Name: Early Las Vegas
Brand: Dr. Linda Karen Miller
SKU: 9780738596570
Price: 24.99 USD
Availability: InStock

Early Las Vegas

9780738596570

$24.99

After the departure of the early Mormon settlers in 1857, early Las Vegas continued to be a watering stop for overland travelers on the Mormon Road/Old Spanish Trail. The area was mainly ranches and mines until railroad rivals eyed the Las Vegas Valley. Sen. William Clark of Montana bought the land and water rights to the former Mormon settlement from ranching pioneer Helen J. Stewart. The foundation for modern Las Vegas was laid in 1905, as auctioneers gaveled out the plans for the future of Las Vegas at Clark's town site. Today, those sights and sounds are recalled as the community comes
together to recreate the past in Mormon settlement days and for the Helldorado Parade, marking the city's birth.

Ghost Towns and Mining Camps of Southern Nevada

9780738570129

$24.99

Ghost towns and mining camps are the last remaining vestiges of the Old West; there is a mystique surrounding these places that has made exploring them a pastime for many in the western United States. Nevada has more than a thousand of these boom-and-bust towns. Some are completely abandoned, while some still struggle to survive and even serve as county seats. Sadly, these wonderful places, including those covered in this volume, are constantly in danger from vandalism and neglect. Many ghost towns and mining camps have been destroyed or damaged needlessly, and those who are captivated by their charm must protect these windows into history so that they survive for future generations.

Cover image for Ghost Towns and Mining Camps of Southern Nevada, isbn: 9780738570129

Early Reno

9780738581859

$24.99

In 1868, Reno was a rough railroad town located on the new Central Pacific railroad line and quickly became the transportation hub for the greatest silver strike in the world, the Comstock Lode in Virginia City. By the early 1900s, Reno was the state's financial and industrial center. The automobile and the arrival of the Lincoln and Victory Highways made Reno a convenient place for a quick divorce, and between 1910 and 1970, it was known as the divorce capital of the world. Gaming thrived in Reno's back rooms and alleys since its earliest days, and became the state's major economic force after it was legalized in 1931. Known as the "Biggest Little City," Reno was famous as a place where one could do things that were difficult to do anywhere else.

Washoe County

9780738581682

$24.99

Located in the northwestern corner of Nevada, bordering Oregon to the north and California to the west, Washoe County was a crossroads for miners seeking riches in the California Gold Rush and later in the neighboring Comstock Lode. Occupied by the Wassau (or Washo) and Paiute Indians, Washoe County was explored by John Bidwell in 1841 and John C. Fremont in 1844. Settlers began to arrive in the area claimed by Utah Territory as part of Tooele County in 1852, and it became part of Carson County in the Nevada Territory in 1854. Washoe County became one of the original nine counties in the Nevada Territory in 1861 and expanded to its current size with the addition of Lake or Roop County land in 1864.

Reno

9780738593265

$24.99

Reno has always been a small town where big things happen. Long before it adopted the slogan "The Biggest Little City in the World," Reno was visited by presidents, the nation's elite, and those drawn to the city's wide-open, live-and-let live attitude. "The Fight of the Century," between heavyweight boxers Jack Johnson and Jim Jeffries brought Reno worldwide attention in 1910, and the legalization of gambling and liberalization of divorce laws in 1931 made the city a national destination. At the same time, Reno never lost its small-town feel, with generations of families and scores of familiar faces building long-standing businesses and instilling a sense of civic pride.

Reno's Heyday

9781467124072

$24.99

For 60 years starting in 1931, Reno was unarguably the place where things not possible elsewhere were its hallmarks--gambling, divorce, and uncomplicated weddings. Old promotional campaigns described two Renos--one for gambling and entertainment and one for outdoor activities. For locals, there were two other Renos. One was a beautiful city on a mountain river between towering peaks. It was a community of local businesses where people knew each other and were proud of its university. The other Reno was the city of casinos and top-name entertainment that attracted visitors. For most of those 60 years, the visitors' Reno increasingly crowded out the residents' Reno. But with the decline of the divorce and gambling businesses and the coming of new high-tech industries to Reno's economy, Reno's heyday may be just gearing up for a second wind.

