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THE EXHIBITS
“Nevada’s Basin and Range topography has created a magnificent wilderness. The people,
plants, and animals have all dealt with the challenging and extreme Nevada environments
in amazing ways. The character of all life in Nevada and the demands of the land are
inextricably entwined.”
1. ENTRY PORTAL
“ DUSK TO DAWN”
2. THE LAND
THE LANDSCAPE
Nevada: The Land
Beyond the bright city lights that most visitors see lie the vast stretches of arid land that
form Nevada. Desert valleys alternating with long, high mountain ranges define huge tracts
of the nation’s seventh largest state. This repeating geography is characteristic of the
geologic Basin and Range province that extends from Oregon through Arizona to Mexico.
Nevada is also the heart of the Great Basin--an area of the West where rivers and streams
do not drain to the sea. Except for two areas, the Snake River drainage in the north and the
Colorado River area in the southeast, rivers and streams in Nevada either evaporate or sink
into the desert. Nevada’s unique landscape of mountainous terrain and disappearing water
has shaped both the biology of the land and the history of the people who settled it.
Great Adaptations
Animals and plants in the desert face extreme stress caused by lack of water, and their
adaptations to high evaporation rates during dry seasons are seen in habitats throughout
the state. Plants have developed a host of strategies to conserve water. Waxy or hairy
leaves reduce evaporation. Fleshy leaves or stems provide storage. Extensive roots make
the most of water that disappears as fast as it arrives. Animals often recycle water internally
and have behaviors, such as burrowing, that keep them out of the worst conditions.
At the other extreme are wet environments. Trees that live near springs, lakes, or washes
can move enormous amounts of water through their leaves. Amphibians, insects, and fish
often appear in large numbers where water is permanent, many of them restricted to
specific places. John Steinbeck expressed well the challenges to life in Nevada: “The desert,
the dry and sun-lashed desert, is a good school in which to observe the cleverness and the
infinite variety of techniques of survival under pitiless opposition.”
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Nevada’s Nightlife
Beside a desert spring on a summer evening, the buzzing of cicadas is gradually replaced by
calls of the red-spotted toad. A pipistrelle bat flutters low to feast on water-bred insects.
We creatures of the day repel the desert heat and sun with air conditioners. Many desert
dwellers find that living at night is a better answer. Higher humidity, calmer winds, and
cooler temperatures make water stress lower at night. Good night vision, sharp hearing,
or exceptional senses of smell help night dwellers navigate. Desert animals abroad during
the day are usually active in the morning and evening. These animals often burrow or have
body chemistry to help them survive hot desert days.
The Mojave and Great Basin Deserts
The word desert may bring images of vast Basin Deserts rolling sand dunes or cactus against
the sky, but neither of these images apply to the two deserts that occupy the valleys of
Nevada. The Mojave Desert, characterized by creosote bushes and Joshua Trees, covers the
southern tip of Nevada and extends into California and Arizona. In this low, warm desert
most of the precipitation is in the winter, but there are also monsoon rains in the summer—
when temperatures consistently soar over 100 degrees from May until October. The Great
Basin Desert, home of vast stretches of sagebrush, occupies central and northern Nevada
and parts of Utah, California, Oregon, and Wyoming. This is a cold, high desert and most of
the water falls in the form of snow. Low shrubs are the hallmark of this desert, the exact
plants varying from place to place.
Butterflies and Plants: Are They Connected?
All plants depend on just the right soil, water, temperature, and altitude to thrive. Nevada’s
landscape is a complex mosaic of these factors—and so is the distribution of the plants and
the animals that depend on them. Butterflies rely on finding the plants they need to feed
on or use as egg-laying sites. The caterpillar stage of every butterfly is adapted to live on a
particular plant or group of plants, and often the adult requires nectar or egg-laying sites
of a specific plant species as well. Some butterflies, such as Painted Ladies, feed on many
plants and occur all over the world. Others, such as the Mount Charleston Shasta Blue, feed
only on one particular plant. and are limited to small areas.
SPECIES AND SURVIVAL
Who Survives? Who Thrives?
Every plant and animal is adapted to the specific environment it calls home. Kangaroo rats
conserve water so well, they never drink, filling all of their needs from the plants and seeds
they eat. Saltbushes exude excess salt they absorb from the soil. Joshua Trees rely on nightflying moths for pollination. This finely tuned web of life is easily disrupted. Natural events
such as fires, drought, and floods can affect individual animals or plants, and changes in
their frequency can have an impact on the entire habitat. Human disturbances can have a
much broader effect by introducing foreign species. For example, tamarisk was brought in
as an ornamental plant. Its deep roots absorb much of the available water and can dry up
springs and seasonal streams—removing a resource vital to the survival of other plants and
the animals that depend on them.
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Endangered: What Does it Mean?
An endangered plant or animal species is one that has become so scarce it is in danger of
becoming extinct. A species can become endangered in several ways. The most common is
the loss of habitat. As the number of people expands in the West, more and more animals
and plants lose the areas in which they live. Changes in climate also cause extinctions, a
factor that may be more notable in the future as the climate warms. Introduced species
can also cause problems, either competing with or preying on species that already occur in
one habitat. Many plant and animal species in Nevada are vulnerable because they occur in
restricted areas.
So Many Unique Species
To eyes used to green forests, Nevada may seem a monotonous land, yet nearly 4,000
plant and animal species live here, 209 found nowhere else. Animals depend on plants, and
the many soil, altitude, and rainfall variations in the state assure a wide variety of both.
Plant zones change as elevation increases from valley floor to mountaintop. Pinyon-juniper
woodlands replace deserts, then pine forests, fir forests and finally tundra on the highest
peaks. Unusual communities, such as living crusts on bare soils, add to the interesting
diversity of life in Nevada.
The Story of Nevada’s Horses
Although timelessly linked with Western lore, today’s horses are not native to North
America and were introduced from Europe in the 16th century. The horse family, however,
evolved in North America from dog-size forest dwellers that lived here 55 million years
ago. Of the many different kinds of horses that developed and thrived, only those that
specialized for living in grasslands survived until the present day. When the most recent ice
age ended about 10,000 years ago, the last horses in North America became extinct, but
their relative, reintroduced from Europe and Asia, thrives in Nevada as the wild mustang.
CLIMATE OF EXTREMES
Hot and Dry
Walking from air conditioning into the stunning heat of a southern Nevada summer brings
home one aspect of Nevada’s extreme climate—temperature. In addition to absolute high
and low temperatures, the range from day to night is often very wide. Nevada is also the
driest state: Average annual rainfall is only 9 inches. The Sierra Nevada mountains on the
western edge of the state capture the Pacific storms and dry out the air before it reaches
Nevada. Precipitation varies from 40 inches near Lake Tahoe to barely 3 inches on the
southern border. Precipitation is strongly seasonal. Spring flushes of green and wildflowers
in the deserts and mountains accent the brief availability of water before long, dry seasons.
