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Transcript of interview with Laura & Don Garvin by Michael Martocci, March 3, 1979
On March 3, 1979, Michael Martocci interviewed Laura (born in California) and Don Garvin (born in Goldfield, Nevada) about their lives in Las Vegas, Nevada. The two provide details on their family background, the first sources of water in Las Vegas, and the early city limits. They also describe their early occupations, religion, gambling, the Mormon Fort, and the effects of the Great Depression. The interview concludes with a brief discussion on the development of the Las Vegas Strip and recreational activities.
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Thomas, Therese, 1917-2001
Therese Courture Thomas was born July 5, 1917 in Thistle, Utah. Her father, Earnest "Earl" Courture, worked as a railroad worker, a steel worker, and a building contractor as her family moved around Utah. After the Wall Street Crash of 1929, Thomas's father moved to Las Vegas, Nevada to work on Hoover Dam (Boulder Dam) construction, later moving the rest of the family with him in approximately 1931. Thomas worked as amusican in swing and dance bands. She died October 26, 2001.
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Salton, Al
Alexander “Al” Salton (1894-1948) was a founding member of the Las Vegas, Nevada Jewish community. Salton moved to Las Vegas in 1928 with his wife Rebecca and his children, Adele and Charles. He worked for a grocery store that sold bootlegging supplies, and he invested in real estate. After Prohibition ended in 1933, Salton opened Al’s Bar on South First Street. Al’s Bar was the first bar in the area to have guaranteed jackpots and was very popular among the Union Pacific Railroad workers.
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Foster, Josephine Gail, 1912-2003
Josephine Gail Johnson was born in Goldfield, Nevada in 1912. Her stepfather, Sam Manor, was a section foreman for the Tonopah and Goldfield Railroad. Because of his position, the family moved to a company house in the town of Millers after the birth of Josephine's younger brother Sam, Jr. in 1920. Josephine and her family evenutually moved to Tonopah. Josephine later married George Byron Foster, and they had two children: Marjorie and Patricia. Josephine Foster passed away March 24, 2003.
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Salton, Alexander "Al", 1894-1948
Alexander “Al” Salton (1894-1948) was a founding member of the Las Vegas, Nevada Jewish community. Salton moved to Las Vegas in 1928 with his wife Rebecca and his children, Adele and Charles. He worked for a grocery store that sold bootlegging supplies, and he invested in real estate. After Prohibition ended in 1933, Salton opened Al’s Bar on South First Street. Al’s Bar was the first bar in the area to have guaranteed jackpots and was very popular among the Union Pacific Railroad workers.
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Lake, Spud
Robert E. "Spud" Lake was a Las Vegas pioneer and civic developer for whom an elementary school was named. He was born in 1857 in Illinois. He married Mary Ellen Osborn in Missouri in 1885, and they moved to Ontario, Canada, before eventually settling in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1904. He started a barbershop for railroad workers and other settlers in the area. Lake participated in the land auction for the Las Vegas town site and purchased two parcels. The first school was built on one of his parcels; and he served as the first president of the school board, and later as a trustee.
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Transcript of interview with Don Eckert by Robert A. Kamp, March 15, 1981
On March 15, 1981, Robert A. Kamp interviewed Donald (Don) L. Eckert (born 1953 in Las Vegas, Nevada) about his experiences while living in Nevada. Eckert first explains the geographical boundaries of Las Vegas when he was first born and the types of recreation in which both youth and adults would take part. Eckert then discusses the Helldorado events and how they have changed over the years before describing how the University of Nevada, Las Vegas has changed as well. The interview then shifts to the topic of Eckert’s college major, hotel management, and then to a brief discussion about the MGM fire. Eckert also talks about horse racing in Las Vegas, changes in gaming, the Basic Magnesium plant, and the development of Mount Charleston. The interview concludes with Eckert’s thoughts on the legalization of gambling in other states and how that trend relates to the future of Las Vegas.
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