Oral history interview with Mike, Fred, and John Pinjuv conducted by Barbara Tabach on May 13, 2014 for the West Charleston Neighborhoods--an Oral History Project of Ward 1. Mike Pinjuv discusses his father moving to Las Vegas, Nevada with his wife and kids in 1917, owning a gas station and grocery store, and later working as a civilian on the Nellis Air Force Base. John Pinjuv recalls owning Las Vegas Sheet Metal and Fred Pinjuv talks about his career in the United States Air Force. All three brothers then discusses moving to the West Charleston area in Las Vegas as adults.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with J.W. (John) Campbell (born June 13, 1918 in Pioche, Nevada) conducted by Raymond Haft on February 19, 1979 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. This interview covers the history of Nevada, including Mr. Campbell’s personal history. He discusses the Stewart Ranch, the Mormon Fort, swimming pools in Las Vegas, Nevada, and the above ground atomic tests. He also discusses the crash of Carole Lombard’s plane and the building of the Basic Magnesium Plant in Henderson, Nevada.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Marion Earl conducted by Robert Pearce on March 13, 1976 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Earl discusses relocating to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1923, serving as a member of the board of directors for the Chamber of Commerce, and then being elected president of the chamber in 1941. He also discusses being elected justice of the peace in 1934, and serving for two terms.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Leo Dunbar, Harry Hall, Harold Wadman, Carl Merrill, and Mary Ann Merrill conducted by Dennis McBride on June 24, 1986 for the Boulder City Library Oral History Project. The interviewees discuss their early lives and families, moving to Nevada, and starting work on the Hoover Dam. They recall memories of living in Boulder City, Nevada during the Great Depression and beyond, and share information about the construction of the dam and the city as well as personal stories about their lives in Southern Nevada.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Harry Hall conducted by Dennis McBride on June 20, 1986 for the Boulder City Library Oral History Project. Hall discusses how the hope of work on the dam encouraged his move to Nevada with his mother and stepfather. He then talks at some length about living in a tent in Ragtown, the various illegal bootlegging establishments along the dirt road running between Las Vegas and Boulder City, Nevada, and working on the dam. He continues talking about working conditions, the heat, and the labor strike at the dam in August, 1931.
Archival Collection
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
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
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
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
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