Some fun Nevada climate facts:
Record high temperature: 125 at Laughlin 1994
Record Low temperature: -50 at San Jacinto 1937
Snowiest season in Reno: 1915–1916—82 feet
Driest year in Reno: 2.04” in 2001
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High Temp: 125 at Laughlin in 1994
Low Temp: -50 at San Jacinto in 1937
Record Snow in Reno: 82 feet in 1915-1916
Record Driest Year in Reno: 2.04 inches in 2001
Why Does it Grow Here?
Soil
Soil influences plant distribution through chemistry and texture, and plants are often very
specific in their requirements. Desert soils, for example, are usually alkaline and can also be
salty or contain gypsum. Soils can be rocky or full of fine clay. Junipers grow only in rocky
soil, and the Las Vegas Bear Poppy grows only on soil high in gypsum.
Temperature
Plants have general adaptations to live in areas with high or low temperatures. For example,
some plants go dormant in the winter so freezing temperatures don’t stress roots. Other
plants have small waxy leaves to keep water from evaporating in hot, dry weather,
Rainfall
Precipitation—the total of rainfall and snow—is probably the most important influence on
plants. Pinyon pines that normally live in a broad area above 7,000 feet will occur along
streams to much lower elevations—they need at least 8 inches of water a year to survive.
Elevation
Generally, the higher the elevation, the lower the temperature. Rainfall usually also
increases with elevation, as the cooler air causes rain or snow to form in humid air.
Seasonality
The timing of flowers and growth are usually tuned to occur during wet seasons.
Throughout Nevada, temperature and rainfall are strongly seasonal, and water conservation
is the rule.
Unique Habitats
While major habitats in the state cover wide bands of territory, some smaller, restricted
habitats are common. Plants and animals living in these areas must meet special challenges.
Salty, alkali soils of dry lake beds, shifting sand dune surfaces, inconstant desert streams,
fragile desert crust communities, and isolated mountain tops each have animals and plants
adapted to their unique conditions. The richness of the biology in the state is a reflection of
the mosaic of conditions throughout Nevada.
What do Tree Rings Tell Us?
The climate over the past 100,000 years has been closely studied, in part because of
interest in global warming. Scientists seek many clues about past climates and study
sediment layers in lakes, ice cores, pollen samples, pack rat nests, and cave formations. The
study of tree rings, or dendrochronology, is one method often used in the Southwest. The
growth of a tree in any year depends on the rain that falls. Each year trees grow an area of
dense winter wood and light summer wood. A wet year shows a wide ring and a narrow
year a dry one. Living and dead Bristlecone Pine trees, which can live thousands of years,
have been used to chronicle 10,000 years of wet and dry seasons.
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THE GEOLOGIC STORY
The Evidence
Surprisingly, Nevada has been under water or oceanfront property throughout most of
geologic time. About 650 million years ago, Australia and Antarctica, which had been off
the coast of Nevada, rifted away, leaving a shallow sea. Sea levels rose and fell over the
next 400 million years, creating shallow ocean limestones and deepwater shales. (These
limestones can be easily seen in the mountains around Las Vegas.) Beginning about 350
million years ago, islands were repeatedly welded to the shore of Nevada and pulled away
again by the movement of the Earth’s tectonic plates. Shallow seas developed around them-our state fossil, an ichthyosaur, swam in one of these seas. From 250 to 66 million years
ago, the state slowly dried out from east to west and became higher land. Two hundred
million years ago a huge desert formed in southern Nevada, leaving behind the colorful
Aztec sandstone. Sixty-five million years ago, outpourings of volcanic ash covered much of
the state. Tectonic forces welded California, Oregon and Washington to the West Coast.
Then, about 30 million years ago, the processes began that created the basin and range
geology of steep mountains and flat valleys.
Geologic History Exposed
Across Nevada, long, parallel mountain ranges march like caterpillars headed north. Flat
basins between them fill with rock, gravel, and sand eroded from the mountains. Within the
last 30 million years, the earth’s crust under Nevada has thinned and bulged upward, slowly
stretching to become nearly twice its original length. As it thinned, large blocks broke and
tilted, forming the mountains and valleys we see today. Although the exact mechanism is
still uncertain, the tectonic forces producing the San Andreas fault and the Baja peninsula
have also created this geology.
Evidence All Around Us
Scientists and students from all over the world come to study the complex geology of
Nevada, which is not hidden by plants and soil as it is elsewhere. Many of the basic
principles and processes of geology such as erosion and faulting can be easily seen here.
Circular lakes and the moraines of glaciers dot the high mountains. Deposits of broken
rock near Alamo in eastern Nevada give evidence of a major meteor strike in a shallow sea.
Examples of sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rocks are all widespread in Nevada as
well as a tremendous diversity of fossils.
Geology and Mining the “Silver” State
The nickname “Silver State” declares the importance of mining to the economy of Nevada.
Frequent episodes of volcanism throughout geologic history have produced precious metal
ores across the state. Gold production in Nevada is the third largest in the world behind
Australia and South Africa. Sedimentary rocks, plentiful in eastern Nevada, have been
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mined for gypsum, sand, and limestone. Metamorphic rocks such as marble have also been
occasionally mined.
PALEO LIFE
What is a fossil?
Fossils are remains or traces of animals or plants that lived in the past. Sometimes parts
of the original organism are preserved, but more often bones and tissues are replaced
by minerals that seep into the remains over time. Footprints of long-dead animals can be
preserved as fossils as are impressions of leaves and twigs. Even animal poop has been
fossilized! Because the remains must stay intact long enough to be replaced with rock, a
fossil must be quickly buried in mud, dirt, or ash where it will not decay.
Nevada: 10,000 Years Ago
During the last ice age, which ended about 10,000 years ago, two large lakes, Lahonton in
the west and Bonneville in the east, covered central Nevada. Lush forests grew down to the
edge of the valleys. These valleys were mixtures of grasslands, marshes, springs, and wet
meadows supporting herds of large animals. Columbian Mammoths, horses, camels, extinct
bison, ground sloths, large cats, and many other animals roamed across the state. A similar
environment can be found today in Yellowstone National Park.
How Old Is It?
In geology, rocks are dated in three different ways. Unless disturbed by later movement,
the youngest layers of sedimentary rocks are on the top, the oldest on the bottom—this is
called superposition. Younger bands of igneous rock often intrude into sedimentary rock,
forced by heat and pressure into these layers. A second form of dating is fossil correlation.
Fossils that occur across wide areas indicate the rocks they are found in were laid down at
the same time. To give an absolute date for rocks, radioactive dating is used. The ratios of
elements in radioactive rocks tell how long ago the rock was formed. This can only be used
to date igneous rocks, so layers of ash deposited among sedimentary layers are often used
for absolute time.
SOLUTION CAVE
What is a “Solution” Cave?