Hidden History of Elko County

9781626199958

$21.99

Elko County in Nevada's remote northeastern corner has long attracted independent, spirited individuals determined to carve out lives of their own. Born to former slaves, Henry Harris worked his way from John Sparks's house hand to one of the most respected buckaroos in the region. Pete Itcaina, the unlikely millionaire, once bought a local bar on the spot just to fire the bartender, who mistook Itcaina for a bum and refused to serve him. The beautiful cattle rustler Susie Raper charmed her way out of numerous arrests and trials, despite her trail of dead husbands. Local author Claudia Wines excavates sagas buried in the dust and probes conventional wisdom surrounding local legend.

Cover image for Hidden History of Elko County, isbn: 9781626199958

Lake Mead

9781467132541

$24.99

The drastic contrast between its desert landscape and the deep, blue waters of Lake Mead makes it difficult to envision the park's creation as merely incidental. After the completion of the Hoover Dam, the waters of the Colorado River began to flood the river valley and form one of the largest man-made lakes in the United States. The Bureau of Reclamation soon realized the vast recreational opportunities that Lake Mead would provide. Through a memorandum of agreement, the National Park Service was tasked with managing the first national recreation area, formerly known as the Boulder Dam National Recreation Area.

Austin

9780738574479

$24.99

The rural town of Austin is located in the geographic center of Nevada, in the heart of the Great Basin Desert. In 1862, a wrangler found silver ore there while cutting firewood for a nearby Overland Stage station. Some of it assayed in richer than ore from the Comstock Lode in Virginia City, causing a rush to Pony Canyon, where the area exploded to a population of 10,000. The town of Austin was located and quickly became the mining, milling, and commercial hub for central Nevada. Its future looked assured, but like most mining camps of the time, Austin quickly settled in for a long--although occasionally prosperous--decline. Today located on US 50, the loneliest highway in America, Austin has a population of around 300. Because of the town's isolation, many of the original buildings are still in active use, as they were 140 years ago. Although the mines are long silent, Austin continues to live on.

Boulder City

9781467137157

$21.99

In the depths of the Great Depression, the United States undertook a task so monumental it demanded nearly five thousand people to complete. The Hoover Dam stands as a modern marvel, a testament to America's ingenuity. However, few know the story of the town that built the dam. To house the workers, Secretary of Interior Ray L. Wilbur envisioned a model of city planning, giving birth to Boulder City. Wilbur intended for the city to be temporary, to disappear once the dam was complete, but it didn't work out that way. Local author Paul W. Papa offers a unique look at a town that may have been forged by a dam but took on a life of its own.

Cover image for Boulder City, isbn: 9781467137157

Mills Along the Carson River

9781467133272

$24.99

Nestled along the picturesque Carson River in the state of Nevada were the quartz mills that crushed and extracted the values from the Comstock ore. These mills were built starting in 1859, when gold and silver were discovered on the Comstock, with the last mill being demolished around the 1920s. Mills were huge plants, in many cases crushing tons of ore a day, sometimes seven days a week. To support these mills, the towns of Empire and Dayton were established to house workers and provide needed supplies. Remnants of these mills have all but disappeared, and in a few more years, there will be nothing to remind people of the wealth these establishments created for individuals, the state of Nevada, and the United States.

Henderson

9780738520872

$24.99

The year 2003 marks the 50th anniversary of the
incorporation of the City of Henderson. This
anniversary is even more of a milestone given the fact that due to Henderson's origins, it was never expected to remain a populated area, let alone grow into the second largest city in Nevada today. From the early 1900s there had been some small scale mining and the occasional ranch house, but the city was really founded on the basis of communities which provided housing for workers on two of the largest federal projects in the West: Boulder (later Hoover) Dam and the wartime Basic Magnesium Inc. Like many boomtowns before it, Henderson seemed likely to fade away after the federal government halted magnesium production there in 1944. Yet the determination of local residents saved the city, and since its incorporation in 1953, growth has exceeded the expectations of even its most optimistic founders.
Documented through historical photographs is the
construction of the BMI plant, the experience of
working there in the war years, living in the community that was built to support the plant (Camp Anderson, Basic Townsite, Victory Village, and Carver Park for African American workers), and the transformation of this temporary federal venture into a burgeoning city.

