Oral history interview with Henry Zigtema conducted by Cheryl Stewart on February 27, 1977 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Zigtema shares personal stories regarding his arrival to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1929, and the development of the city.
Oral history interview with Louise McGuire conducted by Heidi Nickum on February 26, 1979 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, McGuire talks about the history of the Las Vegas police department and hotels since the 1950s in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Oral history interview with Carus Lortz conducted by Corrado R. Carey on February 26, 1977 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Lortz talks about his life and the history of Las Vegas, Nevada. He specifically talks about his religious background and the growth of Las Vegas, Nevada.
Oral history interview with Stuart Mason conducted by Claytee White on November 09, 2006 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Mason discusses his company, Taylor Construction, and gives an overview of the hotels the company has built and background information about them. He then describes moving to Las Vegas, Nevada to build Caesars Palace in 1964 and how the Civil Rights Movement impacted the construction scene. He then talks about old and new building projects, and the differences between being his own boss and working for someone else.
Oral history interview with Vincent Kethen conducted by Claytee White on December 23, 2009 for the Voices of the Historic John S. Park Neighborhood Oral History Project. Kethen was born in 1964 in Las Vegas, Nevada, the year that desegregation of schools started there. He discusses his experiences as an African-American child being bused to a white school, John S. Park Elementary. He also discusses growing up in that era and giving back to the community by being a youth basketball coach.
Oral history interview with Olenda Purdy conducted by Mark Miller on March 12, 1981 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Purdy discusses her experiences living in Las Vegas, Nevada. She specifically talks about her family history, gambling in Las Vegas, and the changes in the Las Vegas economy and environment since the 1960s.
Oral history interview with Eugene Williams conducted by Claytee White on July 18, 2008 for the All That Jazz Oral History Project. Williams discusses being signed to a musical group called the Platters in 1970, and performing with them for eighteen years. Williams also talks about his temporary hiatus form music to focus on his family, then returning to music through an ex-Platters group called the Sound of the Platters.
Oral history interview with Charles Adams (born 1930 in Juliet, Illinois) conducted by Robert Melcer on February 27, 1979 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. The two discuss various topics, including Adams’s move to Southern Nevada, the growth of Las Vegas, the educational system, the growth of the English Department at the university, cultural and recreational activities for locals, raising a family in Las Vegas, and prostitution in Southern Nevada.
Oral history interview with Linda Hartley conducted by Pauline Marchese on March 10, 1978 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. During the interview, the two discuss Hartley’s personal history, such as schools that she had attended and her recollection of local recreational activities. The two go on to talk about changes in crime, the environment, and briefly discuss a variety of issues at the time, including: segregated schools, prostitution, and effects of the Nevada Test Site.
Oral history interview with Ivan S. Larkin conducted by Mary Anne French on April 05, 1976 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Larkin discusses moving from Utah with his wife to Nevada to start a family together. Larkin talks about living in Las Vegas, Nevada and his career as a plumber.