A Regional Study of Ranching and Farming in Southern Nevada, 1870-1930
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UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations 1-1-1995 A garden in the desert? A regional study of ranching and farming in Southern Nevada, 1870-1930 Sherryl Lynn Weber University of Nevada, Las Vegas Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/rtds Repository Citation Weber, Sherryl Lynn, "A garden in the desert? A regional study of ranching and farming in Southern Nevada, 1870-1930" (1995). UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations. 491. http://dx.doi.org/10.25669/khhh-pg8n This Thesis is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by Digital Scholarship@UNLV with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Thesis in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/ or on the work itself. 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A GARDEN IN THE DESERT?: A REGIONAL STUDY OF RANCHING AND FARMING IN SOUTHERN NEVADA, 1870-1930 by Sherryl L. Wcbcr A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment o f the requirem ents for the degree of Master of Arts in H istory Department of History University of Nevada, Las Vegas M ay 1995 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. OMI Number: 1374920 UMI Microform 1374920 Copyright 1995, by OMI Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. UMI 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, MI 48103 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. The Thesis ol' Sherryl L. Weber for the degree of M.A. in History is approved. T [/ Chairperson, Eugene Moehring, Ph.D. Examining Committee Member, Robert Davenport, Ph.D. Examining Comniutce Member, Colin Loader, Ph.D. Graduate Faculty Representative, Donald Cams, Ph.D. Interim Dean of the Graduate College, Cheryl Bowles, Ed.D. University of Nevada, Las Vegas May 1995 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT In the years between 1870 and 1930 Southern Nevada ranchers were actively engaged in reclaiming the land for agriculture. The availability of cheap land, artesian water, railroad transportation, nearby markets, along with enthusiastic support from town boosters facilitated their determined efforts to develop agriculture as a viable economic activity. Ranching and farming played an important role in Southern Nevada’s early development and contributed in a significant way to its economic growth. Moreover, it relleets a noteworthy and integral part of the area’s history. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT...................................................................................................................................................iii PREFACE....................................................................................................................................................... V CHAPTER 1 AGRARIAN ROOTS OFSOUTHERN NEVADA: 1855-1870 .........................1 CHAPTER 2 RANCHING ON THE DESERT FRONTIER, 1870-1900............................... 9 CHAPTER 3 THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE LAS VEGAS VALLEY: TRANSPORTATION, WATER, AND LAND, 1900-1915 ..................................29 CHAPTER 4 RANCH BUILDING IN THE LAS VEGAS VALLEY, 1910-1920 ..............52 CHAPTER 5 PROGRESSIVE ERA FARMING, 1905-1929 ...................................................94 CHAPTER 6 THE BUSINESS OF FARMING, 1920-1929 ....................................................123 A PPEN D IX 1 NOTES ......................................................................................................................................................145 B IB LIO G R A PH Y .....................................................................................................................................165 IV Reproducedwith permission ot the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. PREFACE Jeanne Elizabeth Wier, founder of the Nevada Historical Society in 1904, wrote that “Nevada has been ‘scarred’ by history because of its peculiar past....A scar not merely of scant population, but of retarded development...a lack of home-building instinct and from the absence of an agricultural stage in its proper time and place.” Professor Wier may have revised her opinion regarding Nevada’s flawed historical identity if she had observed Southern Nevada’s early development more closely. Home-building instincts along with agricultural pursuits were highly visible activities around the Las Vegas Valley and hinterlands beginning in the late 1860s. In fact, the decades between 1870 and 1930 witnessed determined efforts to transform arid lands into cultivated gardens “blossoming like the rose” and establish a stable family-life on the desert frontier. In evaluating and scanning secondary publications on the agricultural settlement of the West, it becomes clear that the development of ranching and farming has been mostly neglected by historians and other writers who have devoted more time on presumably more interesting or exciting subjects. No where is this more apparent than in books written about the history of Las Vegas which seem to deal exclusively with the town’s casino industry or with the city’s lack of morality. While preparing this work and examining sources including oral histories, newspapers, government documents, census manuscripts, articles, books, and other resources, it became clear that the history of agricultural settlement in Southern Nevada was an important aspect of the area’s beginnings and that the Las Vegas Valley, indeed, had a history before it became a world-renowned gambling mecca. Beneath the facade of glitter and neon. Las Vegas has another story to tell—not of riches to be mined underground or from casino gaming, but from what could be extracted from above ground with the touch of water. Though generally considered a town founded on the railroad and mining, early Las Vegas exhibited a strong fascination with agriculture which continued until World War II when casino gambling and tourism became the chief Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. concern. Until that time, despite significant individual accomplishments, agriculture trailed mining and the railroad’s pay roll in terms of its importance to the region’s economic life. Las Vegas’s future transformation into a major resort eity began with pioneer ranchers and farmers who struggled to establish agriculture as a viable economic activity in Southern Nevada’s early decades. Their efforts to develop agriculture created a unique community spirit and served as a unifying force drawing town and farm alike together in a common cause as both sectors concentrated their energy towards building a strong and prosperous agrieultural economy. Although the town’s eeonome foeus changed and Southern Nevada surrendered to the desert, as well as to more lucrative ventures, community spirit remained alive and would eventually transform Las Vegas into a resort destination. The purpose of this study is to describe the development of ranching and farming between 1870 and 1930 in Southern Nevada, to fill a gap in the history of the Las Vegas Valley, and to suggest that its early settlement patterns compared with those of other agricultural regions throughout the West. This