Elko County

9780738558868

$24.99

Elko County, located in the northeast corner of Nevada, is the fourth largest county in the continental United States. Miles and miles of sagebrush give way to scenic spots, such as Lamoille Canyon and the Ruby Mountains, and locals are proud of this ruggedly beautiful land. Although the county's area is vast, there are only 2.5 people per square mile, and almost 90 percent of the land is owned by the federal government. The major towns in Elko County were established in the late 1860s, when the railroad arrived and brought ranching and mining jobs to the area. In the 1930s, Elko County began attracting big-name entertainment and also became a destination for gaming, and those traditions continue today. With its rich heritage and unique, high-desert landscapes, Elko County is considered one of the last frontiers of the Old West.

Cover image for Elko County, isbn: 9780738558868

Building Nevada's Highways

9781467134064

$24.99

Roads are rarely given a second thought yet are indispensable to life. Admittedly, a book dedicated to roadways sounds a bit dry. But behind every double-diamond interchange, every pork chop island, and every type of asphalt is a fascinating history of the traveling public. This book reveals the hidden history of building the Silver State's highways since 1917. The next time you take a road trip across Nevada on the Lincoln Highway (US 50) or the Victory Highway (US 40) or follow a rutted road to a once-booming ghost town think of the ingenious and industrious men and women, surveyors, engineers, chemists, and yes, even the teams of mules that built the roads we still travel today.

West Las Vegas

9780738581965

$24.99

Original Las Vegas faced stiff odds with fluctuating fortunes throughout the 20th century. Celebrated as the McWilliams Townsite in 1904, Las Vegas's first commercial enterprise was quickly crushed by savvy developers owning most of the water rights on the southeast side of the railroad tracks. Deprived of resources and services, the tent-riddled ground soon earned the name Ragtown and was populated by the area's poorest, the majority being minorities. During the 1940s and 1950s, a soaring influx of blacks from small plantation towns in the South descended upon Las Vegas, seeking a promised land during the boom of wartime industry, but Jim Crow laws flew in with them. Ironically, segregation led to the emergence of the Westside as an enclave of successful businesses, services, entertainment and casino venues, dozens of churches, and middle-class housing. Although integration brought an exodus and decline, a bold new generation of West Las Vegans is once again revitalizing the original Westside community.

Cover image for West Las Vegas, isbn: 9780738581965

Fallon

9781467132220

$24.99

In the mid- to late 19th century, nonnative populations first settled Fallon, Nevada, and the surrounding areas in Churchill County. Tracts of land were claimed from a desert floor, watered sporadically by the Carson River, which, in good years, flows abundantly through the region. Fallon can be seen as a palimpsest, having once exclusively been home to Native Americans and then becoming an overland crossroads. In the mid-1890s, Jim Richards established a store at the crossing and Mike Fallon opened a small post office nearby. Now referred to as the Oasis of Nevada, it is home to thousands. Lahontan Dam, completed in 1915, strengthened early agricultural roots and inspired rural dreams of verdant plenitude. Churchill County presently supports dairies and vineyards as well as farms and ranches. The city of Fallon has developed in significant ways, taking pride in its cultural life, schools, parks, businesses, and city-owned utility enterprises.

Cover image for Fallon, isbn: 9781467132220

Nevada's Lost City

9780738593272

$24.99 $12.50 Save 50%

Nevada's Lost City was buried under the sands of the Mojave Desert until its existence was reported to Gov. James Scrugham by brothers John and Fay Perkins from Overton, Nevada. Excavations of the archaeological ruins began in 1924, when archaeologist Mark Raymond Harrington identified the ruins as Ancestral Puebloan (more commonly known as Anasazi), a significant archaeological discovery in Southwestern archaeology. Harrington named the world-famous sites Pueblo Grande de Nevada, but the media dubbed them the Lost City, and the name stuck. Excavation continued into the 1930s, when the National Park Service took over the excavation of the sites using young men employed by the Civilian Conservation Corps. The CCC boys not only helped to excavate but they also built the Lost City Museum, an institution devoted to highlighting the archaeological wonders of the Lost City.

Black Rock Desert

9781467130202

$24.99

The Black Rock Desert, located in northwestern Nevada, has been the site of many human activities, from ancient hunters to the arrival of the pioneers to present-day motion pictures, land-speed records, commercial photography, and a weeklong art festival. This book focuses on the art history of the Black Rock Desert playa up until 1990, laying the groundwork for the larger, participatory art events of recent history. Events include art from the Lassen Trail; The Winning of Barbara Worth, starring Gary Cooper, in 1926; and a wild horse roundup as documented by Gus Bundy. Also included are recent works of art such as Doobie Lane and a croquet match in which trucks were used as mallets. Historical images feature the towns of Sulphur and Gerlach, nearby ranches, and the Empire gypsum mine.

