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Orpha Woods oral history interview
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Oral history interview with Orpha Woods conducted by Louis H. Lindsay on February 23, 1979 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Woods discusses the history of Mesquite, Nevada.
Archival Collection
Ray M. Cutright oral history interview
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Oral history interview with Ray M. Cutright conducted by himself on April 22, 1981 for the UNLV University Libraries Oral History Collection. Cutright talks about his experiences in operating a boat that carried both tourist passengers and workers to and from the site of the Hoover Dam. He also discusses a few specific experiences, including what it was like navigating the river.
Archival Collection
Mary Wilson oral history interview
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Oral history interview with Mary Wilson conducted by Patricia Conerly on March 23, 1976 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview Wilson discusses her personal experiences in Las Vegas, Nevada as an African-American woman living in Las Vegas in the 1950s and onward.
Archival Collection
Gerald Yurek oral history interview
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Oral history interview with Gerald Yurek conducted by Kellie Yurek on March 09, 1981 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Yurek discusses his start and experiences in the illegal gaming scene in Kentucky. He recalls witnessing fixed games and prostitution. Yurek then explains his move into the legal gambling industry in Las Vegas, Nevada in the 1960s.
Archival Collection
Jack Lindell oral history interview
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Oral history interview with Jack Lindell conducted by Michael Forrest on February 24, 1979 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In the interview, Lindell discusses arriving in Las Vegas, Nevada from California in 1951 for new employment opportunities. He discusses working as a building contractor, developer, and as a teacher.
Archival Collection
Sandra Peña oral history interview
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Oral history interview with Sandra Peña conducted by Lada Mead and Stefani Evans on March 27, 2017 for the Building Las Vegas Oral History Project. Peña recalls the family move to Porterville, California, and her work with Parson’s Dillingham, a contractor for the Metrolink rail system. She then discusses the link between the Los Angeles, California and Las Vegas, Nevada construction communities. Peña also discusses her ability to gain employment in Las Vegas at Parson’s and her move to Richardson Construction.
Archival Collection
Catherine Hammelrath oral history interview
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Oral history interview with Catherine Hammelrath conducted by Claytee D. White on October 31, 2000 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Hammelrath, a Las Vegas, Nevada native, discusses her early family life in Las Vegas, her parents professions, her education, and many stories about the people, places, and events that defined Las Vegas over her sixty-five years in the city.
Archival Collection
Rena Lees oral history interview
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Oral history interview with Rena Lees conducted by Bill Young on March 19, 1978 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Lees talks about her experience living in Las Vegas, Nevada from the 1930s to 1950s. She specifically talks about growing up in Las Vegas and the mob's influence throughout the city. She also discusses her family and her career working at Sunrise Hospital.
Archival Collection
Victoria and Brad Babich oral history interview
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Oral history interview with Victoria and Brad Babich conducted by Claytee D. White on November 22, 2013 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, the Babich couple describe their family histories and life in Las Vegas, Nevada during the mid-twentieth century. Brad Babich discusses his father's work in the gaming industry of Las Vegas, the prevalence of organized crime in the city, the influence of Howard Hughes and the federal government, and other aspects of Las Vegas history. He also talks about nuclear weapons tests at the Nevada Test Site and the health problems some employees acquired there. The two talk about recreational activities of the time, as well as the entertainers that performed on the Las Vegas Strip. Other topics of discussion include race relations in Las Vegas, casino history, and changes that have occurred over the years in the city.
Archival Collection
K. Oscar Knudson oral history interview
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Oral history interview with K. Oscar Knudson conducted by Dorothy O'Hara on an unknown date in 1974 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Knudson discusses his personal history in Las Vegas, Nevada and recalls positive economic changes that Southern Nevada had as a result of tourism.
Archival Collection