Search Results

Eight men seated under a portrait of George Washington. The location where the photograph was taken is unknown. Pictured, Left, U. S. Nevada Senator Howard Cannon (left), U. S. Vice-President Hubert H. Humphrey (second from left), U. S. Nevada Senator Alan Bible (fourth from left). An autograph by Hubert H. Humphrey is visible on the bottom of the photograph: "To Oran Gragson with best wishes Hubert Humphrey." Howard Walter Cannon (January 26, 1912 – March 5, 2002) was an American politician. He served as a United States Senator from Nevada from 1959 until 1983 as a member of the Democratic Party. In 1956, Cannon ran for the United States House of Representatives to succeed Republican incumbent Clarence Clifton Young, who ran for the U.S. Senate, but lost the Democratic primary to former Congressman Walter Baring, who then won the general election. In 1958, he was elected to the United States Senate, unseating Republican Senator George W. Malone with 58% of the vote.. Cannon was nearly defeated in his first re-election bid in 1964, holding off Republican Lieutenant Governor Paul Laxalt in one of the closest Senate elections ever. Hubert Horatio Humphrey, Jr. (May 27, 1911 – January 13, 1978) was an American politician who served as the 38th Vice President of the United States under President Lyndon B. Johnson, from 1965 to 1969. Humphrey twice served in the United States Senate, representing Minnesota from 1949 to 1964 and 1971 to 1978. He was the nominee of the Democratic Party in the 1968 presidential election, losing to the Republican nominee, Richard Nixon. Alan Harvey Bible (November 20, 1909 – September 12, 1988) was an American lawyer and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a United States Senator from Nevada from 1954 to 1974. He previously served as Attorney General of Nevada from 1942 to 1950. In 1952, Bible was narrowly defeated for the Democratic nomination for the United States Senate, losing to political newcomer Thomas B. Mechling by 475 votes. However, after the death of Senator McCarran in September 1954, Bible was elected to the Senate the following November to fill the remainder of McCarran's term. He defeated Republican Ernest S. Brown, who had been appointed to McCarran's seat by Governor Charles H. Russell, by a margin of 58%-42%. He was reelected in 1956, 1962, and again in 1968 and represented Nevada in the United States Senate from December 2, 1954, until his resignation on December 17, 1974. During his time in the United States Senate, he was chairman of the Committee on the District of Columbia (Eighty-fifth through Ninetieth Congresses), the Joint Committee on Washington Metropolitan Problems (Eighty-fifth and Eighty-sixth Congresses), and the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Small Business (Ninety-first through Ninety-third Congresses). He is buried in Reno, Nevada.

An unidentified person looks at the ruins of the H. D. and L. D. Porter Brothers Store in Rhyolite, Nevada. The remains of two wooden buildings and several mining tailing piles are visible in the background. Originally from Illinois, the brothers opened their first store in Johannesburg, Ca. in 1902. Moving with the mining booms, they opened stores in Ballarat, Beatty, Pioneer and Rhyolite. From the Ballarat store, H. D. Porter loaded thirty tons of merchandise onto an 18-mule team freight wagon and came east across Death Valley to the Bullfrog District. The original store was built on Main St. After the move to Golden St., the wooden building was used as a furniture store for the Porter Brothers. With the purchase of a lot on Golden Ave. the construction of a new stone building began in July 1906 and was finished four months later. According to the Rhyolite Herald, November 1906 "This is a large substantial structure, practically fireproof, and occupies a prominent site on Golden Street. The main floor is 30 x 80 feet, with a basement and gallery." Nels Linn was the contractor who did the stonework. The estimated cost was $10,000 for the complete construction of the building. One of the signs that hung from the Porter Brothers Store was "All Things Good But Whiskey". With all the saloons already established in Rhyolite, the Porter Brothers maintained a reputation of never selling liquor. Rhyolite is a ghost town in Nye County, Nevada. It is in the Bullfrog Hills, about 120 miles (190 km) northwest of Las Vegas, near the eastern edge of Death Valley. The town began in early 1905 as one of several mining camps that sprang up after a prospecting discovery in the surrounding hills. During an ensuing gold rush, thousands of gold-seekers, developers, miners and service providers flocked to the Bullfrog Mining District. Many settled in Rhyolite, which lay in a sheltered desert basin near the region's biggest producer, the Montgomery Shoshone Mine. Rhyolite declined almost as rapidly as it rose. After the richest ore was exhausted, production fell. The 1906 San Francisco earthquake and the financial panic of 1907 made it more difficult to raise development capital. In 1908, investors in the Montgomery Shoshone Mine, concerned that it was overvalued, ordered an independent study. When the study's findings proved unfavorable, the company's stock value crashed, further restricting funding. By the end of 1910, the mine was operating at a loss, and it closed in 1911. By this time, many out-of-work miners had moved elsewhere, and Rhyolite's population dropped well below 1,000. By 1920, it was close to zero. After 1920, Rhyolite and its ruins became a tourist attraction and a setting for motion pictures. Most of its buildings crumbled, were salvaged for building materials, or were moved to nearby Beatty or other towns, although the railway depot and a house made chiefly of empty bottles were repaired and preserved. The town is named for rhyolite, an igneous rock composed of light-colored silicates, usually buff to pink and occasionally light gray. It belongs to the same rock class, felsic, as granite but is much less common.

