Oral history interview with Dan Bennett conducted by Guy Pence on October 03, 1972 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. During this interview Bennett talks about the visits from presidents and other important people to the Las Vegas, Nevada area and discusses the 1942 plane crash of Carole Lombard’s plane. He also mentions Boulder Dam and describes the economic, social and environmental changes that have taken place in Southern Nevada over the years.
Archival Collection
The Fred and Maurine Wilson Photograph Collection depicts the Wilson Family, events, and locations in Las Vegas, Nevada and the Southwestern United States from approximately 1860 to 1990. The photographs primarily depict early Las Vegas, including the Mormon Fort and Kiel Ranch; mines, towns, and railroads in Southern Nevada; the construction and planning of the Hoover (Boulder) Dam on the Colorado River; and the Wilson Family. The photographs also include prominent Las Vegas families such as the Park Family, aerial photographs of the city, landmarks on Fremont Street and downtown Las Vegas, and desert landscapes.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Howard Wasden conducted by Gillian Collins on an unknown date in the 1970s for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Wasden discusses arriving in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1925 and working for the railroad. Wasden explains how the railroad was a predominant economic asset for Las Vegas at the time. He then describes living on the Westside "Old Town", education in Las Vegas, attending the University of Nevada, Reno, and eventually becoming a teacher. Lastly, Wasden discusses the population growth, development of the Las Vegas Strip, and his role as principal of West Charleston School.
Archival Collection
The Albert C. Phillips Photograph Collection is comprised of sixteen black-and-white photographic reprints and four photographic negatives depicting buildings in Caliente, Nevada which were originally taken between 1900 to 1967 and reproduced in approximately 1999 to 2005.
Archival Collection
The First Methodist Church Photograph Collection (approximately 1909-1912) contains black-and-white photographic prints and corresponding negatives of the Las Vegas train depot, railroad yards, and the First Methodist Church in Las Vegas, Nevada. Also included are portraits of Reverend Edwin A. Palmer and his family.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Evelyn Peralto conducted by Richard Byrnes on March 15, 1981 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Peralto discusses her knowledge on railroads and the development of downtown Las Vegas, Nevada.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with James W. Ault conducted by Patricia K. Kohlman on November 06, 1975 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Ault discusses the history of Las Vegas, Nevada from 1940 to 1975 and his career as a railroad engineer.
Archival Collection
Image
Oral history interview with John Friel conducted by James Friel on February 29, 1980 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Friel discusses his knowledge of his family’s personal history in Tonopah, Nevada during the 1940s, the growth of railroads, and population changes.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Clarence Ray conducted by Eleanor L. Walker in 1991 for the African American in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Ray provides details of his ancestry and upbringing, his education, and race relations in the western United States before 1930. He then moves on to his first visit to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1922, and his movements before settling permanently in the 1940s. He explains that the main source of employment for the relatively small Black population during the 1920s and early 1930s was the railroad, but a number were also in business. Mr. Ray provides thumbnail sketches of many of the early residents, and is particularly informative about "Mammy" Pinkston, Mary Nettles, the Stevens family, and the Ensley family. Systemic racial discrimination against Blacks developed in southern Nevada during the 1930s, and Mr. Ray provides some useful details on this along with his discussion of his career in gaming and his social and political activities.
Archival Collection