Caves form when rain water, made acid by carbon dioxide in the soil, dissolves spaces in
limestone as it moves through cracks in the rocks. These channels can eventually form large
chambers. If the water table drops, the caves dry out and groundwater dripping slowly into
these emptied caves may form beautiful decorations called speleothems. Caves can also
be dissolved into gypsum or sandstone if these rocks are cemented by carbonates. Nearly
200 caves occur in central and eastern Nevada, dissolved into limestone or gypsum that was
deposited in ancient seas. One example is Lehman Cave in Great Basin National Park, which
is rich in limestone formations. Animal bones and artifacts of ancient peoples who found
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shelter in caves give us important information about past environments.
Who Lives Here?
The bottom of the food chain in most caves is poop! Although people think of bats as
the most important inhabitants of caves, they are just visitors, along with rodents and
occasional larger animals. Their waste provides food for beetles, millipedes, amphipods,
fungus gnats, and many other insects, which in turn are eaten by such carnivores as
scorpions and spiders. Fish, crawfish, and salamanders often live in caves containing pools
of water. New cave species with fascinating adaptations are frequently found as more caves
are studied.
Fluorescent Minerals
A rock is fluorescent if it shows a visible color when lit with ultraviolet light, which has wavelengths that are normally too long for our eyes to see. More than 500 different minerals are
known to fluoresce, many in several colors depending on impurities. Calcite, for example,
is red or pink if it contains lead or green if it contains uranium. Some very dull rocks look
spectacular under ultraviolet light.
Cave Trivia
What is the longest cave in Nevada?
The Baker Creek Cave system in White Pine County is 1.7 miles long.
Which grows from the ceiling—a stalactite or a stalagmite? Stalactites grow from the
ceiling, stalagmites grow on the ground.
What kinds of bats live by the millions in caves all over the west?
Mexican Free-Tailed Bats.
What do the bats in Nevada eat?
All of the bats that live in Nevada eat insects.
What cave is open to the public in Nevada?
Lehman Cave in Great Basin National Park.
In what kind of rocks does most caves form?
Sedimentary rock—limestone, dolomite, gypsum, or sandstone.
Mined Minerals
You probably live in a house with walls made of sedimentary rock! Gypsum, a mineral
formed in evaporating seas, is mined and used to make wallboard. Other sedimentary rocks
mined in Nevada include sand, gravel, borax, limestone, and barite.
Why So Precious?
Most of the precious metal ores in Nevada were formed by hot fluids circulating through
fissures in volcanic rocks. Changes in temperature, pressure, or chemistry caused minerals
to be deposited along cracks forming veins of minerals, sometimes in beautiful crystal
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deposits. This wall represents a section of ore-bearing volcanic rock. The specimens show
an array of minerals from different areas of Nevada. Gold, silver, and copper have been the
source of much of Nevada’s mining wealth and are used for everything from money and
jewelry to dental products and electronics. These three metals are useful because they are
easy to shape and conduct electricity.
3. THE PEOPLE
FIRST PEOPLES
Nevada’s First Peoples
When European American explorers entered (focus on Northern present-day Nevada,
Southern Paiute, Western Paiute + other Shoshone, and Northern Paiute Indians occupied
tribal groups) most of the state. The Washoe tribe occupied a small territory centered
on Lake Tahoe. These groups were hunters and gathers that traveled throughout their
territories harvesting seasonally available plants and game. With the discovery of the
Comstock Lode, European American settlement of western Nevada excluded Northern
Paiutes from village sites and pinyon groves within their homeland. This clash between
Native and European Americans threatened the very survival of Northern Paiute culture.
White people will come like the sand in a whirlwind and drive you from your homes.
(Numaga, Northern Paiute, 1860) Through persistence, Nevada’s Native American cultures
survived wars, treaties, reservations, and boarding schools where native languages were
banned. Today, Native Americans contribute to the state’s expanding economy as an
integral part of Nevada’s diverse population.
Native Dwellings
Much of our information about prehistoric Native Americans comes from caves and rock
shelters, which were used mainly for storage and only occasionally occupied. Prehistoric
and historic Native Americans typically lived in single-family brush-, grass-, or tule-covered,
pole-framed huts or within simple windbreaks. The first evidence of Native Americans in
Nevada comes from Tule Springs and Smith Creek Cave, which were used about 12,000
years ago. Over the millennia, Indians hunted and gathered food, developing strategies
to cope with Nevada’s extreme and variable climate. Secondary label if fits; delete if not:
Ancestral Puebloans, formerly known as the Anasazi, occupied southern Nevada between
about A.D. 500 and 1200. These semi-sedentary farmers occupied multiple room adobe
structures in a series of settlements known as “Lost City” and cultivated corn, beans, and
squash. Ancestral Puebloans probably abandoned Lost City’ because of cultural stresses
brought about by climate change.
Basket Makers
Mobile groups such as the Washoe wove baskets from local plants, using these lightweight
containers for food gathering, cooking, and other functions. Willow water bottles were
sealed with red clay and pine pitch. Cradleboards sported sunshades shielding infants from
the desert sun. Manufactured vessels replaced utilitarian baskets, but the Arts and Crafts
Movement (ca. 1890–1930) encouraged a resurgence of Native American basket making.
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These woven works evolved into decorative pieces that appealed to collectors. Renowned
Washoe basketmaker Dat-So-La-Lee (ca. 1829–1925) achieved national recognition for her
“ceremonial” degikup baskets. The degikup may be modeled after California Pomo Indian
baskets, but Dat-So-La-Lee, experimented with this shape and placement of designs to
create her distinctive works.
EXPLORERS & TRAILBLAZERS - Early Arrivals: Trappers & Traders
Fashion trends first brought other people to this and Traders (mountain men, part of the
world. In the 18th and 19th centuries, Spanish friars, demand for beaver hats could barely
be satisfied. trappers, traders) Rough fur trappers called “mountain men” came west well
in advance of any American settlers. By 1826 they scoured the streams of what we now call
Nevada. They pioneered routes through mountains and deserts and proved the Great Basin
could be crossed. By the 1830s, fashions changed, and over-trapping had decimated the
beaver population. The mountain men era faded away. One trapper wrote “Come, we are
done with life in mountains, done with wading in beaver dams, freezing or starving, done
with Indian trading and fighting….Let us go down and take farms.”
Fremont The Map Maker
Nevada was the last area of the lower 48 states to be mapped and understood. What is
now Nevada was Mexican territory from 1821 until 1848, when it was ceded to the United
States at the end of the U.S.-Mexican War (1846-1848). Early explorers had no maps; they
followed ancient animal trails and Native American paths. The routes followed such water
sources as the Humboldt and Colorado rivers. John C. Frémont explored throughout the
West and was the first to map the Great Basin. He was the first to realize the Great Basin
drains internally, with no outlet to the sea. On one 1844 trip Frémont camped at the Las
Vegas Springs, and his report of that day is the first published record of Las Vegas.
