People

A vintage photo of a white car parked outside a building with large cursive Moulin Rouge signage, shingle roof accents, and palm trees lining the street on a sunny day. Moulin Rouge Hotel and Casino
May 25, 2021 | Category: Casinos, History, People, Places | Tags:

On 24 May 1955 the Moulin Rouge Hotel and Casino opened.  It was located at at 900, Bonanza Road on the west side of Las Vegas; becoming what the promoters called “the nation’s first major interracial hotel”.

Opening to standing-room only mixed crowds, the night stage show included the stage show an all African American […]

Black-and-white photo of a river running between steep, rocky canyon walls at the Boulder Canyon Dam site, with mountainous terrain in the background. The Naming of Hoover Dam
April 30, 2021 | Category: History, People, Places | Tags:
Black Canyon taken Oct 13 1930

On 30th April 1947, the 80th Congress passed legislation to officially designate the dam, previously known as Boulder Dam, to be “Hoover Dam” in honor of President Herbert Hoover.  The name of the dam that spans banks of the Colorado River flowing in between Nevada […]

A man in a cowboy hat and embroidered shirt sits on a horse, while two women in summer dresses stand beside the horse, smiling at the camera. It is a sunny day with trees and cars in the background. Joe Louis
April 12, 2021 | Category: Casinos, History, People, Places | Tags:
Joe Louis in front of the Moulin Rouge Hotel and Casino before the Helldorado parade in 1955

On April 12th 1981, Joe Louis passed away in Las Vegas. Born in Lafayette, Alabama, in 1914, Joe and his family moved away from the discrimination they encountered when he was still young to […]

A museum exhibit displays large marine reptile fossils mounted on a wall and in glass cases, with descriptive panels and skeletons of other prehistoric animals nearby. Margaret Wheat
April 7, 2021 | Category: exhibits, History, Native Americans, People | Tags:
Margaret Wheat

Margaret Wheat (1908-1988) was a self-taught geologist and anthropologist with a special interest in ichthyosaurs – the Nevada State fossil.
Born to pioneer parents in Fallon, NV., she went on to study at the University of Nevada, Reno. Her field work experiences ranged from U.S. Geological Survey work to protecting […]

Vintage postcard illustration of the Hotel El Rancho Vegas shows a cowboy with a guitar and a cowgirl by a wooden fence, with the hotel and a windmill in the background. Text advertises the hotel’s Round-Up Room. El Rancho Vegas
April 3, 2021 | Category: Casinos, History, People, Places | Tags:
El Rancho Vegas with signage for the Round-Up Room

On April 3rd 1941, the El Rancho Vegas opened on Highway 91, (opposite today’s Sahara Hotel and Casino) on what was to become the Las Vegas Strip; the first large successful hotel and casino operation outside of downtown Las Vegas.

The El Rancho […]

A woman with short dark hair wearing a pink blazer and a necklace stands in front of a blurred blue background, looking confidently at the camera. Polly Gonzalez
March 28, 2021 | Category: History, People | Tags:
Portrait of Polly Gonzalez when she was news anchor at KLAS Channel.

Polly Gonzalez was the first Latina evening news anchor in Nevada.  she died March 28th 2005 in a car crash on the way to look at the desert wildflowers of Death Valley. Her two young daughters survived the accident.

Born […]

A bronze statue of a woman in traditional Native American attire holding a rolled paper in one hand and reaching out with a bird perched on her other hand, standing indoors against a light stone wall. Sarah Winnemucca
March 25, 2021 | Category: exhibits, History, Native Americans, People | Tags:
Bronze statue of Sarah Winnemucca in the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C.

Sarah Winnemucca was born around 1844 in what is now Nevada, to Chief Winnemucca of the Paiutes. Her grandfather was Chief Truckee, leader of the Paiute nation, and he influenced her early upbringing and education. By the time she […]

A woman in a polka dot dress stands smiling in front of a tiled wall with raised letters reading Lily Fong Geoscience Building. Lilly Fong
March 8, 2021 | Category: education, exhibits, general, History, People | Tags:
Photo of Lilly Fong in 1985 standing outside the UNLV Geoscience Building named in her honor.

Lilly Fong (1925-2002) nee Hing, was a champion for education throughout her lifetime. Lilly’s deep-rooted belief in education stemmed from her childhood, instilled by her parents.  Her father was known to quote the teachings of Confucius as he agreed that ‘education was the equalizer of […]

A black and white portrait of a woman with short, curly hair, wearing a dark top and layered necklaces, looking directly at the camera with a neutral expression. Sarann Knight Preddy
March 5, 2021 | Category: Casinos, general, History, People | Tags:
Sarann Knight Preddy                    Photo courtesy: UNR

Sarann Knight Preddy (1920-2014) was an entrepreneur, civil rights activist, and the first black woman to receive a gaming license in Nevada.  In 1950, she and her husband moved to Hawthorne, Nevada where she received her […]

A black-and-white portrait of a woman with light-colored eyes and hair styled up. She is wearing a high-necked, patterned dress and looking directly at the camera with a neutral expression. Delphine Squires
March 2, 2021 | Category: education, general, History, People | Tags:
Delphine from The Woman Citizen, Nevada Edition, November 1912.

Delphine Anderson Squires (1868-1961) was matriarch to one of the first families to settle in Las Vegas arriving after her husband in 1906. She possessed a determined pioneering spirit and was an important contributor to the city’s growth as a community. She […]

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