Daytime and nighttime views of Madame Tussaud's museum signs on the Strip. Information about the sign is available in the Southern Nevada Neon Survey Data Sheet.
Site name: Venetian (Las Vegas, Nev.)
Site address: 3377 S Las Vegas Blvd
Sign details: Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum is located inside the Venetian Hotel and Casino. Located at the southern end of the property, it is tucked away at the end of a long stretch of escalators. Even though it is not in complete plain view, the facility is directly in the line of pedestrian traffic. The escalators serve as one of the main causeways into the Venetian for the traveler headed north on the east side of the strip. The facility is also advertised by an architecturally integrated building sign, and an LED screen that are in plain view from the street. A the end of the bay of escalators, a platform folds out, containing the vibrant entrance to the Wax Museum. Flanking the large opening designated as the entrance, are six free standing sculpted cabinet, advertising for Madame Tussaud's, lining up three on either side of the door. Standing underneath the entry, are a cast of ever rotating wax figures of celebrities. Just beyond the wax sentry, six more sculpted cabinets are present on other side of the pedestrian leading up to a ticket counter. On the ceiling above the pedestrian is an array of sculpted elements that are adorned with incandescent bulbs and neon, all leading up to the afore mentioned counter.
Sign condition: Structure 5 Surface 5 Lighting 5
Sign form: Fascia
Sign - type of display: Neon; Incandescent
Sign - media: Steel; Plastic
Sign - non-neon treatments: Graphics; Paint
Sign animation: Chasing
Sign environment: Madame Tussaud's holds the unique position of being elevated above the street, within the Venetian. Located at the top of a bank of escalators, the museum is positioned so that it is the dominating force upon the pedestrian with its immediate area. With careful examination it is evident that the it resides in the Venetian, but has tight hold on it's claim of space. Even though the location is somewhat hidden, it is a present force, and alongside a series of moving walk paths, generating a high frequency of vibration.
Sign manufacturer: YESCO
Sign - date of installation: 2000
Sign - thematic influences: The theme of Madame Tussaud's revolves around the theme of what the establishment provides. The main attraction is of course the lifelike imagery of celebrities sculpted in wax. The establishment draws from the theme of celebrities and stardom in design. The advertisement cabinets, which line the entry to Madame Tussaud's, are shaped to reference this. One set is crafted in the shape of a stylized star, while the others appear as street side movie posters seen in theatres or propaganda. The feel of them, to sum up initially, is classic "Hollywood" movie opening extravaganza. The star shapes and jutting channels on the ceiling of the entrance are other references to stars as well as the feel of electricity. These too can be associated with "movie star" like elements such as the Hollywood walk of fame, with it's star shaped crests, references to celebrities as "stars," as well as the a fore mentioned flavor of a movie opening or extravaganza.
Surveyor: Joshua Cannaday
Survey - date completed: 2002
Sign keywords: Chasing; Fascia; Neon; Incandescent; Steel; Plastic; Graphics; Paint

Daytime views of the Pit Stop signs on the Strip. Information about the sign is available in the Southern Nevada Neon Survey Data Sheet.
Site address: 3951 S Las Vegas Blvd
Sign details: In the southern end of the Strip, an interesting lone pole sign stands as a reminder that actual functioning business remaining inside the old, minimal, stucco structures. On the east side of the Strip, somewhat south of the area dominated by the Luxor, a pole sign facing north south stands in close proximity to the strip.
Sign condition: Structure 3 Surface 2 Lighting 2 The sign is still standing, and appears to have a sufficient structural integrity, but the paint on the surface is extremely worn, but the text is still readable and present. The lighting on the sign that was once evident no longer exists.
Sign form: Pylon
Sign-specific description: On the south end of the Strip the small shop resides in an older complex, of dusty buildings. On the east side of the strip, a minimal pylon sign denotes the businesses presence. At the top of a narrow, white, steel pole, a six sided, internally lit, double backed, cabinet advertises the establishment. On the yellow plastic face, "Pit Stop" is spelled in black text, along with white text spelling "Diecast Collectibles" on a black horizontal rectangle. Just below the crowning cabinet, an arrow shaped cabinet is pointed to the bottom right hand side toward the building. The cabinet is double sided with two legs creating the head of the arrow, and the upper end formed by a tail of these two legs. A double pinstripe of blue and red border the edges of the cabinet's face. The word "NASCAR," is spelled in all capital, red, text across the horizontal plane of the cabinet. Placed cantilevering off of the west side of the pole, a square message cabinet faces north /south. It is painted white on the exterior, with a wooden face graphically treated with red white and blue text, and a blue line border. The north side of the cabinet has no face. A small steel cabinet sits on top of the cantilevered one, yet has signage upon it.
Sign - type of display: Backlit
Sign - media: Steel; Plastic
Sign - non-neon treatments: Graphics; Paint
Sign animation: None
Sign environment: To the south is the Motel 8 while a vacant lot occupies the north. The pole sin sits in an island of grass, designated for the beat-up pylon. The small, dual level building, which houses the establishment, is non-descriptive, containing no signage. Of the southern strip it is one of the more minimal structures.
Sign - thematic influences: There appears no theme associated with the actual structure, even with the name itself. The actual structure of the sign is however reminiscent of the roadside pole signs so commonly associated with the roadside motel. To reference an actual sign still standing, it is reminiscent of the signage available for the Happi Inn.
Surveyor: Joshua Cannaday
Survey - date completed: 2002
Sign keywords: Pylon; Backlit; Steel; Plastic; Graphics; Paint

