John Lytle (left) and Sherman "Scoop" Garside (right) at Emigrant (Fremont) Gap on the Old Spanish Trail. Emigrant Gap is a gap in a ridge on the California Trail as it crosses the Sierra Nevada, to the west of what is now known as Donner Pass. Here the cliffs are so steep that, back in the 1840s, the pioneers on their way to California had to lower their wagons on ropes in order to continue. The first official effort to mark the Old Spanish Trail across Nevada took place in 1964 when the Governor of Nevada asked Sherwin "Scoop" Garside to design and implement a Centennial project to help commemorate the Silver State's 100th birthday. Garside proposed that an appropriate Centennial project would be to mark the trace of the Old Spanish Trail across southern Nevada. The Governor concurred and directed the Nevada State government to cooperate in the project. Garside and his associate John Lytle brought together a group of friends and supporters to help fund and fabricate the white concrete posts that were used to mark the trace of the Old Spanish Trail across the state. Members of an affiliate of the local Boy Scouts of America Council helped erect thirty-three of these markers across the Mojave Desert in southern Nevada and Eastern California. The markers are inscribed with the legend "The Old Spanish Trail, 1829-1855." There are four Old Spanish Trail Historical Markers located in Nevada. One is located on U. S. 91 in Mesquite, the second is located in Fantasy Park, 1/4 mile east of Las Vegas Boulevard, North and Washington Avenue in Las Vegas, the third is located at Town Center in Blue Diamond, and the fourth is located on State 16 at Mountain Springs Summit. In 2001, the section of the Trail that runs across Nevada from the Arizona border to California (known as the "Old Spanish Trail-Mormon Road Historic District") was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The White Cross Drug Store Scrapbook (1950-1964) contains photographs, employee training materials, newspaper clippings, advertisements, displays, and some historical narrative and press release material on the history and mission of the White Cross Drug Store. It also includes advertising ephemera and brochures on cosmetic products and perfumes of the early 1950s.
Mike Gordon speaks about their liquor stores and lists his occupation as a bartender. Among the civic organizations that he participated in were: Young Democrats, Eagles Lodge, Lions Club, past president of Temple Beth Sholom and B'nai B'rith Lodge. Together Mike and Sallie recall the growth and changes of the valley they have witnessed between the early 1930s and mid-1970s. Among his anecdotes is one about the carrying of payroll checks to Boulder Dam to avoid "interference" (robberies).
Mike and Sallie were among the very first people of Jewish ancestry to make their way to Las Vegas. They arrived January 26, 1932 to join relatives of Sallie?s who had moved to Las Vegas when the Boulder Dam construction began. They had married in 1930 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Soon they were involved members of a small but growing group of Jewish pioneers and helped found Temple Beth Sholom, the community?s first synagogue. Mike speaks about their liquor stores and lists his occupation as a bartender. Among the civic organizations that he participated in were: Young Democrats, Eagles Lodge, Lions Club, past president of Temple Beth Sholom and B?nai B?rith Lodge. Together Mike and Sallie recall the growth and changes of the valley they have witnessed between the early 1930s and mid-1970s. Among his anecdotes is one about the carrying of payroll checks to Boulder Dam to avoid ?interference? (robberies).
The El Cortez Hotel and Casino sits at 600 E Fremont St in Downtown Las Vegas. Continually operating in the same location since 1941, the El Cortez is listed on the National Register of Historical Places. Information about the sign is available in the Southern Nevada Neon Survey Data Sheet. Site name: El Cortez Hotel & Casino (Las Vegas, Nev.) Site address: 600 Fremont St Sign owner: IKE Gaming Inc Sign details: 2,77 acre lot, with an original construction year of 1941. Sign condition: 5 - fully functional, looks well taken care of, no damage to the sign, even looks original. Sign form: Back to back Architectural sign Sign-specific description: Double sided architectural sign perched on top of the building of the El Cortez reads El Cortez HOTEL COFFEE SHOP & BAR FREE PARKING with a metal frame work to hold it high for tourists to see down Fremont Street on either side of the road or sidewalk. in the Day it looks white and baby blue with the frame work painted white. At night El Cortez glows red whit what looks like white skeleton neon outlining the wording, HOTEL is outlined with pink skeleton neon, and COFFEE SHOP & BAR FREE PARKING is made of the same pink neon as the HOTEL portion. Sign - type of display: Neon Sign - media: Steel Sign environment: The property is surrounded by other casinos, restaurants, and bars. Sign - date of installation: circa 1941 Sign - date of redesign/move: Possible change in signage around 1946 Sign - thematic influences: Spanish revival (mission) style, the facade was faced with bricks with weeping mortar and the roof was red tile while a large metal sign announced the casino clubs name. Sign - artistic significance: Spanish Revival / Western cowboy themes were popular in Vegas especially in the 30s and 40s due to the image pushed to look like the wild west or as a pioneer town. Survey - research locations: Las Vegas Then and Now, Spectacular, assessor's website Surveyor: Danny Jacobs Survey - date completed: 2017-09-04 Sign keywords: Neon; Steel; Architectural; Back to back; Incandescent; Reader board; Marquee; Roof Sign
Interview with Charles Salton by George Green on April 23, 1976. Salton discusses arriving in Las Vegas in 1929, after his family had moved from New Jersey to Huntington Beach, California. His father sold real estate, and expected a boom after the authorization for the construction of Hoover Dam. His father was involved in bootlegging and then owned Al's Bar, a drinking and gambling establishment, on the alley at South First Street. Salton describes the area around Fremont Street and Las Vegas Boulevard with businesses and grocery stores, the grammar school and high school, and the hospital. Salton talks about his social activities, including involvement in the Jewish Community Center (Temple Beth Sholom), and several of the bars, clubs and casinos in the area. He briefly discusses the mob influence in the casinos versus corporate ownership and then speaks about the education system in Clark County.