Las Vegas was now “on the map.”
Trail Blazers
In 1776, while American colonists declared their independence from England, two Spanish
expeditions searched for routes between New Mexico and California. Father Francisco
Garces (1738–1781) traveled along the Colorado River; another expedition mapped parts of
Utah. Fifty years later a bold New Yorker, Jedediah Smith (1799–1831), came west in search
of furs. He linked the two Spanish explorations, and the “Old Spanish Trail” was born. Soon,
Mexican traders led pack trains from Santa Fe to California. An offshoot came through the
Las Vegas Valley, following artesian springs In the north, Peter Skene Ogden of the Hudson’s
Bay Company discovered the Humboldt River while looking for beaver pelts in the 1820s.
He could not have dreamt that the river would soon become an important pathway for
thousands heading west.
Surviving Nevada’s Trails
Getting through the Great Basin was the most (Humboldt; Old dangerous part of the
journey west. Pioneers Spanish Trail and often faced little water, no grass for their animals,
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hardships, water, difficulties with natives, the blazing heat of the etc.) desert, and the
frigid snows of the mountains. The Bartleson-Bidwell party of 1841 showed that emigrants
could get to California via the Great Basin. The famous and tragic Donner Party of 1846–
47 suffered from bad luck and poor choices along the way, culminating with reports of
cannibalism among the group. Their experiences dampened emigration for a while. Exciting
news of California gold discoveries overcame the bad publicity about traveling and soon
thousands of Americans packed up and headed west, mostly along the Humboldt River
route. An epic moment for America had begun. “The road was white with bones of oxen
and horse, the desert was one prodigious graveyard.” (Mark Twain)
SETTLERS & MINERS
Nevada Settlers
Nevada was the last part of the country that (first miners, Americans settled. Travelers
passed through as traders, prospectors quickly as they could. Members of the Church and
homesteaders, of the Latter-day Saints (Mormon Church) built etc.) settlements and trading
posts to serve emigrants headed to California gold fields. When vast silver deposits were
found at the Comstock Lode in 1859, thousands of prospectors, ranchers, investors, and
laborers came to the area to try their luck. The rich silver deposits shortly led to territorial
status for Nevada and separation from the Utah Territory in 1861.
Overland Wagons Secondary
The famous Conestoga wagon was too big and heavy for the trails west, killing even the
sturdiest oxen. Smaller wagons worked better, used on trails using four to six oxen or six
to ten mules. Mules were faster, but oxen had more stamina. Early emigrants packed too
heavily. Tools, books, and stoves littered the land, thrown away to save the animals. Items
filling the wagons included flour, dried fruit, beans, sugar, coffee, bacon, toys, dishes, and
washtubs. What would you have taken?
Who Came to Stay?
Although it was the immensely rich silver (support industries deposits that brought miners
to Nevada, they that followed mining rarely grew wealthy. Others prospered by settlers
(agriculture, providing services for the miners. Ranchers, service industries) lawyers, saloon
keepers, freighters, cooks, barbers, and blacksmiths were among those who were the
backbone of new communities in the state, with Virginia City at the heart of the activity.
Though far outnumbered by men, women made valuable contributions in many roles,
including teachers, laborers, and business owners. The riches of the Comstock gave Virginia
City an international flair. The dream of wealth brought Irish, Cornish, Germans, Italians,
Chinese, Mexicans, and other world populations to this area, along with their customs,
skills, and languages. This diversity made Virginia City a remarkable place to live.
MORMONS
Genoa (aka Mormon Station, 1851) and Las Vegas (1855)
Escaping religious persecution in the east, Mormons founded Salt Lake City in 1847. Looking
to spread its influence, the church sent men to Carson Valley in 1851. Their trading station
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was the area’s first permanent settlement, feeding many hungry and tired Americans on
their way to the California gold rush. Mormon (Reese’s) Station is now the town of Genoa.
Further south, the church sought to settle along the Old Spanish Trail and to convert
Indians. To accomplish this, an adobe fort was built at Las Vegas in 1855, the first nonIndian settlement in Las Vegas failed within two years, defeated by harsh weather,
uncooperative natives, and conflicts among the missionaries.
WATER TOWER
The invention of steam-powered locomotives was critical in settling the American West
in the 1860s. Railroad lines built water towers along importance tracks as a speedy and
efficient way to renew locomotives’ water reserves. From a height above the train, men
could funnel water directly into the train in just a few minutes. Water towers became a
familiar sight, but with the coming of powerful diesel engines, they slowly disappeared from
the Nevada landscape.
4. EARLY DAYS
THE COMSTOCK LODE / MINING
The Comstock: Largest Silver Strike in the World
None of the early miners suspected the extent Silver Mine in the World of the Comstock
silver lodes. They found gold on the surface, but had been throwing away a fortune in
silver. Once the blue-grey mud was assayed at thousands of dollars a ton, the news spread
worldwide. The Comstock changed everything. Only after the 1859 silver discoveries did
large numbers of people come to Nevada to live. Men came back over the mountains from
California, building new places such as Virginia City and Gold Hill. From the Comstock,
miners fanned out to explore the remotest regions of what is now Nevada. Others followed,
along with the pony express, the telegraph, and the railroad. Soon Nevada would be a new
territory, then a new state. “To make money and make it fast was as easy as it was to eat
your dinner.”(Mark Twain)
Road to Statehood
Comstock riches brought people to Nevada, but it was politics, not mineral wealth, that
brought an early statehood. Born during the Civil War, Nevada Territory was carved out of
Utah Territory in 1861. As a territory, taxes on mining already helped the Union, not the
Confederacy. President Abraham faced reelection in 1864 and needed Nevada’s electoral
votes to ensure victory. Lincoln also wanted another state to support the 13th amendment
abolishing slavery. A week before the election, on October 31, 1864, Nevada became a
state.
Nevada Mining Impacts the World
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The Comstock silver rush was a world event. Lured by promises of wealth, skilled miners
came from Ireland, England (Cornwall), Germany, Mexico, Bolivia, Peru, and elsewhere.
The Comstock boom set a pattern for outside ownership of Nevada’s economic assets.
Underground or “lode” mining requires financing beyond the reach of individuals. Most
funding came from out of state and most profit followed it out, first to Bank of California
investors and later to the famed “Bonanza Firm” in the 1870s. Financial speculation ran wild
in San Francisco, where a stock exchange opened, attracting capital for western mining,
especially for the Comstock. Spreading news of the Comstock worldwide were journalists
Dan de Quille, and Mark Twain, whose colorful stories often had some truth to them.
Mining Technologies
By solving two difficult problems, the Comstock became a school for miners worldwide.
