The Ken Easley Photographs for Del Webb Corporation in Nevada (approximately 1979-1988) consist of photographic slides, transparencies, prints, contact sheets, and negatives depicting various Del Webb Corporation properties throughout Nevada, including the Nevada Club Hotel and Casino in Laughlin, The Mint Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, the High Sierra Hotel and Casino (formerly Del Webb’s Sahara Tahoe) in Stateline, and the master-planned development of Sun City Summerlin in Las Vegas, Nevada. The photographs document interiors, exteriors, and signage; restaurants, bars, and lounges; gaming activities; and promotions and events.
The Ken Easley Photographs for Del Webb Corporation in Nevada (approximately 1979-1988) consist of photographic slides, transparencies, prints, contact sheets, and negatives depicting various Del Webb Corporation properties throughout Nevada, including the Nevada Club Hotel and Casino in Laughlin, The Mint Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, the High Sierra Hotel and Casino (formerly Del Webb’s Sahara Tahoe) in Stateline, and the master-planned development of Sun City Summerlin in Las Vegas, Nevada. The photographs document interiors, exteriors, and signage; restaurants, bars, and lounges; gaming activities; and promotions and events. The majority of the photographs in the collection were taken by Ken Easley, a professional photographer who was based out of Phoenix, Arizona until his death in 2024. There are slides and prints of work by other photographers, including Larry Hanna, Robert Scott Hooper, and members of the Las Vegas News Bureau, particularly of the Mint 400 desert race.
Collection is open for research.
This material is made available to facilitate private study, scholarship, or research. The donor, Sun Cities Area Historical Society, Inc., transferred all right, title and interest they had in the Ken Easley Photographs for Del Webb Corporation in Nevada (PH-00461) to UNLV. However, some material may be protected by copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity rights, or other interests not owned by UNLV. Users are responsible for determining whether permissions are necessary from rights owners for any intended use and for obtaining all required permissions. Acknowledgement of the UNLV University Libraries is requested. For more information, please see the UNLV Special Collections policies on reproductions and use or contact us at special.collections@unlv.edu.
Materials remain in the order in which they were received.
Founded in Phoenix, Arizona in 1928 as the Del E. Webb Construction Company by Delbert Eugene "Del" Webb, the Del Webb Corporation served as the lead construction firm on numerous projects across the United States. The firm expanded during World War II, building military installations across the western United States, and in 1946 it secured a contract to build the Flamingo Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Del Webb Corporation became the first publicly traded company to operate a casino with its purchase of the Sahara Nevada Corporation in 1961, which held The Mint and Sahara casinos in Las Vegas, Nevada. The firm bought and operated more casinos throughout Nevada, including Del Webb’s Sahara Tahoe (later renamed High Sierra), Nevada Club, Thunderbird Hotel, and Lucky Club.
In 1959, the Del Webb Corporation began developing the Sun City Arizona retirement community, located northwest of Phoenix, Arizona. The community opened in 1960 and its success led to the development of additional Sun City age-restricted communities in Arizona and Nevada. In 2001, the Del Webb Corporation was purchased by Pulte Group, Inc., but the Del Webb brand remained tied to its age-restricted communities.
Sources:
“Del E. Webb Development Co., Developer of Sun City and Sun City West, Arizona,” Del Webb Sun Cities Museum, accessed April 4, 2025, https://delwebbsuncitiesmuseum.org/del-e-webb/.
Del Webb Corporation Photograph Collection, approximately 1957-1988. PH-00313. Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.
Hyman, Harold. “Builder Del E. Webb Dies.”
Ken Easley Photographs for Del Webb Corporation in Nevada, approximately 1979-1988. PH-00461. Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.
Materials were donated in 2025 by Sun Cities Area Historical Society, Inc.; accession number 2025-024.
In 2025, Landon Paljusaj accessioned and processed the collection and wrote the finding aid in ArchivesSpace.
Administrative Information
Acquired by Visual Materials Curator, Aaron Mayes, as part of UNLV Special Collections and Archives holdings on the visual history of Las Vegas, Nevada. The original acquisition included one box of the
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