Oral history interview with Monroe Williams conducted by Claytee D. White on August 15, 2000 and August 22, 2000 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview Monroe Williams discusses moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1943, living in the historical Westside neighborhood, and being one of the first black fire fighters in Las Vegas. He also talks about being involved with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored Peoples (NAACP), being in the Navy for two years, and his real estate and property management companies.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Lee Gates conducted by Claytee D. White on December 05, 1996 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview Judge Lee Gates discusses how he came to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1960 and how he lived in the historic Westside neighborhood. He also talks about civil rights, racial discrimination in the workplace, and the integration of Las Vegas hotels.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Mozella Sheds Scott conducted by Claytee D. White on November 30, 2010 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Scott discusses her childhood in Friars Point, Mississippi, and aspects of rural life. She then described moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1965 and taking a job as a laundry presser and distributor. Scott compares life in Mississippi to the Westside of Las Vegas, describing the Bonanza Village area, employment of the black population, and churches in the area. She also discusses her employment while attending Nevada Southern University, now University of Nevada, Las Vegas, as well as her first position in education and libraries. Additionally, Scott discusses racial discrimination her husband faced in his job at a titanium plant. She concludes by describing her work to improve literacy and education in her community with organizations including, Upward Bound, Community Adult Learning in Libraries (CALL), Parent-In-Charge, and Word on a Rock.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Hal G. Curtis conducted by Bill Teepe on February 24, 1977 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Curtis talks first about his work on the Union Pacific Railroad before discussing changes and development in Las Vegas, Nevada, including development on the Strip and Downtown areas. He also talks about Block 16, the El Rancho Vegas fire, social clubs, and religion.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Richard Caldwell conducted by Lloyd Henderson on March 6, 1980 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Richard Caldwell (b. 1935 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana) discusses his experience moving to and living in Las Vegas, Nevada. Caldwell discusses his family and his education in business administration before describing the various occupations he has held. Caldwell then talks about the changes in Las Vegas, including racial issues, prejudice, and segregation.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Samuel E. Wright conducted by Claytee D. White on October 08, 2010 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Wright discusses Stokely Carmichael, the black power philosophy, and his remorse in the Washington riots. Wright also discusses job opportunities in Las Vegas, Nevada and the lack of commissioner support to build a public mass transit system. Wright then shares stories about the Westside neighborhood and other black neighborhoods of the 1980s. He talks about the closing of F Street and resulting protests in 2008 and 2009, and the creation of Symphony Park.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Irene Doty conducted by Jackie Ogden on March 20, 1977 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Doty discusses the first casino properties and restaurants in Las Vegas, Nevada. She also describes her experiences as a justice of the peace, living conditions during World War II, her experiences in Goodsprings, Nevada, and being a juror in several murder trials.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Emory Lockette Sr. conducted by Dennis McBride on March 17, 1996 for the Boulder City Library Oral History Project. In the interview, Lockette discusses his work as a draftsman, civil engineer, and hydraulics engineer for the Bureau of Reclamation. He then describes his working conditions at the Bureau of Reclamation and administrative-level conflicts.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Arlone Scott conducted by Glen Ette Davis on July 03, 1975. Scott discusses her experiences in inter-racial relations carried on by various Black and White churches in Las Vegas, Nevada. Scott then talks about job opportunities for minorities and the importance of the Culinary Workers Union. She also talks about how segregation and discrimination affected entertainment for Blacks and limited them to seeking recreation in West Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Claude, Buddy, and Skip Trenier conducted by Betty Rosenthal on March 10, 1978 for the UNLV University Libraries Oral History Collection.
In this interview, Claude, Buddy, and Skip Trenier, members of the musical group "The Treniers", discuss their experiences performing on the Las Vegas Strip as Black men. They share their group's history playing music at the Flamingo Hotel and Casino and other establishments in Las Vegas, Nevada beginning in 1948. Their discussion covers not only their performing careers but also their experiences with desegregation, racism, and discrimination in the city of Las Vegas.
Claude, Buddy, and Skip Trenier share their accounts of both being a popular act in Las Vegas, requested by out-of-towners from New York and Chicago, and also how they were nearly fired for refusing to play music when noticing customers of color being treated unfairly at their shows. The trio talk about how they could not enter casinos from the front entrance, how most casinos did not formally desegregate until after 1960, and how there were very few Black entertainers, musicians, or dancers during the mid-20th century with a few notable exceptions including Sammy Davis Jr.
Archival Collection