Abstract
The L. F. Manis Photographs contain photographic prints, photographic slides, and photographic negatives depicting Southern Nevada from approximately 1900 to 1969, with a bulk of the materials dating from 1930 to 1940. The photographs primarily depict the construction, dedication, and various parts of the Hoover (Boulder) Dam, including the dam's upstream and downstream faces, intake towers, spillways, bridges, crest, outlet works, visitors' accommodations, and powerhouse. The photographs also depict Lake Mead, the reservoir created by the Hoover Dam, and the Colorado River, which is dammed by the Hoover Dam. The photographs also include views of desert landscapes in the Southwestern United States, including in Nevada, Arizona, and Southern California. Also depicted in the photographs are the cities of Las Vegas, Nevada and Boulder City, Nevada, including prominent buildings like hotels, casinos, government buildings, and train depots.
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Scope and Contents Note
The L. F. Manis Photographs contain photographic prints, photographic slides, and photographic negatives depicting Southern Nevada from approximately 1900 to 1969, with a bulk of the materials dating from 1930 to 1940. The photographs primarily depict the construction, dedication, and various parts of the Hoover (Boulder) Dam, including the dam's upstream and downstream faces, intake towers, spillways, bridges, crest, outlet works, visitors' accommodations, and powerhouse. The photographs also depict Lake Mead, the reservoir created by the Hoover Dam, and the Colorado River, which is dammed by the Hoover Dam. The photographs also include views of desert landscapes in the Southwestern United States, including in Nevada, Arizona, and Southern California. Also depicted in the photographs are the cities of Las Vegas, Nevada and Boulder City, Nevada, including prominent buildings like hotels, casinos, government buildings, and train depots.
Access Note
Collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
Materials in this collection may be protected by copyrights and other rights. See Reproductions and Use on the UNLV Special Collections website for more information about reproductions and permissions to publish.
Arrangement
Materials are organized into seven series:
Series I. Hoover Dam photographs, 1930-1959;
Series II. Boulder City, Nevada photographs, 1930-1969;
Series III. Lake Mead, Nevada photographs, 1930-1959;
Series IV. Las Vegas, Nevada photographs, 1930-1967;
Series V. Death Valley, California photographs, 1930-1955;
Series VI. Photographs of people in the Southwest, 1930-1960;
Series VII. Photographs of landscapes and wildlife in the Southwest, 1900-1959.
The materials remain in original order within each series.
Biographical / Historical Note
The Hoover Dam, also known as the Boulder Dam, was constructed on the Colorado River in Black Canyon near Las Vegas, Nevada from 1931 to 1936 during the Great Depression. The dam impounds Lake Mead and it provides hydroelectric power to Nevada, Arizona, and California. The dam was built by workers employed by the joint venture of construction companies called Six Companies, Inc. Six Companies was chosen by the Bureau of Reclamation after winning a bid to construct the dam. Workers for Six Companies also built Boulder City, Nevada as housing for workers during the dam's construction. The Hoover Dam was dedicated in 1935 and began operations in 1936.
Lake Mead is the largest reservoir in the United States and was created by the Hoover Dam. The lake and its surrounding areas are administered by the National Park Service as the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, the first national recreation area in the country. Because of fair weather, Lake Mead has a year-round season that attracts nearly nine million visitors each year.
Source: US Bureau of Reclamation. http://www.usbr.gov/lc/hooverdam/faqs/lakefaqs.html
Preferred Citation
L. F. Manis Papers on Boulder Dam, 1936-1957. MS-00288. Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada. http://n2t.net/ark:/62930/f1f88x
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Acquisition Note
Materials were donated in 1987 by L. F. Manis; accession number 87-92.
Processing Note
Materials were processed by Special Collections staff. In 2016, as part of a legacy finding aid conversion project, Lindsay Oden wrote the collection description in compliance with current professional standards. In 2020, as part of an archival backlog elimination project, Melise Leech added additional materials and revised the collection description to bring it into compliance with current professional standards.