1900 (year approximate) to 1999 (year approximate)
Description
From the UNLV Libraries Single Item Accession Photograph Collection (PH-00171). Pictured is the first LDS (Mormon) chapel in Las Vegas. Construction was begun in 1924 & completed in 1925. The chapel was located on the northwest corner of 6th & Carson streets. It is presently located on Eastern near Washington (in L.V.) at which place this photo was taken.
The image depicts two unidentified men standing next to a cake; the one to the right is officer in the Nevada Army National Guard. The photograph was taken in November 1967. The cake has inscription "Nevada National Guard" and 3 illustrations on it: the US flag on the left, Nevada Army National Guard logo in the center and Nevada flag on the right.
The Bowers Mansion was built in 1863 by Lemuel "Sandy" Bowers and his wife, Eilley Orrum Bowers, and is a prime example of the homes built in Nevada by the new millionaires of the Comstock Lode mining boom. The mansion, designed by J. Neely Johnson, a builder and ex-governor of California, combined Georgian Revival and Italianate architectural styles. It was modeled after a design conceived by Eilley based on her recollection of elegant buildings in her native Scotland. Following the death of Sandy Bowers in 1868, Eilley fell on hard financial times. She generated income by renting out rooms in the mansion and hosting parties and picnics on the grounds. The mansion hosted a ball for the women's suffrage movement and was the location of the annual Miner's Ball. The period of 1873–75 was the height of the mansion's popularity. However, this was not enough to overcome Eilley's debts and she finally lost her home to foreclosure in 1876. The mansion was abandoned by the time Henry Riter acquired it and operated it as a resort until 1946. The building is currently owned and operated by the Washoe County Parks Department. Some 500 Nevada families have donated period furniture housed in the mansion. The park blends the historical site with recreational facilities such as a spring-fed swimming pool, picnic areas, and a playground. The Bowers Mansion is located in Washoe Valley, within the Bowers Mansion Regional Park at 4005 Old U.S. Highway 395 North, North Washoe Valley, Nevada.