What's New in Special Collections

Parading the Past by Lauren Paljusaj

This collection highlight blog post was written by Lauren Paljusaj, an undergraduate student assistant in Special Collections and Archives Technical Services. Lauren is a senior at UNLV, majoring in English with a concentration in professional writing. She plans to pursue a master’s degree in library science after graduation.

A dog on the back of a festive burro, Labor Day Parade, Tonopah, Nevada, 1904 (Blanch Jackson Photograph Collection, PH-00243)

Image Source: A dog on the back of a festive burro, Labor Day Parade, Tonopah, Nevada, Blanch Jackson Photograph Collection, approximately 1900-1941. PH-00243. Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.

Happy Thanksgiving from UNLV Special Collections and Archives

Orange menu from Don the Beachcomber restaurant

Thanksgiving Dinner menu, Don the Beachcomber, Sahara Las Vegas, approximately 1963, UNLV University Libraries Menu Collection, MS-00436

As we at Special Collections and Archives get ready to celebrate Thanksgiving with our families and friends, we’d like to share some menus of Las Vegas Thanksgiving dinners from years past and express our gratitude for the hard work across our division this year that has made the UNLV University Libraries Menu Collection open for research.

Edward C. Light Schematic Drawings of the Hughes H-4 Hercules "Spruce Goose" Seaplane by Jimmy Chang

This collection highlight blog post was written by Jimmy Chang, an archival processing assistant on the Archival Backlog Elimination Project. Jimmy Chang received his bachelor's and master's degrees in architecture from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas School of Architecture with a tract in hospitality design. His thesis focused on the rediscovery, promotion, creation, and development of history through the connections between architecture and fiction, and he has worked with roofing and architectural companies before working as an archival assistant at UNLV Libraries Special Collections and Archives. He is currently working toward entering the fields of architectural history and conservation.

This post celebrates the Hughes H-4 Hercules "Spruce Goose" Seaplane which took its one and only flight November 2, 1947 and the Edward C. Light Schematic Drawings of the Hughes H-4 Hercules "Spruce Goose" Seaplane, 1941-1950, held by UNLV Special Collections and Archives.

Union Pacific Railroad Collection Water Resources Digitization Project Complete

The Digital Collections department in UNLV University Libraries Special Collections & Archives has completed work on a grant-funded project to digitize documents related to water resources from the Union Pacific Railroad Collection. The project, funded by a grant from the Library Services and Technology Act administered by the Nevada State Library and Archives, resulted in the digitization of 55,000 pages of records.

Understanding the Nature of the Nuclear West at Yucca Mountain by Billy Marino

Atmospheric nuclear bomb test at the NTS in the 1950s.

Image Credit: Film Transparency showing an atomic explosion at the Nevada Test Site, circa 1950s,” L.F. Manis Photographs, 1900-1969, PH-00100. Special Collections & Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.

The Golden Age of Auto Travel by Lauren Paljusaj

US 50 travel placemat with drawing of scenery and destinations along highway with text description below

The Travel Mat for US 95 shows tourist attractions from Lovelock, Nevada to Blythe, California, featuring the Nevada Test Site and Boulder Dam, approximately 1940-1970 (UNLV University Libraries Menu Collection, MS-00436)

In today’s age of Google maps, Yelp, and the multitude of smartphone apps available for travel and leisure, taking a road trip is somewhat different from the post-World War II era, when long-distance car travel was a momentous occasion. The post-war economic boom of the 1940s and 1950s meant more people could afford cars, and this, along with more employers offering paid vacation time, meant that road trips were a popular family activity.

Snapshots of America by Kyle Gagnon

Over the course of sorting and processing thousands of historic menus, I have come across nearly identical looking menus from completely different restaurants. These menus featured a design of visually stimulating patterns of dots that created a sort of optical illusion effect in the background of the interior, and even more interesting patterns on the back. Inside, different sections of the menu were neatly squared off and organized, with some of them accompanied by charming and detailed illustrations of food. But why were these menus practically the same, when one is from Sanford, North Carolina, and the other is from Ville Platte, Louisiana?

Cover of menu depicting green grass and tree

UNLV Libraries Collection of Menus (MS-00436)

If You're Game by Mary Anilao

In the early stages of the menu project, I came across a menu that had nothing on the front except the text “If you’re game.” The black text stood out from its white canvas background, but other than that, there was nothing exceptional about this menu. Until I opened it.

If You're Game menu from UNLV Libraries Collection of Menus (MS-00436)

An Unexpected Memory by Paola Landaverde

From sewing music scores in the preservation lab to categorizing and identifying menus in the menu collection, working in the Special Collections and Archives division of the UNLV University Libraries has enriched my knowledge. This summer, I have been working on the menu project with four other undergraduate students. Coming across menus from old Las Vegas casinos such as the Stardust or the Desert Inn, as well as menus with elaborate designs and food items from different states, has sparked my curiosity about the evolution of gastronomy. Seeing menus from a diverse array of countries including France, Australia, Benin, and even Kuwait has been amazing, but I never expected to come across a restaurant guide from El Salvador, my home country!

Restaurants in El Salvador brocure

The Restaurant of the Counterculture by Chriziel Childers

The 1960s was an era of counterculture, rejecting the conservative norms and the social conformity of the earlier decade. From the anti-war movement, civil rights movement, to second wave feminism, the 1960s left a mark in the history of the United States. The psychedelic movement that occurred during the 1960s influenced music, art, literature, and even fashion of the decade.

As one of the Archival Assistants arranging and describing Special Collections and Archives’ large collection of menus, I come across menus that date from the late 1800s to early 2000s from all over the world. One particular menu I stumbled upon dates from around the late 1960s, with intricate artwork that caught my attention immediately.

Scanned full page image of Trident menu