Experts open pit, long shaft, arrived in 1860 providing answers for both Adolph Sutro’s
problems. The soft, crumbly rocks containing the silver ore collapsed on miners as they
worked. German engineer Philipp Deidesheimer studied the cave-in problem and suggested
a brilliantly simple solution: “square set timbering.” Heavy timbers that looked like hollow
building blocks could be hooked together beside and on top of one another; this allowed
more levels to be built safely. Separating the silver from the ore was more complicated.
Almarin Paul’s “Washoe Pan Process” took crushed ore, added chemicals, heat, and
churned the mixture in something like a modern washing machine. This improvement
created large savings in time and money for mining worldwide.
Chinese Workers Support the Mines
As the mining and railroad towns grew, labor contractors hired more than 10,000 Chinese
workers, some from other sites in the West and the rest directly from China. Although
many Chinese immigrants labored on the railroads, others found work in the service
industries supporting mining operations. They ran laundries and restaurants and worked
as household servants. Western medicine was not as sophisticated as the centuries-old
Chinese medicine, so Chinese physicians could be found in any town with a significant
Chinese population and many of them served the non-Chinese population as well. Many
European Americans enthusiastically endorsed the treatments that they had received and in
mining communities such as Island Mountain (Elko County) all of the dwellings had evidence
of Chinese medicine bottles.
Geology at Work Yields Riches
The amazingly rich Comstock Lode developed in a large fault between lava flows on a
volcano in western Nevada. These deposits were formed near the surface during a time of
active volcanism across Nevada. Hot fluids and gasses, rich in minerals, circulated through
cracks in the old volcano. Changes in chemistry, pressure, and temperature near the earth’s
surface caused gold and silver to be deposited in veins. The silver was discovered in bluegray sand that initially got in the way of the gold prospectors. This silver was the true wealth
of the Comstock Lode.
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RAILWAYS
Flurry of Railroad Building
After Nevada achieved statehood in 1864, railroad construction began in earnest. In 1869
the first transcontinental line was completed, linking the Central Pacific (later Southern
Pacific) and Union Pacific. Other lines quickly followed: the Virginia and Truckee (1869),
Eureka and Palisades (1874), Carson and Colorado (1880), San Pedro-Los Angeles-Salt Lake
(1901), and more than thirty others. The railroads brought settlers and encouraged the
development of permanent communities such as Reno, Winnemucca, Elko, Las Vegas,
and Tonopah. These communities gave Nevada stability, unlike the boom and bust mining
towns. The railroads also opened the state to trade and commerce domestically and
internationally.
The “Crookedest” Railroad
The Comstock mine owners began construction of the Virginia and Truckee Railroad in
1869 to bring the ore from the mines to the stamp mills on the Carson River. Called the
“crookedest railroad in the world,” it wrapped around the mountain and brought wood to
shore the mines and other products to Carson City, Virginia City, Gold Hill, and Silver City.
At the southern end of the state, another transcontinental railroad line fostered the growth
and development of Las Vegas beginning in 1905. Towns along railroad lines were more
permanent than most mining towns.
Chinese Railroad Workers
Once the transcontinental railroad was completed, many Chinese laborers worked on
labor, demise of the other railroad lines through the early Chinese towns/ twentieth
century. One worker, Chin Gee Hee temples, primarily (1844–1930), who was trained in
Winnemucca, men) eventually went on to head China’s new national railway system. In
the 1870s the Chinese settled in the railroad towns, often in segregated communities
called Chinatowns. There they recreated some of the sights and sounds of their homeland,
including association headquarters and temples, popularly called joss houses. Because of
the 1875 Page Law that essentially prohibited Chinese women from immigrating, a maledominated society was created in these Chinatowns that lasted until the 1943 repeal of
the Chinese Exclusion Act. Racial antagonism and the rise of labor unions fighting against
“cheap Chinese labor” led to the passage of the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act prohibiting the
immigration of Chinese laborers.
Railroads Build Communities
Reno was one example of a town that developed as a major train station in1868. It became
a commercial center and had the largest population in the state until it was surpassed in the
1950s by another railroad town, Las Vegas (established in 1905). Trains brought necessities
and luxuries to remote places. Ice, taken on board at stations like Carlin, helped preserve
fruits, vegetables, and meats. Lumber, tea, sugar, and other products from outside of the
state were now readily available in many communities. Trains also brought new jobs and
ways to connect the far-flung state, and railroad employees were important parts of the
economic and social life of Nevada’s towns and cities.
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Railroad Handcart
A handcar is a railway car powered by people. When the tracks or ties needed repair a
handcar was loaded with supplies and pumped out to the location. Workers would push
down and pull up on the handles to activate the cart. Some handcars even had seats for
passengers.
BOOM TOWN / BUST TOWN
Gold and Silver Towns: Boom Time
The Comstock Lode brought thousands of people to Nevada, and by 1861 Virginia City,
located at the mouth of the mines, had a population of 2,704. The wild and cosmopolitan
mining town grew rapidly in the 1870s and 1880s until it had a population of around 20,000.
The mines made millionaires, who took most of their money out of state. Miners, who
were predominantly male, frequented the numerous saloons that were characteristic of
all frontier towns. Virginia City declined as the mines were depleted and the price of silver
dropped in the late nineteenth century. This pattern repeated itself throughout the state.
As mines played out, towns were abandoned, and miners moved on to the next “big strike.”
Riches to Rags: Mining Towns Go Bust
Like bubbles frothing on a fast-moving stream, Nevada boom towns sprang up, grew
quickly, and then vanished. With an eye to a quick buck, speculators and merchants
established lavish hotels, opera houses, and saloons that rapidly deprived miners and other
workers of their gains. Goldfield, for example, experienced one of the most dramatic rises
and subsequent crashes of all the mining towns of the Old West. Gold was discovered in
1902. By 1906 the town’s population reached 30,000, making Goldfield the state’s biggest
town. By 1908 the mine had played out, and the population dropped to 5,000 by 1910.
This pattern repeated over and over again in such towns as Tonopah, Austin, Eureka, and
Virginia City. While this attitude encouraged risk-taking, it also fostered an environment
that did not plan for the future or the long-term good of its citizens.
RANCHES AND TOWNS
Why Settle Here?
Starting in the1850s, Mormons settled near overland trails in western Nevada to feed
California-bound emigrants. They later colonized southeastern Nevada, founding the
gricultural town of Panaca in 1864. It supported the non-Mormon mining town of Pioche,
a major silver producer of the 1870s. As Nevada grew, other groups settled throughout
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the state. The three most important necessities for permanent settlement were, water,
lumber, and transportation. Water was important for farming and ranching, as well as
basic human survival, so if there were no springs or streams, settlers built irrigation ditches
and dams. Roads were needed to transport products out and bring needed supplies in,
and settlements were located along trails and railroad lines. The rich forests of the Sierra
Nevada and its spur, the Carson Range, provided the wood for the Comstock mine and
buildings throughout Nevada.
