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Burros, Stewart Ranch, Las Vegas, Nev. – early 1900s

Postcard from Wilson Drug Co, Las Vegas, in business Nov. '06 to Apr. '11.

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Charleston Blvd, 1944

Facing east from 10th St. Huntridge theatre on the right. To the left, Southern Nevada Power former substation between 10th and 11th St, removed in the early 50s.

City of Las Vegas

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Las Vegas, late 1940s.

Aerial photo facing north; Huntridge neighborhood in the foreground.

Outlines below highlight the newest communities: Biltmore addition, Vega Verde addition, Huntridge subdivision, and Charleston Square.

World War II Era Residential Housing in Las Vegas, Clark County, Nevada ('40-'45)

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Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Nevada, 1966

Dunes hotel tower in the distance. Kona Kai motel & coffee shop, right. Kodachrome slide dated April 66.

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Construction of Las Vegas Valley Water District Pipeline, 1954. Water from the Colorado River reached Las Vegas for the first time on 9/19/55.

The Colorado River Compact ratified in the the 1920s was for Southern Nevada a promise of jobs and a cheap source of power. Water was an afterthought. The valley's small population relied solely on groundwater for its first 50 years.

In the late 40s, Nevada Legislature created the Las Vegas Valley Water District with a mandate of curbing its dwindling groundwater supply and to begin using the state's Colorado River allotment. Voters approved a bond in '53 to fund the construction of the Las Vegas diversion line into the existing pipeline serving Henderson and Basic plant.

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Restricted Water Supply Could Throttle Valley Growth. Review-Journal, 9/29/53 p1; Water Construction to Start in 1954 after Bond Approval. Review-Journal, 10/1/53 p1; Remove Stumbling Block in Lake Mead Water Plan. Review-Journal, 6/4/54 p1; Lake Mead Water to Enter Lines Here on Monday. Review-Journal, 9/19/55 p1; New Underground Water Supplies Cause Revision in Removal of Lake Mead Water. Review-Journal, 5/31/57 p2; Las Vegas Valley Water District, Historical Timeline; "Running Dry." Las Vegas 1950s.

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Fremont Street, c. July 1961, on either side of 3rd. New sign at the Horseshoe under construction.

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Las Vegas 1910s-1920s - Facing east over South Main & Bonneville in a series of photo-postcards each taken from the ice house.

1. Early-20s. The large building on the far left is the Clark County Courthouse, built in ‘14. Postcard from the George Wharton James Papers, UNR.

2. Early-20s. Postcard from Elbert Edwards Photograph Collection (PH-00214), UNLV Special Collections.

3. Wharton Drug store postcard 1910s, c. ‘11-‘15. Two blocks in the distance are the company houses, aka Railroad Cottages, east of 2nd St (Casino Center) between Clark and Garces. Back of postcard.

4. 1910s, “before the shade trees were all planet and grown up.” The far-right in the row of railroad cottages in the distance is 629 S Casino Center Blvd.

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State Line Chevron & Bar, c. 1960s Whiskey Pete's restaurant, State Line (Primm), Nevada, 1983

Postcard & photo from Felix Lenox, Nevada Armored Transport. 

When U.S. Route 91 was established in the 1920s along the Nevada-California border, "Whiskey Pete" McIntyre opened the State Line service station. McIntyre shot a man at the station, spent time in a sanatorium, and was buried on the property when he died. On his deathbed Pete made a request: "Bury me up on the hill, standing up facing the valley so I can see all those sons of bitches goin' by."

The land was later owned by gaming pioneer Ernest Primm, who opened Whiskey Pete's in '77. It was a casino with a 12-room motel, and a coffee shop. A hotel tower was added in the 80s. The business passed on the son Gary, whose Primm Valley Resorts opened Primadonna and Buffalo Bill’s casinos in the 90s and renamed the area Primm.

As the decade passed the exact location of Whiskey Pete's burial site was lost. Workers grading a railroad track linking the resorts in '94 accidentally uncovered his coffin and remains.

"The tractor caught the edge of the box and the skull popped out," said the project manager Bruce Sedlacek. "There was Whiskey Pete staring at us."

Sedlacek said the coffin was about 80 percent intact and buried "at an angle" to the highway. The remains were moved to another burial site on the property.

Whiskey Pete McIntyre faces Charge. Review-Journal, 3/26/31; Whiskey Pete Is Freed of Insanity Count. Review-Journal, 10/15/32; Whiskey Pete Can Stand in Grave in Peace. Review-Journal, 2/10/41; D. Palermo. Remains of Whiskey Pete Found. Review-Journal, 2/5/94; L. Benston. Primm's Lure: Freebies. Las Vegas Sun, 7/2/2009.

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Backstage at the Dunes, 1964

Dancers of Vive Les Girls, Bernard Charey (seated), Jacqueline Douguet (right), the other unknown.

Photo by Harry Krieger, Esquire Mag.

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Las Vegas Strip, April 1977

(1,2) Hacienda. Redd Foxx, Spice on Ice. (3,4) Tropicana fountain. It was demolished months later. (5) Free Aspirin & Tender Sympathy sign at Union 76. (6,7) Tahiti Motel, and the Aladdin. (8) Approaching the Denny’s, Royal Palms Motel, and the Dunes. (9) Holiday Casino and Holiday Inn.

Slide scans from Felix Lenox, Nevada Armored Transport. 

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Detonation of the nuclear device air-dropped at Nevada Test Site on March 29, 1955. Code named: Wasp Prime.

National Nuclear Security Administration, Nevada Site Office.

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Sundown Motel, Boulder Hwy – 1956

Two versions of the motel sign in the photos. (1) 1956, Nevada State Museum Las Vegas, VR-621G. (2) Undated, Postcard.

The motel was built on Boulder Hwy circa '54 at what is now 3265 Fremont St. In later years Sundown became the annex of Capri Motel. The Sundown wing was torn down in '98 except for the rear portion which is current the office of an automobile dealer.

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Jayne Mansfield on Fremont St, 1959

In front of White Cross Drugs, Fremont & 2nd, and in the same intersection with Fremont Hotel in the background. Photos by Bruno Bernard, aka Bernard of Hollywood, from the same set as Jayne Mansfield shopping at Market Town.

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Flamingo, April 1968. Las Vegas debut of Tom Jones.

Slide scan by Nevada Armored Transport.

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Fremont St, Summer 1961. The main facade of Horseshoe's sign has been installed; the U-shaped horseshoe figures not yet been installed atop the display.

Same time other direction.

Low res scan from TC's Southern Ridge

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View from the Dunes, c. December 1984.

Photo by Gunnar Kullenberg.

Caesars, Imperial Palace, Holiday Casino, Sands, Castaways. Circus Circus Casino Tower West in the upper right.

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Tropicana, c. 1960

Facing northwest. West Tropicana Ave does not yet exist. Photo by Las Vegas News Bureau.