Patrick “Pat” Anthony McCarran (1876-1954) was a United States senator who was significant in Nevada’s politics for more than fifty years. He was a supporter of the aviation industry as well, lobbying for the construction of the Nellis Air Force Base. McCarran was one of the few Democrats who opposed President Franklin D. Roosevelt and was also known to be a passionate anti-Communist.
The Hotel Sahara float entry in the Helldorado Parade, May 1958. The float is titled "Hotel Sahara Toasts Wondrous Women." Smaller sections of the float are names "Birth of Venus" featuring a woman seated in a large clam shell that is being pulled by a large seahorse. The main portion of the float features three women seated beneath a large champagne glass, and a fourth woman seated on a large throne made of flowers. A side section of the float is titled "Joan of Arc," but the woman is obscured behind the horse sculpture she is riding. They are in front of the Boulder Club, located at 118 Fremont Street. The Boulder Club was in operation from 1931-1960. A sign on the Boulder Club reads ""Farmer" Page - Enjoy the Old West - Jackpots, Craps, Bar, Keno, Roulette, Twenty-One." They have just passed Joe W. Brown's Horseshoe Club (in operation from 1935-1958), located 128 Fremont Street at the corner of Fremont Street and 2nd Street. The Hotel Apache and the Fremont Casino are visible in the background.
Louis Prima (1910-1978) was an American singer, songwriter, trumpeter, bandleader, and actor during the mid-20th century. He was known for performing jazz, swing, and jump blues music. Using his background from New Orleans and his Italian heritage to shape his distinctive sound, he encouraged other performers at the time to embrace their ethnic heritage. He frequently performed with his wife, Keely Smith, at the height of his popularity.
The Maude Frazier Professional Papers (1955-1962) contain programs honoring Frazier, a University of Nevada, Reno commencement program, and a groundbreaking ceremony for the Nevada Southern Second Building. Also included are awards of appreciation and certificates for her dedicated service to the Las Vegas, Nevada community. The materials focus on her later career with the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Cleveland A. Earle Rinker was born in Indiana in 1883 to S. Cleveland Rinker and Isadora (Fenwick) Rinker. Shortly after his twentieth birthday Rinker went to Parker, Indiana, seeking work as a stenographer. He soon began working as a clerk for Thomas Condon, a coal and oil dealer who was also an enthusiastic investor in Nevada gold mines. Condon encouraged Rinker to seek his fortune in the gold fields and, in late October of 1906, Rinker boarded a train to make the journey to Goldfield, Nevada.