The R.F. “Chick” Perkins Papers date from 1900 to 1990, with the bulk from 1930 to 1990, and document the history of Native Americans and the archaeology of Southern Nevada. The collection contains photographs, correspondence, professional papers, official documents, and publications belonging to Richard Fay "Chick" Perkins, who served as curator of the Lost City Museum in Overton, Nevada, from 1956 to 1980.
On February 27, 1979, collector Greg Abbott interviewed Hildred Meidell (b. March 17, 1900 in Webb City, Missouri) about her time living in Las Vegas, Nevada. Meidell covers a range of topics, from her and her husband’s time as tourists in the city and their subsequent retirement to Las Vegas from Los Angeles, California. Meidell describes the Las Vegas Strip, the interstate and highway conditions between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, as well as their numerous visits to Hoover Dam (Boulder Dam). Moreover, she speaks about the changing layout of the city, the increase in shopping centers and department stores, and the clothing stores inside of hotels. Lastly, Meidell talks about the prominence of churches in local communities, the atomic testing program and the structural damages these tests caused in her neighborhood, and the influence of the railroad and passenger train on the town.