Skip to main content

Search the Special Collections and Archives Portal

Search Results

Display    Results Per Page
Displaying results 11 - 20 of 130

Transcript of interview with Ed Collins by Steve Smith, March 15, 1981.

Date

1981-03-15

Archival Collection

Description

On March 15, 1981, Steven L. Smith interviewed Edward A. Collins (born on March 16th, 1930, in Chicago, Illinois), at the Dunes Hotel and Country Club. Collins relocated to Nevada in 1955. The interview covers gender equality in the field of culinary arts in Las Vegas. Collins describes the changes he saw take place in culinary over the years. He also discusses Bugsy Siegel’s impact and influence on the emergence of big shows in the hotels on the Strip. Among other jobs, Collins worked as a captain in a showroom at the Frontier Hotel. He discusses Las Vegas before and after Howard Hughes and Bob Maheu appeared on the scene.

Text

Thomas Barbarite oral history interview

Identifier

OH-00077

Abstract

Oral history interview with Thomas Barbarite conducted by Dennis Chamberland on March 03, 1981 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Barbarite discusses his time at the Four Queens Hotel and the Dunes Hotel as a dealer as well as his work as a pit boss at the Flamingo Hotel, the Aladdin Hotel, and Caesars Palace. Barbarite also discusses the involvement of the mob in Las Vegas, particularly the influence of Bugsy Siegel in the operation of various properties.

Archival Collection

Joan Gordon Family Films

Identifier

MS-01172

Abstract

The Joan Gordon Family Films (approximately 1930-1939) consist of two color 16mm films from the 1930s which feature Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel and his daughters in a swimming pool in Los Angeles, California and other locations in Southern California. Also included are two reproductions of black-and-white photographs featuring Esther, Milicent, and Barbara Siegel along with Joan Gordon, her sister and mother. Joan Gordon grew up in Los Angeles, California and her family was neighbors with Benjamin and Esther Siegel and their daughters Millicent and Barbara.

Archival Collection

Mary Habbart oral history interview

Identifier

OH-00759

Abstract

Oral history interview with Mary Habbart conducted by David R. Patt on March 07, 1975 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. This interview offers an overview of life in Las Vegas, Nevada in the early days, which included: atomic testing, floods, prostitution on Block 16, early Fremont Street and Duck Creek. Also discussed during this interview: Sunset Park, The Roosevelts, Bugsy Siegel, local government and the Hoover Dam.

Archival Collection

Ed Collins oral history interview

Identifier

OH-00406

Abstract

Oral history interview with Edward A. Collins conducted by Steven L. Smith on March 15, 1981 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview Ed Collins discusses gender equality in the culinary industry of Las Vegas, Nevada and the changes he saw in the industry over the years. He also speaks about Bugsy Siegel's influence on the emergence of big shows on the Las Vegas Strip. He then discusses Las Vegas before and after the appearance of Howard Hughes and Bob Maheu.

Archival Collection

William Verzani oral history interview

Identifier

OH-01876

Abstract

Oral history interview with William Verzani conducted by James Little on March 15, 1981 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Verzani discusses his personal history and being a rancher in Searchlight, Nevada. Verzani describes life in Searchlight during the 1930s, and later moving to Las Vegas, Nevada. Verzani goes on to describe living in Las Vegas, and how the city has changed and expanded. He also talks about the murder of Bugsy Siegel, hunting in Nevada, and his career as a truck driver.

Archival Collection

John Haines oral history interview

Identifier

OH-00766

Abstract

Oral history interview with John Haines conducted by Thomas S. Hager on March 25, 1972 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Haines discusses moving to Reno, Nevada in 1931 and later to Tonopah, Nevada to be a card dealer. He describes building the Town Hall Casino, and explains how local troops stationed in Tonopah were the customer base until the bombings in Japan during the end of WWII. Lastly, Haines discusses his employment at the Frontier Club, mobster Bugsy Siegel, and how the mob influenced the gaming industry.

Archival Collection

Charles F. Sells oral history interview

Identifier

OH-01668

Abstract

Oral history interview with Charles F. Sells conducted by Noble B. Young on March 13, 1981 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Sells describes his personal history in Las Vegas, Nevada. Sells discusses how Las Vegas has changed, the jobs he has held, and the death of his wife. Sells also discusses his enjoyment of going out with his wife to gamble at the casinos when he was younger, meeting Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel, playing in a local softball team, and his business, an industrial laundry cleaning plant.

Archival Collection

Stearns, Sam

Sam Stearns was an owner-operator of several casinos in Las Vegas, Nevada. In 1935 he bought the Meadows Club on Boulder Highway with his brother Dave Stearns and Larry Potter. By 1941, the Stearns brothers also operated the Northern Club in downtown Las Vegas, which Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel invested $18,000 in.

Gragg, Larry D. Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel: The Gangster, the Flamingo, and the Making of Modern Las Vegas. Santa Barbara: Praeger, 2015.

Person

Stearns, Dave

Dave Stearns was a gambler and entrepreneur who owned and operated several casinos in Las Vegas, Nevada. In 1935 he bought the Meadows Club on Boulder Highway with his brother Sam Stearns and Larry Potter. By 1941, the Stearns brothers also operated the Northern Club in downtown Las Vegas, which Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel invested $18,000 in.

Gragg, Larry D. Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel: The Gangster, the Flamingo, and the Making of Modern Las Vegas. Santa Barbara: Praeger, 2015.

Person