Photos show Excalibur signs at night. Two surveys were conducted to gather information about this sign. One was conducted in 2002 and one was conducted in 2017. PDFs are available for both surveys. See the 2017 survey PDF for additional information that is not included in the object description
Site name: Excalibur Hotel and Casino (Las Vegas, Nev.)
Site address: 3850 S Las Vegas Blvd
Sign owner: Mandalay Resort Group
Sign details: The Excalibur Hotel and Casino sits on the NE corner of Las Vegas Blvd and Tropicana Ave. While the main attraction is the brightly illuminated fantasy castle facade, the two giant multimedia pylon signs flank the property along the streets. One, on the South side of Tropicana, faces East /West, while the second sits on the West Side of LV Blvd, and faces North/South.
Sign condition: Structure 5 Surface 4 Lighting 5
Sign form: Pylon
Sign-specific description: The two pylons are identical in design. They are both double backed, pylons containing animated incandescent Excalibur logos, neon borders, an animated, color, matrix message center, and a two dizzying renderings of jousting knights, constructed completely of neon, on either side. Constructed to appear as a medieval castle facade themselves, the signs are finished in stucco to appear as if built with stone blocks. The scroll shaped main logo sign box, the outline of the logo, the spires, and sword, are all outlined in neon. The 10'-6" channel letters contain white incandescent bulbs that animate.
Sign - type of display: Neon; Incandescent; Matrix
Sign - media: Steel
Sign - non-neon treatments: Graphics; Paint
Sign animation: Chasing, flashing
Notes: The Excalibur logo, which is comprised of incandescent bulbs, displays a two part chase animation from left to right over the entire text, then in sequence, displays a flashing animation over the entire word before starting the pattern over again.
Sign environment: The two pylons are both in parking lots of their respected positions. Pedestrians may walk up to the one located in a public lot on Tropicana Ave.
Sign manufacturer: Sign Systems, Inc
Sign designer: Brian K. Leming
Sign - date of installation: 1989-1990
Sign - date of redesign/move: The backlit plastic message board and old electronic message center, have been replaced by a single, giant animated, color electronic message board.
Sign - thematic influences: Excalibur capitalizes on the King Arthur/Renaissance fair theme.
Sign - artistic significance: Artistically the sheer magnitude, construction techniques and the magnitude of the themed facade are sincerely significant in the artistic developments of sign making. The pylons directly reflect those elements.
Surveyor: Joshua Cannaday
Survey - date completed: 2002
Sign keywords: Chasing; Flashing; Pylon; Neon; Matrix; Incandescent; Steel; Paint; Graphics