Early Ranching
Ranches are unique to the American West. Across the state, cattle and sheep grazed and
foraged on large acreages. The heyday of Nevada ranching was in the 1870s and 1880s;
as mining declined, ranching was an option to some. Two subcultures emerged: the
phenomenon of the cowboy and Basque shepherds. John Sparks (1843–1908), a two-term
governor of Nevada, was an example of Nevada rancher who prospered on the heels of
mining. In 1881 he bought a ranch near Elko, then in 1883 purchased the famous Jasper
Harrell ranches to create Rancho Grande, which covered northern Nevada and southern
Idaho. He had between 80,000 and 90,000 cattle on the range. In 1885 he built Alamo
Ranch, just south of Reno, and bred pure-blood Hereford cattle. Harsh winters and losses
in mining speculation contributed to his financial decline, and he died in office in 1908 with
huge debts.
The Basques & Other Immigrant Ranchers
Among the numerous immigrant ranchers were the Basque, who came from an area
in northern Spain. Early Basque immigrants, like other immigrant ranchers, arrived in
California around 1850, then worked as ranchers in Nevada and Idaho. Around 1900 the
Basques took over sheepherding from the Scots and Chinese in Nevada and became noted
for this lonely occupation. Today, descendants of the Basque settlers hold the National
Basque Festival in Elko on July 4 to preserve their culture, traditions, and language. A Center
for Basque Studies was established at the University of Nevada, Reno. Two famous Basque
Americans were Robert Laxalt (1924-2001), who wrote more than a dozen books on life in
the West , and his brother Paul Dominique Laxalt (1922-2004), a Nevada governor and U.S.
Senator.
The Reno Story
The Central Pacific Railroad, racing west established Reno on May 9, “peculiar industries”
1868. As the state’s new transportation hub, –gambling, divorce, Reno did not have to
depend on mining to prostitution, boxing) survive. Early national attention focused on Reno
in 1910 during the “Fight of the Century” between Jack Johnson, the first African American
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heavyweight champion, and white fighter Jim Jeffries After amassing wealth in Tonopah and
Goldfield, powerful banker George Wingfield (1876-1959) moved to Reno in 1908. Wingfield
encouraged Reno to be a “wide open” town where any business activity could flourish.
Reno was laying the groundwork for a tourist economy.
Nevada’s Peculiar Industries
Why are Nevada’s laws and customs so Industries label different from other states? Faced
with the Depression, resource-poor Nevada had to legislate to stimulate the conomy.
Nevada already had a negative reputation from hosting prizefights and for having easier
marriage and divorce laws than other states. Prostitution, prevalent in mining camps,
could be regulated and taxed. Gambling was legal earlier in the state, so it was natural to
re-legalize it in 1931. Gambling, boxing, legalized prostitution, and the marriage/ divorce
business became part of Nevada’s identity. After decades of scorning Nevada, many other
states have now adopted parts of Nevada’s approach.
HARNESSING WATER
Water and the Land
Most Nevada waters don’t travel to the sea. They remain in the Great Basin, forming lakes,
sinks, or simply evaporate. Nevada’s rivers were essential in moving Americans westward,
though often they were just trickles. Mark Twain wrote: “One of the pleasantest exercises
…is to run and jump across the Humboldt River till one is overheated and then drink it
dry.”Bitter quarrels over water started early. Ranchers fought with Comstock mill owners
over the Carson River. Fights over the Truckee River consumed ranchers, Lake Tahoe
planners, and Pyramid Lake Paiutes, who saw their ancestral fishing grounds deteriorating.
Stillwater Wildlife Refuge, northeast of Fallon, is an important stop for migratory birds.
Diminished water from the Truckee-Carson river complex has damaged habitat for pelicans,
geese, and other birds.
Colossal Water Projects
The federal government provided water for Nevada’s residents with two massive projects.
Congressman Francis Newlands’ 1902 legislation allowed public land to be acquired,
irrigated and made useful. The Newlands Reclamation Act, first of its kind in the nation,
acquired public land to build dams, reservoirs, and irrigation canals for Nevada. As a result,
the area from Fernley to Fallon to Stillwater has produced millions of dollars worth of hay,
livestock, melons, poultry, and dairy products. Damming the Colorado River and creating
Lake Mead in the 1930s provided tourism, recreation, and a potential reservoir for southern
Nevada. But getting the water uphill to Las Vegas had to wait until the 1960s, when Senator
Alan Bible produced legislation to deliver Lake Mead water to Las Vegas. Now the city could
truly grow.
Generating Power: The Hoover Dam
The building of Hoover Dam in the 1930s was the “big bonanza” for Las Vegas. It brought in
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thousands of workers in the midst of massive unemployment elsewhere. Despite
dangerous, hot working conditions, the dam was finished in fewer than five years, ahead
of schedule and under budget. As well as taming the Colorado River, and providing water
and power for the Southwest, Hoover Dam transformed the small town of Las Vegas into
a major city. When President Roosevelt dedicated it on September 30, 1935, Hoover Dam
became a powerful, positive symbol for the nation. During the terrible economic conditions
of the Great Depression, it stood out as a brilliant accomplishment.
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT - Nevada Strikes a Deal
More than four-fifths of Nevada is owned by the federal government. Upon statehood
in 1864, Congress required Nevada’s constitution to “forever disclaim all right to
unappropriated public lands…” Agreeing to give up land outside the mining areas was easy
for citizens to do in 1864. Today, the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management lease
vast acreages for grazing and timber. Much land is used for military purposes, including the
Nevada Test Site, where atomic bombs were detonated in the 1950s and 1960s. What does
federal ownership of Nevada land mean for wild horses, Native Americans, and the cost of
housing in the Las Vegas valley?
The Military in Nevada
The U.S. military has played an enormous role in Nevada. The Nevada Test Site, established
in 1951 to study nuclear explosions, was a key part of the Cold War with the Soviet Union.
Testing brought national attention to Las Vegas and a large payroll to its economy. The Las
Vegas Army Gunnery School opened in 1941. The primary mission trained machine gunners
to shoot down enemy fighter planes. Training more than 25,000 men, the base swelled
the Las Vegas population. Lighter than aluminum, magnesium was critical for World War
II airplanes. Thousands of workers at the Basic Magnesium plant produced 166 million
tons of magnesium. Southern Nevada emerged from the war with a new industrial base
and a new city, Henderson. Little-known Wendover was one of the most Atomic Bombs on
Japan Military important airfields of World War II. Flight crews trained there for a secret
mission, to drop an atomic bomb on Japan. Its remote location enhanced security. Postwar
controversy about the use of atomic bombs does not include Wendover. Its job was
simply to prepare the crew for the Pacific. Stead Air Force Base in Reno, the Fallon Naval
Air Station, and the Hawthorne Army Depot are among other sites in Nevada where the
military has played a significant role in the community.