Mesquite and the Virgin Valley

9780738580722

$24.99

The lower Virgin River basin is located about 10 miles south of the border junction between what is now Nevada, Arizona, and Utah. Early explorers told of blistering heat, disease-carrying insects, and scarce, evil-tasting water. But in 1877, the valley offered a haven to a small group of Mormon families who sought to live and practice their religious convictions, settling in Bunkerville on the south side of the Virgin River. On the north side, the struggle to establish Mesquite started in 1880. The third attempt in 1894 was successful after years of merciless floods. Residents have survived a hostile environment, geographic isolation, political gerrymandering, and in the middle of the last century, dangerous radiation fallout from atomic testing. Deep sand roads have given way to a bustling interstate highway, and the area has become a golf and gaming destination. After incorporation in 1984, Mesquite experienced a boom and has been named the fastest growing city of its size in the United States.

Cover image for Mesquite and the Virgin Valley, isbn: 9780738580722

Reno's Riverwalk District

9780738596716

$24.99

During the mid-1800s, Charles Fuller established the first bridge to cross the Truckee River in Reno. Shortly after, settlers took residence, built a vibrant community, and called the banks of the Truckee River home. From the booming Comstock Lode and the expansion of the Transcontinental Railroad, Reno was a town of growth. By the mid-1900s, Reno showcased some of the state's most historic structures and had become known as the divorce capital of the country. The area of Reno now recognized as the Riverwalk District faced reckless floods, storms, and devastating fires, and yet its rich history and culture has prevailed for more than 98 years.

Dayton

9781467133265

$24.99

Dayton's history begins with Nevada's first gold discovery in July 1849. It started with a California-bound pack train, led by trail guide Abner Blackburn, setting up camp at the mouth of a canyon that drained into the Carson River. While waiting for the snow to melt in the Sierra, Blackburn went prospecting and dug gold from the creek bed. The news of his discovery spread, and prospectors rushed to the site they called Gold Cañon—today's Dayton. In May 1851, diarist Lucena Pfuffer Parsons, traveling with a wagon train, camped at the site and reported about 200 miners living in the canyon. She noted that they were finding enough gold to trade for supplies. In 1859, after working their way up the canyon, miners discovered a large silver and gold deposit known as the Comstock Lode. This discovery led Nevada to statehood in 1864.

Around Boulder City

9780738558769

$24.99

The original planners of Boulder City, Nevada, did not expect that the community of workers and engineers would outlast the construction of the great Hoover Dam. The subsequent years challenged this assumption, however, as Boulder City continued to grow and thrive even after the dam was completed and the waters of the Colorado River were harnessed. As more families took road trips to visit the dam and other southwestern attractions, Boulder City became a tourism hub. Shops, restaurants, and hotels, including the famous Boulder Dam Hotel, were built, and even more visitors flocked to the nearby Lake Mead National Recreation Area after its establishment in 1964. Elton M. Garrett aptly described the city in the masthead of his newspaper, the Boulder Dam Challenge, in 1936: "Boulder City Carries On With Spirit With Which Boulder Dam Challenged Rio Colorado."

Boulder City, Nevada

9780738507705

$24.99

The Boulder Canyon Project Act, authorized by Congress in 1928, designated funds for the construction of the Hoover Dam. This monumental undertaking affected the interests of seven states and is considered by many to be the most significant American public works project of the 20th century. A project of this scope required thousands of workers, and to meet their needs, the Bureau of Reclamation planned the town of Boulder City, Nevada. Today, the planning of Boulder City is recognized as a significant influence on modern city planning. To a country shaken to its roots by the tumultuous effects of the Great Depression, the Hoover Dam project provided two essentials that were in short supply: work and housing. With the planned community of Boulder City, there was yet another benefit--an oasis in the desert, a city with character and charm. From the hot, barren, cactus-covered land rose green lawns and gardens, workers and their families created a new sense of community, culled from their hard work and the massive dam that was rising before their eyes.