Daytime views of the Ginseng BBQ signs on the Strip. Information about the sign is available in the Southern Nevada Neon Survey Data Sheet.
Site address: 3765 S Las Vegas Blvd
Sign details: Down the driveway created between the Fatburger and Walgreen's structure is a slightly larger lot, which is home to the Ginseng BBQ establishment. The signage is a gateway, banner structure which leads to this slightly larger lot. It is visible standing directly in front of the Fatburger sign, looking east down the alley.
Sign condition: Structure 3 Surface 3 Lighting 3
Sign form: Pylon
Sign-specific description: Attached to the section of the Fatburger building which houses the entrance to the Alan Albert's, and stretches across to the building which houses Walgreen's is a sign which is comprised of a horizontal overhead structure of steel beams, forming a lattice work or skeleton of an entrance. The top and bottom edges are white raceways with incandescent bulbs. Placed awkwardly along the bottom portion of the skeleton is a border of gold polished raceways with incandescent bulbs. There is no backing to the border, so it is simply an edge and nothing more inside this border consisting of the structure of the sign. The top and bottom edges of the structure are lined with incandescent bulbs. "Ginseng BBQ" is spelled in gold channel letters painted white on the inside, with red neon in the interior. The letters are all caps and centered inside the border. The sign faces west. The actual establishment is further east. through the gateway where a slightly larger lot is located, on the north face of the Walgreens side of the complex.
Sign - type of display: Neon; Incandescent
Sign - media: Steel
Sign animation: Chasing, flashing, oscillating
Notes: The text, which resides on the southern wall and reads "Casino," is filled with incandescent bulbs that all illuminate at the same time, and oscillate. They then shut off at the same time, and then repeat. The raceways of incandescent bulbs chase each other while the neon, which surrounds the back lit, plastic, screens on this wall flash on then off. The bottom two raceways sandwiching the reflective panel chase from left to right, while the remainder of the raceways surrounding the signs, run right to left. The incandescent bulbs on the pylon chase each other gracefully up the length of the pylon. The animation is patterned so as to appear as if a section of several bulbs are pulsing its way up the towers, hugging the edge of the bulbous tops. The raceways continue around the east face of the building. The umbrellas in the plaza behind the pylon, also are animated with incandescent bulbs chasing each other downward along the raceways.
Sign environment: The environment which the Ginseng BBQ's establishment shares is dictated by its neighbors of Walgreen's and Fatburger. The small enclosure of a lot, which is in front of the store, follows after passing underneath the main logo text banner for the restaurant. It is hidden among the various neighboring businesses, being protected by the larger structure in front of it.
Sign manufacturer: Vision Sign
Sign - thematic influences: No real theme surrounds the signage other than it appears that it was pieced together from various other pieces of signage. The white, steel skeleton appears as if it was there previously, and the Ginseng sign was attached later. The theme that it does fit into is the small eateries which pop up among the strip malls and small shopping centers along the strip. It is also one of two different Ginseng BBQ establishment.
Surveyor: Joshua Cannaday
Survey - date completed: 2002
Sign keywords: Chasing; Pylon; Neon; Incandescent; Steel

Daytime and nighttimes views of the Somerset Motel signs on the Strip. Information about the sign is available in the Southern Nevada Neon Survey Data Sheet.
Site address: 294 Convention Center Dr
Sign details: Just across the small street, connecting with Convention Center Drive, the Somerset Motel resides.
Sign form: Pylon
Sign-specific description: A vertical white steel pole represents the pylon for the establishment. The pole incorporates a backlit message center, and a series of sculpted cabinets to create a complete advertisement for the smaller property. The base of the sign is a white steel pole, whose progress is halted by a backlit message center cabinet. The cabinet is not actually a single cabinet with two sides, but two separate cabinets, sandwich the pole. The sign is flag poled off of the structure being off center. The sides of the cabinet possess the low, sweeping, convex, negative space seen on the Somerset shopping center sign. The bottom half of the face is occupied by the by the white internally lit face, with vinyl lettering. The top half is painted a maroon color with "Somerset" painted on the surface in white paint. Neon hovers over the surface of the text. Jutting off of the south side of the pole from the center of the cabinet, another white, steel pole travels for a very short distance, before turning into a sculpted double backed steel cabinet. The small cabinet is designed with rounded bottom edge, and a recessed negative shape on the top. The bulge on the bottom, is the positive form of the negative space at the top. The result is a pseudo U shaped display. Vacancy is spelled in white graphic text on the surface of the cabinet. Neon tubing spells "NO" above the painted text as well as the tubing hovering over the graphics. The white pole shoots upward, being interrupted but a series of five horizontal steel poles. On the south end of each one of the poles, the U shaped cabinets are present. Each cabinet holds one letter from the word "Motel," starting with the "M" at the top. The letters are painted in white and bordered on the edges with neon. The borders of the face of each one of these cabinets, is lined with neon as well. The north end of each one of the crossing members is a small maroon, circular faced, cylindrical shaped cabinet, with white edges. Neon is bent into the shape of a four-pointed star. The vet top of the [pole is crowned with a double backed cabinet in the shape of a prismatic, seven pointed star. The faces of the cabinet are convex, with each facet of the star being it's own separate plane. In the very center of the star an incandescent bulb resides. The surface is treated in a white and maroon paint finish.
Sign - type of display: Neon; Incandescent; Backlit
Sign - media: Steel; Plastic
Sign - non-neon treatments: Graphics; Paint
Sign animation: Chasing, flashing, oscillating
Surveyor: Joshua Cannaday
Survey - date completed: 2002
Sign keywords: Chasing; Flashing; Oscillating; Pylon; Neon; Incandescent; Backlit; Steel; Plastic; Graphics; Paint