Choosing Isolation: Nevada’s Nuclear Test Sites
Just 65 miles north of Las Vegas lay one of the Nevada’s Nuclear most controversial
landmarks to American Test Sites scientific ingenuity and Cold War politics. In 1950,
president Harry Truman established the Nevada Proving Grounds, which later became
the Nevada Test Site, on 1,350 square miles of dry lakes and rugged mountains. Larger
than the state of Rhode Island, the Test Site quickly became the keystone of America’s
nuclear complex during the Cold War. Between 1951 and 1962 above-ground nuclear tests
were conducted, until an international treaty moved the tests underground. In Las Vegas,
residents and tourists watched the spectacle of atmospheric tests light up the sky, and the
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mushroom cloud became the icon of the nuclear age. Area 51 On the Northern border of
the Test Site, the Air Force established Area 51, the legendary research and development
facility, to take advantage of its almost total seclusion.
African Americans: Segregation in Early Las Vegas
In 1940 there were around 200 African Segregation in Early BMI and influx of Americans
living in Las Vegas. By 1942, more Las Vegas black workers than 2,000 moved to southern
Nevada to work at the Basic Magnesium plant, many from Loui- siana and Arkansas.
The first housing at Basic was for whites only; most of the new arrivals lived in the longneglected Westside, where conditions were appalling. In 1943 Carver Park opened at Basic
to house African Americans, but most continued to live on the Westside, near churches and
family. In a war-time atmosphere, Las Vegas became an increasingly segregated community,
where African Americans, even world-renowned entertainers, could not stay or dine at Strip
hotels. This changed in 1960 when black community leaders threatened a demonstration on
the Strip. The resort owners, fearing bad publicity, desegregated the hotels.
VIVA LAS VEGAS
LAS VEGAS STORY
Las Vegas: From Railroad Town to Today
After the Mormons abandoned their mission, Las Vegas was reborn as a railroad town in
1905. The San Pedro, Salt Lake, and Los Angeles Railroad bought land and water rights and
controlled the city for years. That downtown streets parallel the railroad tracks, and do not
run in a north-south direction, is a reminder of its early dominance. Hoover Dam, built from
1931 to 1935, provided tourists, payrolls, and Lake Mead. Combined with 1931 state laws
legalizing gambling and liberalizing divorce rules, Las Vegas became a tourist town. World
War II brought an air base and a magnesium plant, tripling the population. Changing from
Old West imagery to more exotic themes in the 1950s, the brilliantly lit Las Vegas became a
world destination.
The Gaming Life
Like most frontier mining areas, gambling was part of Nevada’s culture from the start. State
gambling to major legislation passed in 1931 allowed wide-open industry) gambling.
Replacing the railroad as the state’s dominant industry, well-known casinos such as Harrah’s
and Harold’s Club in Reno led the way. Gamblers, often criminals, came to Nevada as
legitimate businessmen, bringing a new level of expertise. Las Vegas, sparked by the 1946
opening of the Flamingo Hotel , soon became well-known in American culture. Billionaire
Howard Hughes brought legitimacy to the industry in the 1960s. Financing evolved from
mob accounts to pension funds to major Wall street firms as Las Vegas became acceptable
to mainstream America.
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Las Vegas “The Early Years”
1905
The railroad auctions lots in downtown Las Vegas, creating a new city by the tracks.
1922
Railroad workers protest Union Pacific policies and strike. The economic slowdown of Las
Vegas that followed was a good indicator of how dependent the city was on the railroad.
1931
Construction of Hoover Dam begins, bringing payrolls, tourists, and a building boom to Las
Vegas.
1935
Helldorado begins as a way to attract attention and tourists after Hoover Dam construction
ends. The rodeo and parades remained community events into the 1990s.
1941
The first major resort-casino opens on the Strip, the El Rancho Vegas. It continues the
western theme of earlier downtown casinos.
1941
The first major resort-casino opens on the Strip, the El Rancho Vegas. It continues the
western theme of earlier downtown casinos. The Aerial Gunnery School (later Nellis Air
Force Base) also opens.
1942
The first magnesium ingots roll out of the Basic Magnesium plant for use in World War II
aircraft. The site becomes the city of Henderson.
1946
The Flamingo Hotel opens on the Strip. Although mobster Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel is often
credited for the hotel, Hollywood publisher Billy Wilkerson was the creative force. The
Flamingo moves Las Vegas away from a western theme.
1951
The first atomic bomb explodes at the Nevada Test Site. The Test Site brought a large
payroll and much publicity for Las Vegas.
1955
The Moulin Rouge opens as the city’s first racially integrated hotel.
1966
Howard Hughes arrives and buys several Las Vegas hotels. His presence helped pave the
way for corporations to own casinos.
1989
The Mirage opens as the first “mega-resort” in Las Vegas.
Famous Nevadans
Pat McCarran
A powerful U. S. senator for twenty years, Pat McCarran (1876–1954) is often remembered
for his strong anti-Communist policies. A supporter of air and defense industries in Nevada,
millions recognize his name from McCarran Airport.
Rex Bell
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Popular cowboy movie star Rex Bell (1903–1962) left Hollywood in the 1930s for the
Searchlight ranch he shared with his actress wife Clara Bow. Elected in 1954, Bell served two
terms as lieutenant governor.
Anne Martin
Anne Martin (1875–1951) worked tirelessly so that Nevada women could vote. Her
suffragette activities succeeded. Nevada granted that right in 1914, well before the U.S.
constitution was amended in 1920.
Andre Agassi
The most recognizable international athlete from Las Vegas, Andre Agassi (b. 1970) is one
of five players in tennis history to win all four Grand Slam events, including a 1992 title at
Wimbledon. His unmatched philanthropic work for Las Vegas children improves a great
number of lives in his home town.
Behind the Scenes: Labor and the Culinary Union
Often overlooked for flashier stories about and the Culinary Union hotels, gangsters, and
entertainers, the Culinary Union’s cooperation was crucial to Las Vegas’s success.
Founded in the 1930s, Culinary Union Local 226 represents hotel and restaurant employees,
but not casino workers. It successfully negotiated wage, health, and pension benefits for
decades. The first major strike did not occur until 1976, followed by a more serious walkout
in 1984. More than 18,000 workers, seeking better benefits, left work for 67 days.
All sides in the conflict saw the negative impact on tourism and the local economy. That
settlement paved the way for today’s long labor peace. Although union membership in
America is declining, in Las Vegas it remains a success story.
Howard Hughes in Las Vegas
The individual who brought Las Vegas its Las Vegas strangest publicity was billionaire
Howard Hughes (1905–1976). Famous for building aircraft and producing movies, Hughes
bought Las Vegas land as early as the 1940s, areas now called Green Valley and Summerlin.
