A big thank you to Eva Jensen, Dennis McBride and Donna Andress who were our panelists for last night's great Untold Stories: Revisiting St. Thomas.

The evening was very informative and filled with not just facts and figures but also lots of stories.  We all learned more about the area around St. Thomas, the history of the Native Americans, the history of the Lost City and lots of great info about the ruins.

Eva presented a great powerpoint on the history of the community and the ruins as well.

So thank you again to all involved and thank you to all those who turned out last night to learn more about Las Vegas History.

Next month, Untold Stories will look at the History of Helldorado!

For more information on that panel, click here 

Our good friends over at Leavinglv.net, alerted us to the fact that Nevada Landing in Jean, Nevada was being torn down. 

It was only a month ago we passed by the hotel (our favorite of the two in Jean) and didn't notice anything amiss.  Of course, we were traveling a bit over the speed limit so that may have been a factor.

I called RoadsidePictures with the news and he told me that one reason I likely didn't notice it (besides my driving) was that the demolition started in the rear of the building.

Fair enough.  I had noticed the demolition of the two rest stops between Stateline (I have a hard time calling it Primm as I remember when it was the size of a postage stamp and Kactus Kate's was the most recognizable landmark it had) and Baker so I do notice some things even at a certain speed, such as the three former Stuckey's that have undergone adaptive reuse and are still for the most part, still look like Stuckey's. 

But back to Nevada Landing.  I drove by it today and was surprised to see how much of it was gone.  As you approach from the south, you immediately notice that only the Gold Strike really appears on the horizon.  As you get closer, you wonder what the heck happened.  

Then you see the truncated sign and the debris field and you know that while the economy may be on the down swing and Las Vegas real estate may be in the doldrums (though our pals at VeryVintageVegas have been broadly hinting that the market is starting to come back), the Greenspuns and the Feritittas are going ahead with their mixed-use retail/living complex that will make Jean more of a bedroom suburb of Las Vegas than a low-roller heaven.

Here's some pictures courtesy of LeavingLV.net.  We think these guys and RoadsidePictures need to have coffee together very soon.

WE'RE BACK!!

Sorry for the delay but we have the history of the Stardust Hotel in the 1960s right here:

http://tinyurl.com/yv9d27

The AKU-AKU, the Lido de Paris, the Arden Walk,

the Sign, Howard Hughes and More! 

Special thanks to Leavinglv.net for letting us use this image. 

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 bake 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: