We are thrilled to announce that we have another upcoming panel on the History of Helldorado.  If you are new to town and wonder why there is a Helldorado Celebration (which is coming on May 17th) or if you remember fondly sitting on the curb on Fremont Street watching those beautiful floats go by, come on around and here the stories of how and why Helldorado got started and what it was like. 

At one point in the 1950s, it rivaled the Rose Parade in terms of attendance and beautiful floats.

A great evening of history and fun that you won't want to miss!

The History of Helldorado

Tuesday, May 13th

Clark County Museum

1830 S. Boulder Highway 

7:00 PM   (Please note new START TIME)

Panelists include:

Emmett Sullivan, the son of co-founder Mark Sullivan

Tim Cashman, the grandson of co-founder, Big Jim Cashman

Don Payne, former Manager of the Las Vegas News Bureau

Thank you to the Las Vegas News Bureau for helping to Sponsor this event! 

We hope to see you there! 

St. Thomas was a thriving farming community in the Moapa Valley.  But, when Boulder (Hoover) Dam was finished, Lake Mead began to rise behind the Dam.

The community of St. Thomas had to be abandoned.  Its citizens packed up their belongings and left for the territory ahead.

Left behind were the buildings, fixtures, wells and the reminders of a once-proud Mormon community.  As the Lake rose, St. Thomas faded from view and from memory.

But as the drought continues and the Lake gets lower and lower, St. Thomas has risen from its watery grave.  The crumbling buildings once again back in the hot sun and eerily reminds us of our past.

On Thursday, April 3rd, Untold Stories will look back at the history of St. Thomas and the history of the ruins.

Untold Stories:  Revisiting St. Thomas 

Panelists will include:

Eva Jensen, curator and historian for the Lost City Museum in Overton

Dennis McBride, curator and historian for the Nevada State Museum

Dr. Michael Green, professor of history, College of Southern Nevada

Thursday, April 3rd 

7:00 pm

Las Vegas Springs Preserve

Admission $12

For more information on St. Thomas:

http://classiclasvegas.squarespace.com/classic-las-vegas-blog/2008/2/11/the-past-resurfaces.html 

"There was more changes on Fremont Street than anywhere else for quite awhile" 

Carey Burke, 2004 interview 

Our historian, Lynn Zook, will be presenting this month's Untold Stories: Historic Fremont Street this Thursday, March 6th at the Las Vegas Springs Preserve.

The panelists are:

Carey Burke

Brian "Buzz" Leming

Mike Pinjuv

Mike Pinjuv was born in Las Vegas in the 1920s.  Both Carey and Brian came to Las Vegas as youngsters in 1946.  All three have fond memories of Fremont Street.  They watched as the Street evolved from their Main Street to Glitter Gulch to the Fremont Street Experience of today.

Along the way, the cruised Fremont Street, watched Helldorado parades on its curbs, hung out at the hamburger joints and in Brian's case, helped design some of the incredible neon signs that still grace the Street.

Join us this Thursday, March 6th

7:00 pm

The Las Vegas Springs Preserve

Admission is $12 

We are pleased to announce our two big events in February:

 The Classic Las Vegas Roadshow in partnership with the Nevada State Museum and Stephens Press:

Tuesday, February 5th:

Howard Hughes:  Power, Paranoia and Palace Intrique

On the eve of Thanksgiving 1966, Howard Hughes came to Las Vegas via train.  He was then escorted via ambulance to the Desert Inn Hotel.  He checked into the penthouse.  He was only expected to stay about a month and be gone before the high rollers returned for the New Years celebration.

Well, Hughes ended up staying in Las Vegas longer than a month.  Rather than move from the Desert Inn when Moe Dalitz insisted that he needed the Penthouse for his customers, Hughes bought the hotel and stayed ensconsed in the Penthouse until he left Las Vegas two years later.

He went on a buying spree and bought the Silver Slipper, the Frontier, the Castaways, the Landmark and the Sands.  He was attempting to buy the Stardust when the federal government stepped in and stopped the sale due to anti-trust and monopoly concerns.

Was Hughes sent by the government to rid the town of mob ownership of casinos or was he just an eccentric billionaire who was always intriqued by this oasis in the desert? 

Author Geoff Schumacher's new book explores the facts and the fiction behind Hughes and his love affair with Las Vegas.

A book signing for this eagerly anticipated tome will begin at 5:30 pm. 

After the book signing, there will be a roundtable discussion with not only Geoff but those who knew or worked with Hughes during his stay in Las Vegas 

CONFIRMED panelists include:

Robert Maheu

Peg Crockett

Paul Winn

Gordon Margulis 

Geoff Schumacher

Tuesday, February 5th

Nevada State Museum

700 Twin Lakes Drive

Lorenzi Park

5:30 pm Book Signing

6:45 pm Roundtable Discussion

 
You won't want to miss this exciting evening of history!

Donations:  $3 / Free to Museum Members

Book available for sale in the Museum Store

Please RSVP by Feb. 1st at 702-486-5205  x 120

Thursday, February 7th

Las Vegas Springs Preserve

The History of the Westside 

Our kick-off for a new season of Untold Stories begins.

This month we take a look at the Westside and its history.  The Westside and all its history.  From the early days of just being on the wrong side of the tracks as McWillams Townsite, a  place for those who could not afford the lots for sale in Clark's townsite that would become the City of Las Vegas.  This neighborhood became famous as Las Vegas grew to have the moniker of the "Mississippi of the West" and the Jim Crowe laws of segregation were enforced.

We look at the evolution of the Westside from its early beginnings through its notorious past to what it is today.

Panelists include:

Pastor Marion Bennett

Lucille Bryant

Judge John Mendoza 

Thursday, February 7th

Las Vegas Springs Preserve

7:00  Roundtable Discussion

Admission: $12