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N AT I O N A L LY, T H E R O A R I N G T W E N T I E S W E R E known for the bathtub gin and speakeasies that resulted in the prohibition of alcohol production, young women becoming increasingly aware of their own freedom and sexuality, the Ku Klux Klan’s revival, reactions against nonwhites and non-Protestants, a rise of fundamentalism, a tenuous prosperity that benefited fewer than the number thought at the time, and a conservative reaction to the reforms of the progressive movement that put Republicans in control of the White House and Congress throughout the decade. As Las Vegas grew from 2,304 residents in 1920 to 5,165 in 1930, it faced many of the same problems and successes as the rest of the country. It also began changing its economy, out of necessity, from relying on the railroad to attracting tourists. Early in 1926, the Las Vegas Review described a small town on the rise. “Las Vegas has five churches, two large banks, two newspapers, electric lighting and telephone systems, a good public library, and all the improvements of a modern community,” it proudly reported. “LasVegas is the center of millions of acres of undeveloped lands and the hub of a rich mineral territory. It is likely to become one of the great cities of the west. Irrigation now is carried on from many artesian wells. It is near the proposed Boulder Dam project to be constructed to block the Colorado River water for use in power and irrigation.” Analyzing Las Vegas in its first quarter of a century as a town, historian Gary Elliott wrote, “By contemporary standards, the economic growth of Las Vegas from 1905 to 1930 seems modest. But in the context of the semi-arid West, with limited natural resources and a small population base, it was enough to inspire a political change that would lay the foundation for Southern Nevada’s dominance in the late 20th century.” If the foundation was about to be laid, the 4 SETTING THE TONE, 1920S L A S V E G A S 58 1920s was the decade in which Las Vegas mixed the cement for that foundation . As early as 1905, the federal government and residents of the Southwest had discussed the possibility of damming the Colorado River, the nation ’s wildest. In that year, the Colorado flooded the Imperial Valley of California, creating the Salton Sea. While Nevada prompted less interest in the Colorado’s possibilities than the water and power needs of the burgeoning populace of southern California, state o≈cials looked forward to taking advantage of whatever opportunities might be available. That also required them to give Las Vegas and its leaders a new degree of attention. When Governor Emmet Boyle appointed the first members of the Colorado River Commission, they included longtime political and business leader Ed W. Clark and attorney Harley A. Harmon, both of whom shared Boyle’s Democratic leanings, and Republican publisher and businessman Charles P. Squires. They increased their and Las Vegas’s pro- file in ways that might prove beneficial later: one of the other commissioners was the state engineer and Boyle’s political protégé, James G. Scrugham. As Boyle’s successor as governor, he promoted a spate of highway building and the creation of state parks. Later, as a congressman, he helped shepherd bills through the House of Representatives that brought federal projects and funding to Las Vegas. As preparations began for the process that would lead to the building of the dam, hyperbole ruled the day. A Union Pacific executive declared, “When the gigantic Boulder Dam project is started, Las Vegas will become the central distribution point. The Colorado River project is not an ordinary million dollar proposition; it may well go beyond the billion dollar point.” While the dam cost less than that to build, it certainly paid dividends above and beyond that level. Bureau of Reclamation commissioner Elwood Mead visited the area in 1926 and told the Las Vegas Rotary Club that Las Vegas would eventually be “the center of a giant electro-chemical industry”—which almost proved true, but in a diΩerent way than Mead projected. Meanwhile, the Bureau of Reclamation began studying the river, seeking the best location for the dam. Although geologists and hydrographers agreed that the ideal site would be Black Canyon, the name “Boulder” stuck—even after the dam...

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