Hicks, Harriett Thornton

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.