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 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
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
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 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
The Colorado River Commission of Nevada Reference Library Collection (1922-2000) documents the history of the Colorado River Commission (CRC) and is predominately comprised of books, briefs, memoranda, motions, exhibits, and other documents pertaining to the
Archival Collection
The Robert Woodruff Papers (1927-2001) are comprised of materials documenting Woodruff’s career and family life in Las Vegas and Henderson, Nevada, as well as his travels around the United States and abroad. Materials include newspaper clippings, photographic prints and transparencies, personal correspondence, and publications such as Las Vegas tourist brochures and pamphlets dating from the 1930s and 1940s. Visual materials include portraits, city scenes, and landscapes throughout Nevada and the United States, as well as some photographs of international travels.
Archival Collection