Oral history interview with Bill Lamb conducted by Roger Barnhart on June 29, 1975 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Lamb was born in August 22, 1943 in Henderson, Nevada. In the interview, he talks about his experiences moving around Northern Nevada due to his father's mining job. Lamb also discusses his education, family, military service, work in Las Vegas, Nevada casinos, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Richard E. Schroeder conducted by Richard Harrah on February 26, 1979 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Schroeder discusses arriving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1951 to work as a carpenter for the Desert Inn. Schroeder then describes changes in Las Vegas, gambling, and the development of the Las Vegas Strip. Lastly, he discusses the history of some of the hotels and casinos on Fremont Street.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with James L. Willcox conducted by Carol Benner on March 04, 1979 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Willcox discusses working in a research office at the Nevada Test Site for the National Weather Service as a research meteorologist. Willcox later discusses the overall changes to Las Vegas, Nevada, specifically the effects that population increase had on the desert.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Don Laughlin conducted by Stefani Evans and Claytee White on October 10, 2016 for the Building Las Vegas Oral History Project. Laughlin talks about owning multiple properties in the town of Laughlin, Nevada and the growth of the city.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Charles Roland conducted by Claytee D. White on August 16, 2012 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. Roland begins by describing why his family moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1952 and attending Las Vegas High School. He discusses the African American community in Las Vegas, working in a restaurant called Sill's Drive-In, and his father, who opened the Hamburger Heaven restaurants. Roland also discusses race relations in Las Vegas prior to integration, the Binion family, and how Las Vegas has changed.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Raya Meron conducted by Claytee D. White on July 14, 2014 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Meron discusses her upbringing in Israel, moving to Istanbul with her husband, and immigrating to Canada after their divorce. Meron also talks about her career as a showgirl in Las Vegas, Nevada, including being in the Vive les Girls road show in 1965. She then discusses her involvement in helping Cambodian refugees.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Miguel Villarba conducted by David Islas on December 6, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project.
In this interview, Miguel Villarba shares his family's history growing up in Manila, Philippines and immigrating to the United States in 2016. He talks about first living in Chattanooga, Tennessee before moving to Las Vegas, Nevada to be near family when Miguel was in high school. Miguel Villarba shares stories of his grandfather's farm in Pangasinan, Philippines, the differences in city and town life across Manila, Chattanooga, and Las Vegas, and his educational plans. He also talks about Filipino culture and traditions, and racial discrimination.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Danel Boone conducted by Daniel Pope on February 22, 1977 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. During this interview Boone discusses why he came to Las Vegas, Nevada, the Helldorado parade, church activity, and the weather. Boone also discusses city parks, Boy Scouts, schools, above ground atomic tests, local history of Southern Nevada, and the ways in which Las Vegas has changed over the years.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Aaron Williams conducted by Claytee D. White on August 16, 2005 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Williams recalls individuals he worked with, such as Woodrow Wilson, Jimmy Gay, and the mayor of Los Angeles, California. He remembers the Westside Federal Credit Union, joining the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and encountering discrimination at one of the first jobs he had at the Sahara Hotel. He shares anecdotes of Robert Maheu, Steve Wynn, Lubertha Johnson, Ruby Duncan, Mabel Hoggard, and other Las Vegas, Nevada notables.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Violet Tracht conducted by Joyce Moore on January 09, 2004 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Tracht discusses life in Southern Nevada during the 1920s to 1940s. Tracht describes living in Las Vegas, Nevada on the Westside and what the city was like before there was any major development on Fremont Street or the Las Vegas Strip. She also describes living in Boulder City, Nevada, and her husband's grocery store business. Tracht also talks about prominent stores in Las Vegas during the time, her family history, and their recreational activities.
Archival Collection