Harriett Thornton Hicks was born June 8, 1913,in Parowan, Utah; the thirteenth child of 14. She tells of her pioneer family who dwelled in two log cabins—one for cooking and one for sleeping. In 1931, she moved to Las Vegas to join two older sisters who had relocated here. She was picked up at the train by young Charles Hicks, who was a friend of her sisters. Charles had a car and offered to provide transportation. Within three years, the two were married. She quit her drug store job to raise a family and he worked for the railroad, the only business at the time in Las Vegas. At the age of 96, Harriett recalls a range of community milestones, such as the Boulder Dam, the news of Pearl Harbor bombing, Fremont Street, the Biltmore Hotel, and how to live in a city with mob influences.
Cattle grazing in a field, possibly in Lamoille Valley, Nevada. Lamoille is located in Elko County, Nevada. It is located about 17 miles (27 km) east of Elko at the base of the Ruby Mountains at an elevation of 5,889 feet (1,795 m) and is part of the Elko Micropolitan Statistical Area. The early history of the community and surrounding area is summarized in a nearby highway marker. John Walker and Thomas Waterman first settled the area in 1865. Waterman named the valley after his native Vermont. In 1868, Walker erected the Cottonwood Hotel, store and blacksmith shop in the valley, and the settlement became known as "The Crossroads." Here wagons were repaired and food and supplies could be obtained. The original buildings and the more recent 20-bedroom Lamoille hotel, creamery, flour mill and dance hall are gone. Lamoille is nestled off the western flanks of the Ruby Mountains at the end of Nevada State Route 227, and is the principal gateway to this range via the National Forest Scenic Byway up Lamoille Canyon.