Alice Ward Boyer arrived in Las Vegas from Oklahoma in 1937. Her brother and former husband came earlier to escape the dustbowl depression and get settled. In the middle of the summer, just at dusk, she emerged from the train at Kingman, Arizona with her two small children to meet her family and drive through the darkness to her new home in Las Vegas. Although she missed the trees of the Plains, she soon became accustomed to her desert home. Her recollections revive the older Las Vegas when community life characterized the small town. At the heart of her story is the Mesquite Club. The non-partisan civic activities of the Mesquite Club are part of a national history of women’s club voluntarism in the nineteenth and twentieth century United States. Founded in 1911, this pioneer Las Vegas women's club played an essential role in the development of the growing town. When few cultural or social services existed, the club raised funds for the first public library, developed parks for the city, and provided services and funding for the aged and youth. The Mesquite Club, along with the Parent Teacher Association, scouts, and church activities formed a network of community relations commonly found in developing towns and cities, but not ususally associated with Las Vegas. Alice Boyer joined the Mesquite club in 1944. She first served as the chair of the Garden Committee, then "went right up through the chairs," and was elected President of the club for 1958-59. (See Table of Offices Held). Speaking about the Mesquite Club founders, Alice Boyer said, “They were very forward-looking women. They knew that the town would grow and they wanted the best for the town.” As one of the second generation of members, she has found the club to be a continuing source of congenial social life and civic community building. Born in rural Oklahoma, she spent her early years on a ranch. Her parents met there shortly after "the run to open Oklahoma" around 1892. They met, married and had twelve children, nine of which survived. Alice came right in the middle. She spent her early years riding horses, wearing “overalls," and spending as much time as possible outside. The family moved into Clinton, Oklahoma for better schools for their children when she was in the fifth grade. Alice graduated from high school just as the Great Depression began and worked briefly at a newspaper before marriage. At the time of the interview, Alice Boyer’s vivaciousness, gracious manner, and sharp memory belied her 82 years. This interview has been produced with the assistance of the Mesquite Club and the History Department of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. It is part of a series on women community builders in Las Vegas. The transcript has been edited only slightly for clarity while the syntax and style of the narrator were retained.

Betty [Rosenthal] Bunch began dancing as a child. By the time she was nine years old she decided she would have a dancing career. At 18 years she began to work in stock theatre productions. Within a short time, she had joined the Moro-Landis dancers. She landed her first job in Las Vegas in 1956 at the Sahara Hotel as part of the opening line for Donald O'Connor. Following the Sahara, she worked as a dancer at the Riveria, and then returned to the Moulin Rouge in Hollywood. In 1961 while vacationing in Las Vegas, she landed a job dancing at the Dunes. She continued to dance, sing and do comedy until after the birth of her second child. At that time, she retired from the Las Vegas showroom, but not from show business. Her involvement in both film and stage has remained rich and varied. This interview focuses on the time Betty spent performing on the Las Vegas strip, including her long involvement with the acclaimed afternoon show Bottoms Up. The interview provides information on workin

Hotel Nevada in 1908. The name was changed to Sal Sagev from 1931-1955, then to the Golden Gate Hotel and Casino.
Site Name: Hotel Nevada
Address: 1 Fremont Street

Four golfers at the Hacienda Golf Course with the Hacienda Hotel in the background. Printed text on back of postcard: "Las Vegas Hacienda. The warmth of Western hospitality and the luxury of resort-hotel living are ideally blended at the Hacienda, the sparkling new addition to the colorful Las Vegas Strip. Only the Hacienda offers all rooms at $10.00 a day and nite-lited golf course with a $5,000 Hole-in-One Jackpot. For the kiddies, the Hacienda's 1/4 Midget Race Track is open daily with 1/4 midget cars available. The 3-in-1 Olympic-Size Swimming Pool is the largest hotel pool in Nevada. Also visit our Haciendas in Fresno, Bakersfield and Indio, California." Made by Security Lithograph company, San Francisco 11, Calif.
Site Name: Hacienda
Address: 3590 Las Vegas Boulevard South

Back of the Thunderbird Hotel with a covered walkway leading to the Thunderbird Downs.
Site Name: Thunderbird Hotel
Address: 2755 Las Vegas Boulevard South

An interior view of the Aladdin Theatre for the Performing Arts. Handwritten inscription on back of photo: "Interior- Theatre of the Performing Arts, Aladdin."
Site Name: Aladdin Hotel
Address: 3667 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas, NV

The Genie Buffet in the Aladdin Hotel.
Site Name: Aladdin Hotel
Address: 3667 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas, NV