The Eugene Martin Christiansen Papers (dating from 1948 to 2017, with the bulk of the materials dating from 1975 to 2005) contain research files, reports, and presentations about gambling written and collected by gaming consultant Eugene Martin Christiansen. Most of the collection is comprised of research files and reports about legalized gambling, casinos, hotels, racetracks, and entertainment venues, including the economic impacts of legalized gaming, feasibility studies for opening new casinos and racetracks, popularity of off-track betting, horse and dog racing, table games, gambling addiction, gaming regulation, taxes, lotteries, and Native American gaming. The collection also includes research files covering state and municipal regulation of gaming, significant individuals in the gaming industry, prominent hotels and casinos, gaming research conferences, financial reports, and international regulation of gaming. The collection also contains a small amount of business records from Christiansen’s entertainment company Feature Film Finance & Production.

Oral history interview with Kent Carmichael conducted by Stefani Evans on November 25 and December 2, 2019 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project.

In the first session of this oral history, Carmichael discusses his early career in lighting design and maintenance from his start at Interstate Neon to his work in the 1950s and 60s in Las Vegas. He discusses some of the iconic signs he built including the Casino Center, Carnival Room, Thunderbird, The Frontier, Bonanza, and the Stardust. He also details the technology and inner workings of these innovative signs including the transition from mechanical to electrically controlled signage. Carmichael continues to discuss Native American laborers and various individuals that he interacted with throughout his early career including Max and Mo Oggenblick, Doby Doc, Benny Binion, Arby Alper, Steve Wynn, Peter Arp, and Wayne and Jerry Newton. Carmichael ends the first interview by recalling a high wind event that damaged the Frontier sign and his efforts to bring the sign under control and repair it as well as his vision and behind the Stardust sign.

The second oral history interview contains Carmichael’s discussion of his career from 1968 onward. He immediately picks up discussion of the Stardust sign and his transition to desk work. Carmichael details the challenge and limitations of designing the International sign (the Westgate as of 2021). He describes the development of his first messenger sign for the International and the time consuming task of using tape to program the sign. He fondly remembers working on the Holiday Inn Riverboat signs, and International transition to Las Vegas Hilton and the Hilton’s transition from blue to red letters. Carmichael shares the story of being caught between organized crime and a young Steve Wynn. He recounts his last project for Ad Art, developing and construction the sign for the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. He details working through legislative and construction issues as well as the fallout from the Nat Kiefer Commission.

After leaving Ad Art Carmichael began working with Heath and Co. and began collaborating with Raul Rodriguez. Carmichael and Rodriguez went on to design some of the most enduring and visually unique signs in Las Vegas including, the Flamingo, Four Queens, Golden Nugget, Dunes Hotel, and the Desert Inn. They also worked in Reno on Circus Circus and El Dorado. Carmichael also details his interior work including the main pylon and interior signs for MGM Grand; 1974 renovation Golden Nugget, suspended stained glass ceiling at Tropicana, and the MGM Lion display. Lastly Carmichael outlined his work with Young Electric Sign 1983-85 and the Dewey Sign Company including the Las Vegas Convention Center sign. He ends by sharing his views on the role and importance of lighting in Las Vegas.

The C. A. Earle Rinker Photograph Collection of Goldfield, Nevada (approximately 1900-1915) contains individual black-and-white photographic prints, photographic albums, black-and-white and tinted postcards, and photographic negatives that document the history of early twentieth century Goldfield, Nevada. The images include photographic prints of Goldfield and surrounding areas during its peak years of 1906-1910; postcards showing scenes of Goldfield, Tonopah, and other areas in central Nevada; and negatives that contain images of Rinker's family and homelife in Indiana and Illinois.