tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81004680597750658492012-02-10T16:27:33.871-08:00In the early 1900s, Las Vegas ("The Meadows") had nearly 100 flowing wells, and at least a dozen farms and ranches. J. T. McWilliams tried to track all of these in a map that became the inspiration for this blog. The results are provided for your enjoyment. Although links to references are included when available, no guarantees of accuracy are made. New visitors should begin reading entries from the bottom up (oldest to newest). Please acknowledge any use of this material. Copyright 2007-2011.Just browsinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04476174899065235620noreply@blogger.comBlogger81100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8100468059775065849.post-50895927098155708732008-11-17T08:06:00.000-08:002008-11-24T06:47:50.773-08:00

Move from RenoLeonard and Elda Gilcrease met when they were both college students in Reno. While there, one of Leonard’s professors encouraged him to spend summers picking fruit for E. G. McGriff in Las Vegas. After graduating in 1913, Leonard worked a short time for Edison’s power companies. Months after they married in 1915, Elda’s mother died, leaving her with an inheritance of rental

Just browsinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04476174899065235620noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8100468059775065849.post-50385574122773392752008-10-06T07:21:00.000-07:002008-10-13T06:12:08.872-07:00

One of the largest tracts of land set aside for farming in the Las Vegas Valley was purchased by John C. Winters and his Winterwood Land Company. If you go to the Nevada Division of State Lands Land Patent Database, and enter "Winterwood Land Co." into the Patentee field, you will see patents granted in 1914 and 1915 for nearly 5000 acres! A Google Earth map shows lots that once held the

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Archive issues of the Las Vegas Age include interesting articles about farming in the early 1900s. They include: 21-Feb-1914 Clark County is Rich Land Overview of farming in the county including a description of irrigating with water from artesian wells, the fruits, nuts and vegetables that are grown, where produce is sold and the early population of Clark County. 18-Feb-1922

Just browsinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04476174899065235620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8100468059775065849.post-26082682600687543622008-10-02T10:52:00.000-07:002008-10-16T07:33:01.021-07:00

Blodgett, Nay, Hefner, Ward, Goumond and more Floyd Lamb State Park at Tule Springs is probably one of the largest areas in the Las Vegas Valley that has changed hands several times, and still remains open land. A Google Earth aerial view shows the nearly 700 acres that make up the park.An interesting Tule Springs article appeared on page 6 of the 26-May-1906 issue of the Las Vegas Age

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The National Archives web page on land records says that Land Patents are "the legal documents that transferred land ownership from the U.S. Government to individuals." Patents were granted only when a transfer was complete. This means that if an individual was not able to complete the contract, a patent would not have been issued.This information is useful in that much of the land in the Las

Just browsinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04476174899065235620noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8100468059775065849.post-20144639975106169832008-09-30T17:01:00.000-07:002008-10-13T06:33:41.930-07:00

Evey, Wixon, McGriff and Griss According to a 30-Oct-1909 Las Vegas Age article, John F. Evey tapped into an artesian basin to produce one of the strongest flowing wells in the valley. Local news on page 4 of the 03-Dec-1910 Las Vegas Age claimed that he would “be remembered in Vegas as the owner of the greatest of the artesian wells developed in this valley to date, on what is now known as

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A good place to start, if you want to find out about early Las Vegas ranches is the University of Nevada, Las Vegas or UNLV online Digital Collections. An advanced search is available that will allow you look through the Southern Nevada and Las Vegas, History in Maps collection. Search using keyword artesian and you'll receive links to maps of the Las Vegas Valley showing artesian

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According to the City of Las Vegas web page, Las Vegas is Spanish for “The Meadows.” Around 1912, surveyor J. T. McWilliams created a map of artesian wells. The map pinpointed about 100 "flowing wells" and at least a dozen areas of "cultivated land."If you know where to look, researching the history of these old ranches can be fun. This blog will be dedicated to trying to find out about some

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