Oral history interview with Robert O. Cannon conducted by Julia Bragg on March 11, 1973 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Cannon talks about the El Rancho Hotel and Casino, Carole Lombard’s plane accident, living in Boulder City, Nevada during World War II, segregation of African Americans from a white person’s perspective, and the creation of a course in hotel administration at the University of Southern Nevada (now known as the University of Nevada, Las Vegas).
Archival Collection
The Clarence Ray Photograph Collection (approximately 1930-1960) consists of black-and-white photographic prints and negatives of Clarence Ray, casino scenes of people playing table games, and images of Ray with black activists in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Mary Louise Williams conducted by Claytee D. White on June 19, 1998 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. In this interview Mary Louise Williams discusses her dance career, working at the Moulin Rouge Hotel and Casino, visiting Las Vegas, Nevada numerous times throughout her life, and why she retired in Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
The Urban Chamber of Commerce of Las Vegas, Nevada Records date from approximately 1980 to 2009 and contains the organizational records of the Urban Chamber of Commerce of Las Vegas, Nevada (UCC), one of the many chambers of commerce in the Las Vegas, Nevada area. The mission of the Urban Chamber of Commerce is to create and foster an environment that promotes development of members and Black-owned businesses. The collection is comprised of publications, financial and administrative records, various event information, and photographs of events and membership.
Archival Collection
The Lloyd Gill Photograph Collection (1979) consists of reproduction black-and-white photographic prints and negatives of images Gill took in Las Vegas, Nevada from approximately 1960 to 1969. The images depict black residents' experiences at Las Vegas hotels, casinos, and nightclubs in the predominantly black West Las Vegas. Locations include the Carver House Hotel and Casino, the El Rio Club, Town Tavern, the Cove Hotel, and the Brown Derby Club.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Viola Johnson conducted by Claytee D. White on March 03, 1996 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Johnson discusses leaving Fordyce, Arkansas in 1942 to join her parents in Las Vegas, Nevada where her first home was a tent. Johnson goes on to discuss life with her parents in Las Vegas including their work and church activities. Johnson also describes her work at the Flamingo Hilton and Sands Hotel and Casino as a maid, and at the Riviera Hotel and Casino making sandwiches. Finally, Johnson talks about labor conditions and the Culinary Union during the early years of the Las Vegas Strip casino development.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Nancy Williams conducted by Joyce Marshall on June 13, 1996 for the UNLV University Libraries Oral History Collection. In this interview, Williams talks about her early life and career as a dancer. She describes moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1948, organized crime in Las Vegas casinos, and segregation of African American entertainers at the time. Williams remembers riding horses to and from casinos, the American Guild of Variety Artists (AGVA) union, and early showgirl costumes. Lastly, Williams talks about retiring from dancing and establishing a school of dance in Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
The Don T. Walker Photograph Collection (1900-1995) is comprised of black-and-white and color photographs taken by or belonging to Las Vegas photographer and Nevada historian Don Travis Walker. The photographs taken by Walker include ghost towns in Nevada, Arizona, and California, as well as a series on Phil Benson, editor and publisher of the Southern Nevada Times. Other items in the collection include photographs taken by other people related to the Moulin Rouge Hotel in Las Vegas, various photographs of historic sites in Nevada, and a program from the Nevada State Museum and Historical Society for its "Moulin Rouge: History in the Making" exhibition.
Archival Collection
The Roosevelt Fitzgerald Professional Papers (1890-1996) contain the papers and writings of Roosevelt Fitzgerald, a former University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) anthropology professor and Director of the Ethnic Studies department. Materials include Fitzgerald's educational records, professional correspondence, and documents from his time at UNLV. The collection also contains drafts of his articles on Black history in Nevada and discrimination, newspaper clippings and copies of the Las Vegas Sentinel Voice in which his articles appeared, photographs, and prepared speeches.
Archival Collection
The UNLV Libraries Collection of Gambling Related Sheet Music (1890-1987) consists of primarily early 20th century American gambling-related sheet music. This collection is most noteworthy for the covers' bright and colorful imagery, including white gentlemen playing cards, imagery from card and related games, and some with offensive stereotypes and caricatures of African Americans. The material was created by a wide range of designers, composers, and publishers from various places, including New York, New York; Chicago, Illinois; St. Louis, Missouri; Detroit, Michigan; and Williamsport, Pennsylvania. This collection contains illustrations which depict Black and Asian individuals in racist caricatures, photographs of white individuals wearing blackface, and some song titles include derogatory language or racial slurs.
Archival Collection