On an unspecified date in 1972, Ronald Johns interviewed Elbert Edwards (born 1907 in Panaca, Nevada) about his life in Southern Nevada. Edwards first talks about his family’s move to Panaca, Nevada in 1864 and talks briefly about his work in Las Vegas public schools during the Great Depression. The two also discuss the Boulder Dam, Edwards’ involvement in politics, and mining in Nevada. He also talks about the cost to build a home in Las Vegas in 1936, the development of Boulder City, and the way of life in the small town of Panaca. The interview then moves on to the topics of the early territorial boundaries of Nevada and Utah, the atomic testing at the Nevada Test Site, and early water sources in Southern Nevada.
Records are comprised of memoranda, committee minutes, and planning documents from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Women's Studies Department from 1966 to 1993. The records document the inception of both the Women's Center and Women's Studies program at UNLV. The materials from the Women's Center document the efforts of UNLV staff to begin a women's center on campus and efforts to create a Women's Studies program.
The Prencess Nelson Scrapbooks (approximately 1950-1979) consist of three scrapbooks documenting the career of Prencess Mayhall, a former showgirl and model. The scrapbooks contain photographs, newspaper clippings, magazine covers, and handwritten notes to Mayhall from various performers and models. Mayhall performed in a variety of shows in New York; Las Vegas, Nevada; and Los Angeles, California. She appears in photographs at a number of shows at the Thunderbird, Sands, and Frontier Hotels. Also included in the scrapbook is a 1954 American Guild of Variety Artists (AGVA) contract between Mayhall and Copacabana in New York, and photographs of Mayhall with entertainers including Red Skelton, Paul Anka, and Sammy Davis Jr. Prencess went by a number of names throughout her career, most commonly 'Prencess Mayhall' while in New York, and 'Lee Temple' while performing at the Sands Hotel.
The Robert H. Crabtree papers (1920-1999) sub-series contains an extensive account of Crabtree's career as a professor and archaeologist. Materials includes correspondence, photographic prints and negatives, reports, and notes of archeological surveys and excavations done in Southern California, Southern Nevada, Washington, Oregon, and Mexico. Collection includes resources such as field catalogs, proposals, newsletters, annual reports, workflow documentation, conference materials, and meeting minutes from various archaeological and anthropological societies and organizations. The subseries also includes class notes, dissertation drafts, and manuscripts used by Crabtree during his academic career. Digital files include field notes and reports.
Archival Collection
Elizabeth von Till and Claude N. Warren Professional Papers
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Collection Number: MS-00906 Collection Name: Elizabeth von Till and Claude N. Warren Professional Papers Box/Folder: N/A
Emilio Muscelli was in his mid-80s when he sat for this oral history interview. With a thick Italian accent he recalled his career as a Las Vegas maitre d' that spanned decades of Strip history. Emilio arrived in America in 1948, landed a job at the Copacabana in New York City. His boss was Jack Entratter, who brought Emilio to Las Vegas when he opened the Sands in 1952. Over the decades he has witnessed the ups and downs of Las Vegas economy and has befriended many celebrities along the way. He reminisces during this interview about his friendship with singer Bobby Darin, actor Cary Grant and meeting a laundry list of others. He fondly speaks of those he worked for and their contribution to the growth of Las Vegas.