Oral history interview with Emma Oliver conducted by Jan Marshall on March 19, 1981 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Oliver discusses her personal history and the history of Las Vegas, Nevada. Oliver discusses how Las Vegas has changed, casinos in Las Vegas, the Mormon Church, and the race riots at a shopping center in North Las Vegas in 1968. Oliver also discusses race relations between white and African American children in schools.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Wilma Noyes conducted by Claytee D. White on April 11, 2007 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Noyes discusses her personal history and life in Las Vegas, Nevada from the 1920s onward. She describes moving to Las Vegas with her family in 1921 after her father got a job working for Union Pacific Railroad Company. Noyes explains how the railroad provided housing to its workers and what life was like in that housing. Noyes discusses attending the first schools in Las Vegas, one of them having had Maude Frazier as its principal. Noyes then describes what young people did for entertainment in Las Vegas, including dancing and going to movie theaters. Lastly, she discusses the history of the casinos and how the city has changed.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Byron Shutt conducted by Jack Andrews on March 09, 1976 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Shutt discusses the history of Henderson, Nevada after moving there from Missouri in 1949. Shutt describes hitchhiking his way to Las Vegas, Nevada from Missouri, meeting Jim Thorpe in Thorpe's Henderson supper club, and the legalization of gambling in Henderson. Shutt also discusses mining operations in Henderson, chemical plants in Henderson such as the Pacific Engineering and Production Company of Nevada plant, housing, and the Henderson school system.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Dorothy Grier conducted by Barbara Agonia on November 26, 2002 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Grier begins her interview discussing her family and life growing up in the small town of Bulter, Indiana in the 1930s and 1940s. She then discusses her life in chronological order pausing to highlight events including working for the Nevada Test Site.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Luther Pennington conducted by Greg Decker on February 27, 1979 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Pennington discusses working on the trains for the Union Pacific Railroad Company starting in 1927 and explains the various jobs he held on the train. Pennington then describes his position as locomotive engineer and recalls his experiences. Later, he discusses train routes, stations, and the dangers of working aboard a train.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Grace Hayes conducted by Arnold Shaw on May 28, 1986 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In the interview, Hayes discusses her early life in Las Vegas, Nevada performing at the El Rancho Vegas and operating the Red Rooster, one of the first clubs on the Las Vegas Strip. Hayes also discusses her interactions with other Las Vegas, Nevada celebrities and public figures.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Lynnette Sawyer conducted by Nathalie Martinez on January 03, 2019 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project. Barbara Tabach and Laurents Bañuelos-Benitez also participate in the questioning. Lynnette Sawyer identifies as a Puerto Rican woman born and raised in Spanish Harlem in New York. Her ancestry extends from Spain to Africa and has helped her identity, as she became an educator and museum curator. She describes her life in New York and her journey to Las Vegas. As the founder of the Hispanic Museum of Nevada, she wanted to create a space that would teach young Latinos about their history and heritage.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Frank M. Bollig conducted by Mabel Neal on March 23, 1976 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. During this interview Bollig discusses his personal life and reasons for moving to Southern Nevada. Bollig also talks about atomic testing, recreational activities available in Las Vegas, Nevada, various significant businesses in Las Vegas, and important casinos on the Las Vegas Strip.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Robert Kesterson conducted by James M. Greene on October 24, 1974 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Kesterson offers an overview on life in Boulder City, Las Vegas, and Henderson, Nevada. He also discusses land development.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Lois M. Goodall conducted by Judy Harrell on November 12, 2013 for the West Charleston Neighborhoods--an Oral History Project of Ward 1. Goodall discusses the history of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), including the development of the Thomas & Mack Center, the Barrick Scholar Award for students and the Distinguished Scholar Award for faculty. Goodall also discusses her husband, the fourth UNLV president.
Archival Collection