Nevada

Las Vegas is truly a city unlike any other. Beginning as a railroad stop in the desert and growing to become one of the top tourist destinations in the nation, the city continues to grow and redefine itself.

Maggie Bukowski Gaspar has lived in Las Vegas for 20 years and is the curator of Manuscripts, Photographs, and Library at the Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas. All historic images in this book come from the museum’s collection. 

For several decades, hardworking families took their respective places as stewards of the ranch in Las Vegas, including its most historical asset, the last surviving remnant of the 1855 Mormon fort. The building is now the oldest non-native building in Nevada. 

In the middle of June 1855, a small group of Mormon missionaries arrived to a blistering hot, desolate valley. The call to Las Vegas was twofold; the men were to assist their fellow brethren traversing the Mormon Corridor and to establish peaceful relations with the region’s Southern Paiutes. The men organized a waystation inside an impressive adobe fort erected with thousands of bricks made by their own hands. When their two-year assignment ended, possession of the fort was assumed by others who transformed it into a supply station and ranch. Historical societies have long united to properly recognize the fort remnant and bring about meaningful preservation. They saw their work realized with the opening of the Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort State Historic Park.  

Lisa Leavitt Messenger was introduced to the history of the Old Mormon Fort and Ranch while researching her personal genealogy, both her grandfather and great grandfather spent time on the Old Ranch. Her personal connection nurtured a deep interest in the historical property that has only intensified. She volunteers with affiliated historical societies, namely the Friends of the Fort and the Daughters of Utah Pioneers, which aim to promote the history with the community of Las Vegas.

Lake Tahoe is the gem of the Sierra Nevada. Those who visit this beautiful Lake of the Sky may share Mark Twain's impression of the place as he camped on its shore in 1861: As it lay there with the shadows of the mountains brilliantly photographed upon its still surface I thought it must surely be the fairest picture the whole earth affords. Twain's quote, from Roughing It, includes the trinity of Tahoe's landscape—sky, mountains, and lake—that people still find inspiring. This explains, in large part, why the man-made environment around the lake is predominantly rustic, a style of architecture noted for its compatibility with its surroundings through the use of natural materials in construction—logs, stone, and wooden shingle—along with muted shades of green and brown. Through its homes, resorts, and other assorted buildings, Lake Tahoe remains the fairest picture.