, the two discuss Hamblin moving from different towns in Nevada before settling down in Southern Nevada, viewing the above-ground atomic bomb tests, early Fremont Street, and his work on the railroad. In addition, Hamblin also discusses the demographic and economic changes that he has seen in Las Vegas.

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Nevada Federation of Women's Clubs Records

Identifier

MS-00266

Abstract

The Nevada Federation of Women's Clubs (NFWC) Records date from 1907 until 1999 and document the administration, activities, and publications of the NFWC. During the twentieth century, the NFWC included member clubs from throughout the state of Nevada including the Mesquite Club in Las Vegas, the Reno Women's Civic Club, and the Lamoille Women's Club. The collection includes meeting minutes and agendas, correspondence, publications, reports, and newspaper clippings.

Archival Collection

McCall Family Papers

Identifier

MS-00753

Abstract

The McCall Family Papers are comprised primarily of family photographs and correspondence from 1910-1970. The materials concentrate on Quannah McCall and his daughter, Connie McCall, both were well known dentists in Southern Nevada. The materials also contain letters, postcards, holiday cards, and birth, death, and marriage certificates, as well as school commencement announcements for family members.

Archival Collection