An Interview with Ron Donoho

UNLV University Libraries Ray Donoho An Interview with Ron Donoho An Oral History Conducted by Craig Brenner Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas Special Collections and Archives Oral History Research Center University Libraries University of Nevada, Las Vegas i UNLV University Libraries Ray Donoho © Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 2017 ii UNLV University Libraries Ray Donoho The Oral History Research Center (OHRC) was formally established by the Board of Regents of the University of Nevada System in September 2003 as an entity of the UNLV University Libraries’ Special Collections Division. The OHRC conducts oral interviews with individuals who are selected for their ability to provide first-hand observations on a variety of historical topics in Las Vegas and Southern Nevada. The OHRC is also home to legacy oral history interviews conducted prior to its establishment including many conducted by UNLV History Professor Ralph Roske and his students. This legacy interview transcript received minimal editing, such as the elimination of fragments, false starts, and repetitions in order to enhance the reader's understanding of the material. All measures have been taken to preserve the style and language of the narrator. The interviewee/narrator was not involved in the editing process. iii UNLV University Libraries Ray Donoho Abstract On February 28, 1978, Craig Brenner interviewed Ron Donoho (b. 1929 in Amboy, IL) about some historical aspects on the history of Southern Nevada law enforcement. The first portion of the interview involves a discussion of the history of sheriffs in the Clark County Sheriff’s Office and eventually the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Donoho mentions various sheriffs, including Charles Corkhill, who was sheriff when Clark County formed in 1909, as well as Sam Gay, Joe Keate, Gene Ward, Glen Jones, “Butch” Leypoldt, and then-sheriff Ralph Lamb. Donoho spoke somewhat about the performance of some of these sheriffs as well as the political factors involved during their leadership. The latter part of the interview includes a list of fallen officers who were killed in the line of duty in Southern Nevada, dating back to Ernest May’s death in 1933. Donoho, who researched much of the material of the interview, also spoke several times about his personal familiarity and acquaintance with some of the law enforcement officials mentioned. iv UNLV University Libraries Ray Donoho This is Craig Brenner, talking for History 117. I’m talking to Mr. Ron Donoho at 3600 Pama Lane on February 28, 1978, and we’re going to discuss some of the peace officers in the State of Nevada, primarily Clark County. Ron, when did you first come to Las Vegas? I come to Las Vegas in August of 1950 (unintelligible). How did you get involved with trying to find out the history of the peace officers in the State of Nevada? Well, basically, I’ve always had an interest in firearms, especially Western-type firearms, and frontier lawmen. So, I guess, originally, what I did, I collected Colt single-actions, and in doing so, I become interested in the lawmen who might’ve used them, and along about 1960, I went to work out at Mercury, Nevada, and (unintelligible) become well-acquainted with the sheriff’s office in Nye County and actually was a deputy sheriff at Mercury for eight years. And I guess this is how I really got involved in it; I picked up several Nye County law badges and then become interested and would use them, and I just kind of boomeranged or worked into the— Did you ever have any contact any of these peace officers? Yes, I did. I’ve had contact with several now. Were you referring to Clark County or Nye County (unintelligible) the Las Vegas area? You can stay in Clark County. Yes, so I knew one of the chiefs of police, Don (unintelligible), I know him very well. See, Don was chief of police in 1946, I believe; I’d look and make certain on that. He’s an old-time lawman from the area, originally worked in Los Angeles and claims he has several men, to his credit or discredit, as far as killing is concerned. I don’t believe there’s any of ‘em in Nevada, though. I believe everything is strictly in the Los Angeles area. Don is a host at the Desert Inn right now; he was chief of security out there when they opened in 1950, and I believe about 1 UNLV University Libraries Ray Donoho 1960, he retired of chief of security there and went into being a host. He still carries an active commission in Clark County and goes armed all the time. And he is a very outspoken individual, gruff—he’s one of the old-time lawmen in the area, diamond in the rough, so to speak. Diehard. Diehard. Just a little something that he mentioned to me one time, that the past twenty years when he goes to get in his car, he always takes the gun out of his holster and puts it in his hand and step into the car, and always had hopes that somebody would try to rob him. So, this will give you an indication of what type of lawman you’re dealing with there—someone who doesn’t take too kind to being accosted by anyone. He would more or less dare you try something. Yes, he was. He definitely would kill. Now, as far as the other old-time lawmen from the area here, he was the only one I’m really acquainted with. Of course, I know John Moran really well and Walter Earp, who’s on the local police department, but there aren’t the old-timers you’re talking about. Right. Briefly on Walter, he’s the grandnephew of Wyatt Earp, if it’s any interest to you at all— mentioned what he told me about the Earp family and law enforcement, and he said that most of your Earps drifted into California after Arizona and settled in the Southern California area, San Diego, San Bernardino. To make a long story short, he said in all the years he was with the family, he never saw a badge or a gun. Were any of the Earps ever in Nevada? Yes, Wyatt Earp mined here in Nevada at Tonopah and up around Mina. Virgil Earp died at Tonopah—I don’t know the exact year—but he did die in Tonopah. (Unintelligible) 2 UNLV University Libraries Ray Donoho Was he buried here, or did they—? No, Virgil Earp’s buried, I believe, in Medford, Oregon, and don’t ask me why Oregon—I have no idea. That’s interesting to know that he died in Tonopah. Yeah, died in Tonopah. Let’s see, Wyatt Earp is buried in the Jewish section of the cemetery in San Francisco, and I can’t think of the cemetery offhand. But anyway, we do have an Earp on the local police department here, and he’s the grandnephew. And he has no wild tales to tell about law enforcement. He said it’s all, as far as he’s concerned, most of it is just— He’s now working with Metro? Yes, Walt is; he’s deputy chief. Walter Earp is the deputy chief of police here, and he is the head of the detective bureau. Okay. Well, now, as far as some of the old-timers, we go back here, if I can find my list on Clark County, there haven’t been too many sheriffs in Clark County. In fact, there’s only one, two, three—actually, only seven, ‘cause Ralph Lamb has been in office since 1961, and we’re getting up near 1980 now, so that takes in a lot of time. We’re talking about a four-year term. Now, just for information, from the very beginning, the term of sheriff in the State of Nevada, since we became a state in 1864, was two years. And then in 1922, through legislative changes, why, they went to a four-year term. So— These are all by appointments? Yes, now, the original sheriffs in any county when Nevada became a state, they were all appointed for the first two-year term, and that was done by Territorial Governor Nye; he appointed them for the first two years. And then when the election came around, the people 3 UNLV University Libraries Ray Donoho picked their sheriff. And as you look down through the years, you can see that the people’s choice wasn’t always the governor’s choice. Right. So, when Clark County was formed in 1909—I wouldn’t swear to it for sure, but I’m quite certain the county commissioners appointed the sheriff here. That was Charles Corkhill, C-O-R- K-H-I-L-L. He was the owner or the general manager of the Las Vegas Age newspaper, which was the forerunner of the Review Journal. And in going over the records and talking to a number of people who knew Corkhill, they claimed that this was a total farce; in order to becoming sheriff, it was strictly a political-type thing that he knew absolutely nothing about law enforcement, so he was only in—well, he was in eighteen months, that was almost a two-year term. Was this more like a jumping stone for him, maybe, to a senator or governor in Nevada? No, as far I know, he never went any further than that. And I (unintelligible) Corkhill after he was (unintelligible) sheriff.

Load more