History of Blue Diamond Village in Nevada Oral History Project

This is the history of Blue Diamond Village. Blue Diamond is located 26 miles southwest of Las Vegas. The village, originally known as Cottonwood Springs, changed its name when the Blue Diamond Company took ownership of the Gypsum mine and built corporate housing for the workers in the early '20s. Near the base of the Red Rock canyon, Blue Diamond Village was originally a stop on the Old Spanish Trail for traders from Santa Fe, N.M., to California between 1830 and 1848, according to the history committee's findings. road for the The Blue Diamond School opened in 1929. The company built bunk housing and homes for the workers that it started selling to the public in 1965.

The Blue Diamond Oral History Committee is comprised of dedicated village volunteers who collect stories from neighbors past and present. The quaint village nestled in Red Rock Canyon is home of the richest gypsum ore in the state, thus the name Blue Diamond. A grassroots effort, Claytee White trained and still consults with the volunteers on oral history methods. Members of the Committee have collected almost 100 interviews, obtained a 501(c)(3) designation, applied for grants, and developed a play from the histories that was performed at the Southwest Oral History Conference and in the village.