The Eric A. Jamieson Photographs contain photographic slides of the Western United States' Intermountain region from 1955 to 1983. The bulk of the images are of the region's physical and urban landscapes and include Las Vegas, Nevada, the Las Vegas Strip and Fremont Street, Nevada mining towns, Red Rock Canyon, Mount Charleston, Valley of Fire, Lake Mead, and Death Valley.
Archival Collection
Oral history interviews with Marge Conley conducted by Claytee White on May 06, 1998 and July 09, 1998 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Conley opens her interviews discussing her childhood in Chicago, Illinois during the Great Depression including her experience working at a young age to help her family. She discusses her experiences with unions throughout the country and using her union traveling card to transfer from Chicago to Las Vegas, Nevada. Conely talks about her career as a server at the Desert Inn and Caesars Palace including topics about staffing, wages, and working conditions. She describes her association with the Culinary Workers Union Local 226, how strikes were organized, and the union's efforts to improve others' lives. She also talks about how the local Culinary Union helped promote women and African Americans into leadership positions. Conley ends her interview discussing the importance of unions and the need to continue them in the future.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Claudine Williams conducted by Joanne Goodwin on November 20, 1997 and November 09, 2005 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Goodwin begins the interview by discussing growing up in Shreveport, Louisiana, and how she supported her single mother. She goes on to describe her education and early jobs in restaurants and newsstands in Texas. Goodman then talks about meeting her husband, Shelby Williams, and how she became involved in the gaming industry, including her work with Benny Binion in Dallas, Texas and Jake Freidman in Houston, Texas. She describes moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1963, and how she and Shelby developed the Silver Slipper Casino, which was sold to Howard Hughes, and Holiday Casino, which eventually became Harrah's Hotel and Casino. Williams also speaks about her community involvement, including philanthropic efforts at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Janet Kravenko conducted by Bridget Kelly on August 07, 2002 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Kravenko opens her interview by discussing the importance of dance to her family, and her early interest in becoming a member of the Bluebell Girls dance troupe. She describes the rules of touring as a Bluebell Girl and her experiences traveling the world for two years. She then discusses her first contract in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Lido de Paris show. She describes the daily life of a Bluebell Girl, and where they rehearsed and performed. Kravenko then talks about being a young performer in Las Vegas and the challenges of finding work. She also describes some of the famous people she worked with including Zsa Zsa Gabor and Major Riddle. Lastly, Kravenko discusses how her dance career changed after she became a mother.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Ruth Poirier conducted by Joanne Goodwin on February 05, 2003 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Poirier opens her interview by discussing her partner Doris Pressler, who had passed away before the interview. She describes Doris' upbringing, her role in the first band at the Roseland Ballroom in New York, and explains how an all-women band in the 1930s and 1940s was a phenomenon. Poirier then discusses her own history, including how she became involved in music and all-women bands, and how she met Doris. Poirier describes in detail the importance of music to her family, the types of music she played, and what it was like to be a musician during the Depression. She talks about her relationship with Doris and recalls early interactions with other gay youths. Poirer ends her interview explaining why she and Doris decided to settle in Las Vegas, Nevada, and describes their impressions and involvement with the local LGBTQ+ community.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Rosemary Tall Dehart conducted by Brigid Kelly on November 14, 2002 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Dehart opens her interview by discussing her upbringing in Wellingborough, England. She goes on to describe her dance career and receiving an offer to become a member of the Bluebell Girls dance troupe. Dehart talks about performing in Paris, France for shows and movie dance segments. She then discusses traveling from Paris to Las Vegas, Nevada to perform at the Stardust Hotel. Dehart describes the treatment of different types of entertainers and the choreography style of Donn Arden. She then discusses returning to the Stardust later in life to work as a roulette dealer. Dehart ends her interview with a discussion of advice for young dancers and why she chose to settle in Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Winnie Prince conducted by Irene Rostine on May 18, 1995 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Prince opens her interview by discussing her history in Las Vegas, Nevada, which began when she moved to the city in 1942. Prince describes her husband's experiences living in a Las Vegas tent city, and her life in St. George, Utah prior to her move to Las Vegas. She also talks about her brief employment at the Basic Magnesium plant just before the end of World War II. Prince discusses her job responsibilities at the plant, and the importance of accuracy in her job as a shell casting inspector. Lastly, she describes her husband's job as a guard at the Basic Magnesium plant and the ways rationing affected daily life, including commuting to work and feeding her family.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Mary Ward conducted by Irene Rostine on March 14, 2012 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Ward discusses moving to Nevada in the 1950s with her husband to live closer to his family. She describes living in both Pahrump and Las Vegas, Nevada, and the commute between both cities. Ward then talks about the various places she was employed including the County Commissioner's office and the local telephone company. She also worked as a telephone operator at the Frontier Hotel and Casino, Sands Hotel and Casino, and the Flamingo Hotel. She goes on to talk about the duties telephone operators had, how important the union was for telephone operators because of unfair retribution, lack of stability, and the need for worker's rights. Additional comments are provided by a person identified as Opal.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Vernon Bostick conducted by Robert McCracken on January 19-20, 2000 and February 04, 2000 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Bostick opens his interviews by discussing his family history and upbringing in a company-owned town in Colorado. Bostick talks extensively about his life in Colorado, his interest in nature, and working on his family ranch. He then describes his forestry management job for the state of Washington. Bostick discusses how his work eventually took him out West, and why he opened a consulting firm to facilitate relations between the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and ranchers. He then talks about how his son's success working at the Nevada Test Site convinced him to take a job there in the 1960s. Bostick then discusses a variety of environmental issues and law specific to Las Vegas, Nevada. Bostick ends his interview discussing his opinions about environmental legislation and management.
Archival Collection
Oral history interviews with Sarann Knight Preddy conducted by Claytee D. White on June 05, 1997 and March 11, 1998 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Preddy begins her interview by discussing her upbringing in Oklahoma. Preddy then talks about moving to Las Vegas in 1942 and her first job at the Cotton Club. She then discusses moving to Hawthorne, Nevada, buying her club, the Lincoln Bar, and working for the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement Colored People (NAACP). Preddy also talks about gaining gaming licenses for her establishments and about the migration patterns of the African American community in Nevada. She describes the Westside community, education, and prejudice in Las Vegas, Nevada. Lastly, Preddy describes important places and people in the Las Vegas community.
Archival Collection