Facing eviction from the Desert Inn in 1966, Hughes bought the hotel. He then acquired the
Sands, Frontier, Landmark, Castaways, Silver Slipper, and Harold’s Club. Isolating himself
in the Desert Inn penthouse for four years, Hughes made it difficult for gambling control
agents to deal with his empire. Because Hughes was so reclusive, rumors about his bizarre
life ran wild. Leaving secretly in 1970, Hughes never returned. A buyer, not a builder,
his greatest contribution was legitimizing Las Vegas to the world and paving the way for
corporations to own casinos.
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Helldorado
As Hoover Dam construction wound down, community leaders worried about replacing
the economic benefits. One answer began in 1935, when the Elks Club sponsored the
Helldorado celebration. Helldorado featured parades, rodeos, beauty contests, and beardgrowing contests. This “Wild West” celebration was one of the first special events aimed
at attracting tourists. Popularized in the 1946 Roy Rogers film Heldorado, censors insisted
on only one “L” in the title. For Las Vegans, Helldorado was an annual rite of spring.
Generations of school children joined the parades. Ending in the 1990s, Helldorado was the
longest-running civic celebration in Las Vegas.
CASINOS + ENTERTAINMENT - Life is a Stage
Nothing represents Las Vegas more than the showgirl. The glamour, feathers, and bright
colors were unlike anything tourists saw back home. Chorus lines were common in hotel
revues in the 1940s and 1950s. The first topless revue was Minsky’s Follies in 1957 at the
Dunes. Soon, new showgirl spectaculars appeared, as two shows were imported from
France. The Stardust opened Lido de Paris in 1958, featuring six stages, a swimming pool,
and an ice rink. In 1959 the long-running Folies Bergere opened at the Tropicana. Early
showgirls were not expected to do much singing and dancing, just glide across the stage in
spectacular outfits. Modern showgirls often have backgrounds in classical dance. They are
also community representatives and stars of advertising campaigns—the classic icons of Las
Vegas.
Movies and Myths
Las Vegas, one of the few American cities that looks like a movie set, attracts many
filmmakers. Some tell an accurate story; most add to false perceptions. Fascination with
crime is a recurring theme of movies set in Las Vegas. Casino (1995) was based on real
events, the decline of the mob. Bugsy (1991) is full of inaccuracies, painting Bugsy Siegel
as a visionary. The notion of Las Vegas as a national playground was bolstered by the Rat
Pack’s Oceans 11 (1960). Movies preserve the past even if Las Vegas doesn’t. Viva Las Vegas
(1964) provides a scenic tour. Mars Attacks (1996) records the implosion of the Landmark
Hotel. The allure of Las Vegas remains powerful. As Dustin Hoffman’s character in Rain Man
says, “Very sparkly, very twinkly.”
African Americans at the Moulin Rouge
As the city’s first multiracial casino, the Moulin Rouge made a lasting impact on Las Vegas,
although it was open only from May to October of 1955. A source of immense pride to
the African American community, the Moulin Rouge was integrated when other resorts
in Las Vegas excluded black patrons. Even such stars as Sammy Davis, Jr., Lena Horne, and
Nat “King” Cole could not stay where they performed. For five months large, inter-racial
audiences enjoyed the lively Moulin Rouge atmosphere. Its closing has never been fully
explained, but the Moulin Rouge had left its mark. Las Vegas hotels began allowing its
black entertainers more freedom. The public had seen integration and enjoyed it. Racial
conditions could never return to what they were before the Moulin Rouge opened.
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Organized Crime and a Man Named “Bugsy”
Between 1920 and 1933, the 18th amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibited the
purchase and sale of alcohol. When Prohibition ended, illegal bootleggers sought new
revenue. Prominent among them were New Yorkers Meyer Lansky (1902–1983) and
Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel (1906–1947). Siegel came west to control horse race betting. He
and Lansky bought hidden interests in downtown Las Vegas clubs. After publisher Billy
Wilkerson ran out of money building the Flamingo Hotel, Siegel muscled in on the project
and opened it in 1946. Because of perceived cost overruns, Lansky had Siegel killed. His
gangland-style execution sparked widespread publicity about Las Vegas and began the
myth of “Bugsy” Siegel and Las Vegas. Siegel didn’t build the Flamingo or invent the Strip.
He wasn’t a visionary but a cold-blooded murderer. His death, however, made Las Vegas
famous.
SOUTHERN NEVADA TODAY
Casino Moguls and Mega Resorts
The Flamingo’s 1946 opening departed from earlier Western styles, beginning a progression
to more exotic themes (Dunes, Riviera Sahara). When Jay Sarno’s Roman-themed Caesars
Palace opened in 1966, it set a glamorous new standard. Kirk Kerkorian (b. 1917) enlarged
the scale of Las Vegas hotels far beyond what pioneer operators could have imagined. He
built the three largest hotels in the world in their time: the 1969 International (now Las
Vegas Hilton), the 1973 MGM (now Bally’s), and the1993 MGM Grand. Modern Las Vegas
came of age in 1989 when Steve Wynn built the Mirage. Overcoming financiers’ doubts
about such a huge investment, the size, opulence, and entertainment set a new pattern for
modern Las Vegas. Today’s billion-dollar mega-resort industry began with the Mirage.
“Wasteland” to World Class “Wonderland”
In the late twentieth century new understandings of ecology contributed to a realization
that deserts are complex places that need to be protected and preserved. In the 19th
century Americans moved into the desert lands of the southwest and discovered an
arid, unfamiliar, and often frightening landscape. By the mid-20th century the massive
Hoover Dam project made the desert environment of Las Vegas less foreboding. World
War II brought thousands to the valley and many stayed. By the 1950s, Las Vegas was an
international tourist destination, and deserts became exotic playgrounds. Still, the willing
embrace of nuclear testing and unplanned sprawl of Las Vegas as it grew through the 1960s
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and 1970s demonstrated the persistence of the perception of the desert as a wasteland.
The challenge of the twenty-first century is to learn how to live lightly on a fragile desert
land.
Looking Ahead
High on the western slopes of Mt. Wheeler in Central Nevada, a remarkable group of
technological innovators is building an underground chamber to house a 10,000-year clock
and library. The Long Now Foundation’s unusual clock encourages planning for a sustainable
future. Nowhere is the need for thoughtful planning more clear than in Las Vegas. Once
considered unique in both environment and economy, by the end of the 20th century Las
Vegas was a mirror of critical national economic and demographic trends. As one of the
fastest-growing cities in America, Las Vegas faces many challenges and offers a laboratory
for a nation working to reconcile a century of technologically driven progress with a growing
concern about the unintended consequences of perpetual growth.
CLOSING STATEMENT
What does it mean to be a Nevadan?
What does it mean to live in a state where the resources are so fragile? What are the costs?
What are the stories every Nevadan should know?
How long do you have to live here before you’re truly a Nevadan?
What sounds or smells remind you of Nevada? How about Las Vegas?
If you had to create a postcard of Nevada to send to a friend, what would you draw?
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