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Leo Dunbar oral history interview

Identifier

OH-00498

Abstract

Oral history interview with Leo Dunbar conducted by Dennis McBride on June 16, 1986 for the Boulder City Library Oral History Project. In this interview, Dunbar gives a brief history of the Bureau of Reclamation (Bureau of Land Management) and the beginning of his life-long career with that agency, first working on two major projects in Colorado. He then discusses how The Six Companies won their bid to build the Hoover Dam, the establishment of the federal reservation that would house Boulder City, and the growth and development of both the city and the dam project.

Archival Collection

Elton Garrett oral history interviews

Identifier

OH-00652

Abstract

Oral history interviews with Elton Garrett conducted by Dennis McBride on November 10 and 11, 1986 for the Boulder City Library Oral History Project. In these interviews, Garrett talks about hitchhiking into Nevada in 1928, the beginning of his journalism career in 1929, and the development and construction of the Hoover Dam and Boulder City. He relates anecdotes about events and people during this early period and talks about the choice of The Six Companies, Incorporated to build the dam. He continues, talking about the impact of prohibition, bootlegging, and illegal gambling before 1931. Later he talks about his work as an educator in Boulder City, and the decision by the city to work toward self-government and incorporation.

Archival Collection

Lillian and Lloyd Morrison oral history interview

Identifier

OH-01337

Abstract

Oral history interview with Lillian and Lloyd Morrison conducted by Don Morrison on October 20, 1991 for the UNLV Libraries Oral History Collection. The Morrison's talk about the loss of their Iowa farm in the Great Depression and Lloyd's decision to set out for Nevada to seek work at the Hoover dam construction site. He speaks at length about finding work, working on the dam, and an injury suffered in a fall that left him temporarily in a wheelchair. Lillian recalls arriving in Boulder City, Nevada some three years after Lloyd, of various homes the couple and their young son lived in, taking in boarders for extra money, and the growth and contraction of the town's population.

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

Merle Frehner oral history interviews

Identifier

OH-02062

Abstract

Oral history interviews with Merle Frehner conducted by Elisabeth Nelson Patrick January 17, 1981 and January 19, 1981 for the UNLV University Libraries Oral History Collection. In the first interview, Frehner talks about his upbringing in Littlefield, Arizona and moving to St. Thomas, Nevada. He talks about driving heavy-duty freight wagons, transporting mining supplies, and the formation of a school district in St. Thomas. Frehner remembers the entertainment in St. Thomas during the 1920s, recreational activities, and commuting to Overton, Nevada to attend high school. Lastly, Frehner describes the local businesses in St. Thomas, miners residing in the town, and the town’s growing popularity after the construction of Arrowhead Trail (U. S. Highway 91). In the last interview, Frehner discusses transporting produce to Las Vegas, Nevada and Tonopah, Nevada during the late 1920s, the construction of Hoover Dam, and Lake Mead water levels overtaking St. Thomas.

Archival Collection

Gail Hambley oral history interview

Identifier

OH-00909

Abstract

Oral history interview with Gail Hambley conducted by Mike Hinton on February 25, 1977 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Hambley reflects upon her upbringing in early Las Vegas, Nevada. She discusses her schooling at Las Vegas High School with wooden desks and no air conditioning, memories at the Stewart Ranch and Hoover Dam, and her job with the Nevada Test Site.

Archival Collection

Jon Cobain oral history interview

Identifier

OH-03863

Abstract

Oral history interview with Jon Cobain conducted by Claytee D. White on March 4, 2022 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Cobain describes his childhood growing up in Las Vegas, Nevada and living in a trailer while his father built the family's home. Cobain is the first graduate from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), as he walked across the stage first, thus becoming the first to receive a degree from UNLV. After graduating with a bachelor's degree in business, Cobain attended Northwestern for graduate school. He discusses time spent working in Venezuela, and the value of learning other cultures and building international relationships. At the time of the interview, Cobain is matching gifts to the Jon Cobain Lee Business School at UNLV up to $2.3 million to help first-generation scholars. Other subjects discussed include the Nevada Test Site, Frank Sinatra, and Hoover Dam.

Archival Collection

L. F. Manis Papers on Boulder Dam

Identifier

MS-00288

Abstract

The L. F. Manis Papers on Boulder Dam, 1936-1957, contain material and publications relating to Boulder (Hoover) Dam and the Boulder Canyon Project. Included are brochures, pamphlets, postcards, a scrapbook, and newspaper clippings.

Archival Collection

Insignia Films Research for the American Experience: Las Vegas - An Unconventional History

Identifier

MS-00508

Abstract

The Insignia Films Research for the "American Experience: Las Vegas - An Unconventional History" collection (1968, 2004-2005) contains photocopied research material, primarily drawn from Nevada newspapers, photographic prints, Betacam and VHS videotapes with interviews and footage used in the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) series "American Experience: Las Vegas - An Unconventional History," created for the Las Vegas Centennial, Las Vegas, Nevada. Also included are original issues of Look magazine with Las Vegas, Nevada coverage, and a United States Freedom of Information Act (USFOIA) report on Tony Spilotro.

Archival Collection

UNLV University Libraries Collection on Hoover Dam

Identifier

MS-00713

Abstract

The UNLV University Libraries Collection on Hoover Dam dates from 1935 to 1937 and consists of black-and-white photographs of the construction of Hoover Dam in Nevada. The collection is an artifical collection created by UNLV Special Collections and Archives staff. The photographs document early construction of the Hoover Dam to images of the dam at completion. The collection also contains photographs of construction workers.

Archival Collection