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Letter from Walter R. Bracken (Las Vegas) to J. Ross Clark (Los Angeles), January 17, 1920
Date
1920-01-17
Description
Bracken noticed that only 2600 feet of pipe was authorized to repair the pipeline from the Las Vegas Springs. He makes the case that it is best to replace the whole line as it would be cheaper in the long run.
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Letter from Hugh A. Shamberger (Carson City) to Colonel H. F. Clark (Las Vegas), December 11, 1951
Date
1951-12-11
Description
Shamberger advised the Water District to purchase the lands surrounding the Las Vegas Springs as well as other springs and wells in the area to protect its water sources in the future.
Text
Las Vegas Valley Water District Report on water supply, October 1949
Date
1949-10
Description
Detailed 76 page report with charts, tables and calculations on the water situation in the Las Vegas Valley.
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Robert E. "Spud" Lake Photographs
Identifier
PH-00041
Abstract
The Robert E. "Spud" Lake Photographs depict "Spud" Lake, his family, and Las Vegas, Nevada from 1905 to 1947. The photographs include the Las Vegas town site auction, Stewart (Kiel) Ranch, Clark County Courthouse, Eglington Ranch, Helldorado Parade, and Colorado River and the Hoover (Boulder) Dam. The photographs also depict a Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce luncheon honoring Las Vegas pioneers, the Gold Bar Club tent in Pahrump, Nevada, and Fremont Street in Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
Las Vegas High School Reunion Biography Collection
Identifier
MS-01021
Abstract
The Las Vegas High School Reunion Biography Collection (1983) consists of class rosters, biographies of graduates, and photocopies of original programs from the four graduating classes of 1933 to 1936. The information specific to each year is compiled into its own handmade scrapbook. The materials were created for the 50th reunion of the class of 1933, and the event also included the classes of 1934, 1935, and 1936.
Archival Collection
Transcript of interview with Liliam Lujan Hickey by Layne Karafantis, March 18, 2010, & March 25, 2010
Date
2010-03-18
2010-03-25
Description
Liliam Lujan Hickey is best known in the state of Nevada for being the first Hispanic woman elected to the State Board of Education as well as for the enormous contributions she made while serving from 1998 to 2000. For this, an elementary school in Clark County bears her name. Despite many obstacles, Liliam has continually dedicated herself to standing up for the causes she believes in, such as providing preschool education to the underprivileged, preparing youth to enter the workforce, helping other Hispanics run for office, and proving that with enough courage anyone can accomplish their dreams. Born in Havana, Cuba in 1932, Liliam led a sheltered life that revolved mostly around her studies at a French Dominican school. She met her first husband, Enrique Lujan, when she was only sixteen and they wed soon after. Enrique was twelve years her senior, owned many casinos on the island, and provided a luxurious existence for Liliam and their three children. However, this lifestyle abruptly changed when Castro assumed power in 1959 and Liliam and her family were compelled to relocate to the United States. In Miami, Enrique assisted other refugees financially, hoping that his wealth would remain secure in Cuba. He was wrong. This left the family destitute. In addition to casinos, Enrique had been Cuba?s coach for the Olympics. He moved the family to York, Pennsylvania, where he hoped to find work at the York Barbell Company. Liliam, who had been accustomed to having maids and nannies in Cuba, found herself doing all the housework while she also worked in a factory. The change could not have been more dramatic and the living conditions became unbearable. The family chose to move to San Diego in a Volkswagen Minivan with the hope for a better life. The next few years brought many transitions. Things did turn around in San Diego, and Liliam she recalls her years in southern California as some of the happiest of her life. Liliam found a job working at the Scripps Clinic in La Jolla. After a few years, Enrique found a job in Las Vegas and the family moved again. In Las Vegas, Liliam gave birth to her fourth child, Mary, and life once again became financially difficult for the family. In 1972, the situation grew worse with Enrique?s untimely death. Liliam was a widow at forty years of age. She had to teach herself how to drive a car, write checks, and perform financial tasks that Enrique had insisted on managing while he was alive. Determined not to give up, however, she worked tirelessly to keep the family together. Amidst all this, a friend introduced Liliam to Tom Hickey, and after a brief courtship they were married in 1981. Within a few years, Liliam became active in politics, running for the State Board of Education. Her campaign manager advised her that voters would not be receptive to photos of a Hispanic woman on billboards, and to capitalize on the name “Hickey,” which was a recognizable name because her husband was an assemblyman. She took the manager?s advice and was elected in that campaign and for two more terms, the maximum limit for the office. After the first race, she proudly displayed her face on billboards across the state. During her time at the State Board of Education, Liliam dedicated herself to helping all children receive a better education in Nevada, not only Hispanics. She co-founded the Classroom on Wheels [COW] program, which brought buses to poor neighborhoods to provide pre-school education. She established Career Day, which pairs high schools students with business professionals in an effort to help them make the transition into the workforce. While the COW program is no longer running, 8 Career Day still operates and awards scholarships in Liliam?s name annually, which helps youth receive the educational opportunities they need to succeed. And she involved Hispanic youth in Boy Scouts by bringing ScoutReach to the Las Vegas valley. Lujan Hickey worked in a wide array of other community organizations. In the 1970s, she began to work with Circulo Cubano, which later became the Latin Chamber of Commerce, and she would later belong to the National Chamber of Commerce. A longstanding member of the League of Women Voters, Liliam saw the need to get Hispanics more involved in politics in the state. Her story is one of great inspiration, and when asked why she does it, she simply replies with a smile, “I love life.” Hickey?s narrative offers the reader a glimpse of the experiences of the Cuban refugee experience in the U.S. in general. Specific to Las Vegas, it provides a rare story of the experiences of early Latinas in the political and economic development of Las Vegas in the last half of the twentieth century.
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Measurements of water available and consumed in Las Vegas; Per capita water consumption in Fallon, Winnemucca, and Lovelock, circa 1934
Date
1934 (year approximate)
Description
Flow measurements of the Las Vegas Big Spring and Little Spring and well in July 1931 and July 1934. Measurements of reservoir and settling basin on July 17, 1934 and July 19, 1934, before and after passing of city ordinance to reduce water waste. Estimated consumption by refrigeration systems. Estimated per capita water consumption in Las Vegas, Fallon, Winnemucca, and Lovelock.
Text
Letter from E. E. Bennett (Los Angeles) to Leo A. McNamee, Including a telegram from R. E. Marks, February 21, 1945
Date
1945-02-21
Description
The Clark County delegation had yet to introduce the bill to permit the metering of water in Las Vegas. Bennett called on McNamee and Bracken to get Las Vegas residents to pressure the delegation to do so. Includes a telegram from R. E. Marks.
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