Oral history interview with Peter F. Perazzo conducted by Claytee D. White on July 22, 2016 for the Building Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Perazzo discusses his personal history and moving from Reno, Nevada to Las Vegas, Nevada in the 1940s. Perazzo talks about his Native American ancestry, his career in land surveying, and how construction and land surveying have changed over the years. He then describes designing public and residential buildings in Las Vegas, and at the Nevada Test Site. Later, Perazzo discusses his employment at the United States Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in 1985 and in 1995 at the Nevada Department of Transportation, where he was involved in many state projects such as the Hoover Dam bypass, Red Rock state road, and freeway widening.
Archival Collection
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Rabbi Shea Harlig poses in the sanctuary of the Chabad of Las Vegas at 1261 Arville Street.
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Rabbi Shea Harlig poses in the sanctuary of the Chabad of Las Vegas at 1261 Arville Street.
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In this interview, Walter Weiss discusses how Judaism and boxing kept him out of trouble in his youth. Weiss grew up in the Boston area, and started boxing as a teenager. Weiss talks about his boxing training, becoming a runner for a bookmaker, and coming to Las Vegas in the 1950s to be a bookmaker for the Stardust Hotel, and working the slot machine floor. He had several different jobs in various casinos, and discusses different people involved in the gaming industry in Las Vegas.
Walter Weiss life story begins in a Malden, Massachusetts during the Great Depression. His early background was a blend of observant Judaism, secularism, and the effects of the era. He was a troubled youth whose older brother encouraged him to join him in boxing. As Walter explains: I was a wild kid and ... boxing saved my life. His aptitude for boxing led him to be a sparring partner in New York City's famous Spillman Gym. There he met and worked out with some of the greatest fighters of the era, including Rocky Marciano. He recalls how he turned professional while attending the University of Miami and how he first came to Las Vegas in 1958 to escape his personal troubles and find work with a local bookmaker. Thus began his diverse employment history in the casino industry. He details his various positions and the cast of famous and infamous characters of the times. For six years he return to New York and worked as a Wall Street broker before arriving back in Las Vegas in 1973. He talks about his property ownership, lobbying for an amendment to Senate Bill 208, his personal religious changes and a sundry of observations about the changes that occurred as the state took over gaming.
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The Pueblo Grande de Nevada Photograph Collection (approximately 1920-1980) contains black-and-white photographic prints, negatives, and slides depicting archaeological sites located in Overton, Moapa, Valley of Fire, Red Rock, Pyramid Lake, Kane Springs, Virgin River, the “Lost City,” and Lake Mead, Nevada. Images display the different stages of digging during the archaeological excavation of Pueblo Grande de Nevada. Also included are images showcasing artifacts uncovered during the excavations, the Saint Thomas, Nevada and the flooding of archaeological sites after the construction of the Hoover (Boulder) Dam.
Archival Collection
B-roll footage of boats on Lake Mead, cruising around the Lake and docked at various locations; Hoover Dam; Mt. Charleston; Red Rock Canyon and Valley of Fire including petroglyphs; clip ends with street and aerial footage of the Las Vegas Strip during the day. Original media item was titled "LV News Bureau" so this footage was likely filmed for promotional reasons. Original media Betacam, color, aspect ratio 4 x 3, frame size 720 x 486. From The Production Company Audiovisual Collection (MS-00930) -- Digitized audiovisual material file.
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The Jean Ford Papers (1958-1996) include political documents, campaign materials for Jean Ford's political campaigns, and materials pertaining to campaign issues such as health services, general improvement districts, and parks and recreation. There is extensive material on Red Rock National Conservation Area, Lake Mead National Recreation Area, and the National Issues Forum. Women's issues cover the years 1964-1981 and contain information relating to the League of Women Voters, Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), and International Women's Year (IWY), as well as Anti-ERA and Anti-IWY materials.
Archival Collection
