Byron Underhill's father owned the first Coca-Cola bottling plant, the first beer distributorship, and the first bowling alley in Las Vegas. Byron moved here from Needles, Calif., with his family in 1927. Byron later took over the bottling plant, served in the Army as an aircraft mechanic and a glider pilot during World War II, was a private pilot who worked with Search and Rescue, played in various bands, and suggested to the Lions club that they found a burn unit at University Medical Center that is still the only one in the state

From the Lincy Institute "Perspectives from the COVID-19 Pandemic" Oral History Project (MS-01178) -- Education sector interviews file.

Hotel Nevada after the addition of a balcony. Transcribed from photo sleeve: "by Florence Lee Jones ... March, 1969. Early Las Vegas History. The Hotel Nevada, at the Southeast corner of Main and Fremont Streets, is the oldest continuous hotel business in Las Vegas, although it has been known as Sal Sagev (Las Vegas spelled backward) since 1928. The hostelry started as a tent in 1905, but the late John Miller soon erected a permanent building, shown above, which provided the most luxurious accommodations and the best food in Las Vegas for many years. In the 1930's the Sal Sagev Hotel had one of the three elevators in town. A private dining room was a popular place for private parties for the elite of the town. The hotel is now owned and operated by Miller's son, Abe Miller, and his daughter, Mrs. Sherman E. Nugent. The Golden Gate Club now occupies much of the first floor of the building. On the North side of the building is a sign "Bank of Southern Nevada", which was the second bank established in Las Vegas. (The other was the First State Bank.) Started by John F. Miller, Ed Von Tobel, Sr., Will Beckley, Attorney Frank Stevens, and Hal D. Buzick, the Bank of Southern Nevada was an important factor in Southern Nevada's economy. During the 1930's and the Depression, the federal government issued restrictive orders on bank operations. The reaction of the independent Las Vegans was 'No guy in Washington is going to tell us how to run our bank.' ... So they paid off all the depositors and closed the bank. The Rhoads & Rhoads General Machine Works (extreme right) was one of the first automobile agencies in town - the start of Community Chevrolet."
Site Name: Hotel Nevada
Address: 1 Fremont Street