The John Ponticello Papers are comprised of materials related to Ponticello's experiences in Las Vegas, Nevada between 1956 and 1971 with an emphasis on his Research Gambling Game Project, which he conducted and published between 1968 and 1971. The collection includes materials regarding gaming licenses and applications, research agreements, descriptions of the project, and publications about the research project. Also included are materials from Ponticello's experiences in Las Vegas such as business cards, county work cards, and souvenir photographs.
The Irma McGonagill Photograph Collection (1870-1925) consists of thirty black-and-white photographic prints, ten postcards, and fourteen photographic negatives showing Irma McGonagill and her family in Tonopah, Nevada during the mining boom. The images depict the town of Tonopah, mines around the Tonopah area, homes in Tonopah, and the McGonagill family.
The E.P. Carville Scrapbook (1941) compiled by former Nevada Assemblyman H.E. Hazard documents Carville's governorship of Nevada. It contains articles from a number of Nevada newspapers on topics including the Rio Tinto mine strike, mining, gasoline and liquor taxes, Civil Defense activities, and other issues of importance in 1941.
Mark Hall-Patton, administrator of Clark County Museums and since 2008 a frequent guest on the popular cable television show Pawn Stars, was born in 1954 in San Diego, California. His mother was a registered nurse and his father served in the United States Navy. From early childhood, Mark’s interest in history and museums shaped his path in life. After graduating high school in Santa Ana, California, he earned his Bachelor’s degree in history at nearby University of California, Irvine. Degree in hand, Mark worked for Bowers Museum in Santa Ana and founded the Anaheim Museum in 1984. He moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1993 to create the Howard W. Cannon Aviation Museum in McCarran International Airport. By 2008, Mark had become administrator over all Clark County museums. In this interview, he explains the various ways his involvement with the popular Pawn Stars program has turned “the museum guy” into a brand, introduced production companies to the value of filming in Las Vegas, increased Clark County museum visits and donations, and raised popular awareness of the academic fields of history and museum studies.