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Kenneth Ousley oral history interview

Identifier

OH-01419

Abstract

Oral history interview with Kenneth Ousley conducted by Patricia van Betten on October 02, 2009 for the History of Blue Diamond Village in Nevada Oral History Project. In this interview, Ousley discusses his personal history and moving to Blue Diamond, Nevada with his family. He talks about the work his father did as a miner at the Blue Diamond Mine and describes life in the village during the 1930s. Ousley recalls his visits to Las Vegas, Nevada and the construction of Boulder Dam (Hoover Dam). Lastly, Ousley talks about Cottonwood Ranch and the Blue Diamond school.

Archival Collection

Unette and Richard King oral history interviews

Identifier

OH-02426

Abstract

Oral history interviews with Unette and Richard King conducted by Claytee D. White on March 19, 2015 and January 30, 2018 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Richard King begins by describing his early upbringing in Canada before moving to the United States, and eventually moving to Nevada in 1940. He talks about living in Whitney, Nevada before moving to the Huntridge area of Las Vegas, Nevada and describing life in the two places during World War II. He also discusses his father's life and career, working for the railroad in Las Vegas, working as a journeyman printer for Pop Squires, and later owning several newspaper publications, which included the Whitney News, Las Vegas Tribune, Hendersonian, Henderson Herald, and North Las Vegas Sun. Unette King describes her upbringing as a Las Vegas native and her father, who was a construction worker for the Hoover Dam (Boulder Dam). Throughout the interviews, the couple discuss Las Vegas history and aspects of life in the city, including the development of casinos, recreation activities, race relations, and how the city has changed. The two conclude the interview by discussing their reaction to the 1 October mass shooting in Las Vegas, how the city came together following the shooting, and accusations of sexual harassment against Steve Wynn.

Archival Collection

Leroy Burt, Joseph Kine, and Tommy Nelson oral history interviews

Identifier

OH-02065

Abstract

Oral history interviews with Leroy Burt, Joseph Kine, and Tommy Nelson conducted by Dennis McBride on November 10 and 11, 1986 for the Boulder City Library Oral History Project. The men discuss what they had been doing when the depression started in 1929, when they moved to Nevada, and their first jobs in Boulder City and the dam site. They share stories about their work experiences and discuss the different types of work at the dam, including high scalers, form strippers, jackhammer operators, and concrete pouring and puddling. They also talk about incidents and accidents that occurred during production, and the differences in safety standards in the 1930s and the 1980s.

Archival Collection

Clarence Ray oral history interview

Identifier

OH-02432

Abstract

Oral history interview with Clarence Ray conducted by Eleanor L. Walker in 1991 for the African American in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Ray provides details of his ancestry and upbringing, his education, and race relations in the western United States before 1930. He then moves on to his first visit to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1922, and his movements before settling permanently in the 1940s. He explains that the main source of employment for the relatively small Black population during the 1920s and early 1930s was the railroad, but a number were also in business. Mr. Ray provides thumbnail sketches of many of the early residents, and is particularly informative about "Mammy" Pinkston, Mary Nettles, the Stevens family, and the Ensley family. Systemic racial discrimination against Blacks developed in southern Nevada during the 1930s, and Mr. Ray provides some useful details on this along with his discussion of his career in gaming and his social and political activities.

Archival Collection

Ruth Hazard oral history interview

Identifier

OH-00821

Abstract

Oral history interview with Ruth Hazard conducted by John Neal on March 08, 1975 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Hazard goes in-depth about her knowledge of municipal politics and her husband’s friendships with a number of Nevada politicians. Hazard also briefly talks about her fascination with the above-ground atomic tests, speakeasies during Prohibition, and local anxieties about Las Vegas, Nevada “losing its identity.”

Archival Collection

Harrie Fox Hess oral history interview

Identifier

OH-00846

Abstract

Oral history interview with Harrie Fox Hess conducted by Scot Siegel on February 26, 1979 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Hess discusses how he felt as a young adult moving to Las Vegas, Nevada, his contributions to Nevada through his work as a psychologist, and the first law to be drafted on psychology certification in Nevada. Hess then describes the Wildcat Lair as an important site of social recreation for early Las Vegas youth. He also discusses how workers from the Great Depression paved the way for industrial success in gambling due to their employment on the Boulder (Hoover) Dam.

Archival Collection

Dan Hill oral history interview

Identifier

OH-00856

Abstract

Oral history interview with Dan Hill conducted by John L. Bennett on March 1, 1979 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Hill goes in-depth about his experience as a worker at the Nevada Test Site, and different mining sites that he had also worked at. The two briefly discuss the different sheriffs that had been in charge of Las Vegas, Nevada and how many people came to Las Vegas to work at the Henderson Magnesium Plant and Boulder (Hoover) Dam.

Archival Collection

Neil H. Holmes oral history interview

Identifier

OH-00881

Abstract

Oral history interview with Neil H. Holmes conducted by James Greene on January 14, 1975 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Holmes discusses the Boulder City, Nevada education system, family life, employment opportunities, housing, and the building of Boulder (Hoover) Dam.

Archival Collection

An Interview with Paul Huffey and Michael Mack

Identifier

OH-00903

Abstract

Oral history interview with Paul Huffey conducted by Claytee D. White on February 02, 2010 for the Voices of the Historic John S. Park Neighborhood. Paul Huffey discusses his family moving to the John S. Park Neighborhood in 1947, his father working on the construction of Hoover Dam, and Huffey working at Ronzoni's Department Store when he was in high school. Huffey then discusses graduating from the University of Nevada, Reno and teaching history at Basic High School in Henderson, Nevada for nine years.

Archival Collection

Stella Iaconis oral history interview

Identifier

OH-00920

Abstract

Oral history interview with Stella Iaconis conducted by Gary Gione on February 26, 1976 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Iaconis talks about seeing the above-ground atomic tests in Southern Nevada from Los Angeles, California and the drastic population growth that occurred after the construction of Boulder (Hoover) Dam.

Archival Collection