Nevada's Historic Buildings: A Cultural Legacy (Wilber S. Shepperson Series in Nevada History)

In 1991, Nevada's Commission for Cultural Affairs was formed to oversee the preservation of the state's historic buildings and the conversion of the best of them for use as cultural centers. This program has rehabilitated dozens of historic structures valued by their communities for the ways they represent the development of the state and its culture. Nevada's Historic Buildings highlights ninety of these buildings, describing them in the context of the state's history and the character of the people who created and used them. Here are reminders of mining boomtowns, historic ranches, transportation, the divorce and gaming industries, the New Deal, and the innovation of Las Vegas's post-modern aesthetic. These buildings provide a cross-section of Nevada's rich historic and cultural heritage and their survival offers everyone the experience of touching the past. In 1991, the Nevada Commission for Cultural Affairs was created to oversee the preservation of the state's historic buildings and the conversion of the best of them for use as cultural centers. Nevada's Historic Buildings highlights 90 of these buildings, setting them into the context of the state's history and the character of the people who created and inhabited them. The selections reflect the innovation of early settlers struggling to make a home in an austere environment, as well as the diversification over time of Nevada's economy and population. These buildings are reminders of mining boomtowns, historic ranches, the transportation industry, the divorce and gaming industries, the New Deal and other federal programs, the prosperity of the last half of the twentieth century, and the innovations of Las Vegas's postmodern aesthetic. Their stories reflect the people and events that shaped Nevada A Territory Of Humble Beginnings -- A State Of International Fame -- The Other Early Nevada -- A New Century -- After The Boom -- A New Deal -- Inventing The Future -- Learning From Remnants Of The Past. Ronald M. James And Elizabeth Safford Harvey ; Photographs By Thomas Perkins. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.