On March 20, 1978, Jamie McKee interviewed Emma Richard Foremaster (born 1899 in Alamo, Nevada) about her family history. Foremaster mainly discussed her ancestry, including the background of her parents and grandparents, and she did so in a pre-scripted narration-style account. Foremaster also talks about the various locations at which her family has lived, some of the recreational activities and occupations of her family, and some of the background of her own life. At the conclusion of the narration, Foremaster talks briefly about her children, her work in becoming a schoolteacher, and her appreciation for the advancements in technology as well as the love for her family and country.
Letter dated June 27, 1939, from the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce supporting a petition date June 21, 1939, by property owners and taxpayers living in the Moapa Valley area of Clark County, Nevada. The petition requested that the area be placed under the control of the Division of Grazing. Such a designation would restrict the removal of timber from watershed areas and help prevent the effects of erosion due to flooding. According to the Bureau of Land Management, Grazing District No. 5 is Las Vegas, established November 3, 1936.
Born in St. Thomas, Nevada on May 6, 1914, Vivian “Viv” Frehner was a lifelong resident of southern Nevada. He worked on the construction of the Hoover Dam before becoming deputy sheriff in Caliente, Nevada in the 1950s. Frehner also worked as a rancher and heavy equipment operator. Viv Frehner died on July 18, 1999.
Source:
Bass, Debra D. “Nevadan Who Loved Horses and Rodeo ‘Viv’ Frehner Dies at Age 85.” Las Vegas Review-Journal, July 21, 1999.
Katherine D. Beal interviews truck driver and fireman Wesley Troy Adams (b. 1930) at his home in Henderson, Nevada. Born in Modena, Utah, Adams relocated to Nevada in 1959. Adams discusses LDS church organization and affiliation, celebrations in Caliente, Pioche, and Panaca. Also during the interview, Adams offers insight into raising a family in Southern Nevada, Bottle House in Pittman, atomic testing, and shares his philosophical views on life. Adams wife is also present during the interview.
Margaret McGhie was a Depression era child who grew up in western Nevada, where her grandparents were ranchers. Her mother, a native Nevadan, married an Italian immigrant, and she recalls moving a lot. Margaret attended a business college in Reno and eventually moved to Las Vegas, where she worked for Basic Magnesium (BMI) in Gabbs, NV and then later for a remanufacturing company where she verified rocket measurements. Only 16,000 people resided in Las Vegas in post World War II days when she moved there for work as her husband returned from military service. At the time lots for homes were selling in the new development of John S. Park. Using the GI bill the young couple became one of the first home owners on the street. The land had formerly been a ranch and orchard making it a beautiful spot. Due to post-war building material shortages it took nearly two years to finish the house construction. To this day Margaret lives in the home where she and husband raised four children. She recalls the neighborhood fondly and describes some of the activities that kept them busy, where they shopped, and how her children attended John S. Park Elementary School and then the local parochial schools. She describes how the town changed from a 10-minute cross-town drive and how the fact of living close to the Strip had little impact on their life. People moved from the neighborhood as the city grew, she says, moving to newer and nicer homes in Spanish Oaks and then Summerlin. The John S. Park neighborhood has changed from a formerly large Mormon demographic to a notable increase of Latino population. She sees the historic designation as a signal of pride in ownership for residents.