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The
State Land Act of 1885 offered land at $1.25 per
acre ($309/km²) drawing many, including
farmers, to the area.
As a result, farming
became the primary industry for the next 20 years as
farmers used the wells to irrigate their crops. The
Mormons returned in
1895.
1900 - 1929 - The
Birth of Las Vegas
During the
1900s,
water from the wells was piped into the town providing a reliable
source of fresh water and providing the means for additional growth.
The increased availability of water in the town area allowed Las
Vegas to become a water stop, first for
wagon trains and later
railroads, on the trail between
Los Angeles,
California, and points east such as
Albuquerque,
New Mexico.
In
1905
the railway from Southern California and
Salt Lake City was completed and run by
William Clark's brother. That year also set the stage of the two
Las Vegases. The east-side Las Vegas (which encompassed the modern
Main Street and
Las Vegas Boulevard) was owned by Clark and the west-side Las
Vegas (which encompassed the area north of modern day
Bonanza Road) which was owned by
J.T. McWilliams, who was hired by the Stewart family during the
sale of the
Los Vegas Rancho and bought available land west of the ranch. In
1905 both auctioned lots on their land.
With the revenue
coming from the rails and the mining town of
Bullfrog, Las Vegas took off. On
May 15,
1905, Las Vegas was founded as a city, when 110 ac
(445,000 m²), in what would later become downtown, were auctioned to
ready buyers.
History of Las
Vegas
Las Vegas was
the driving force in the creation of
Clark County,
Nevada
in 1909
and the city was incorporated in
1911 as
a part of the county.
Las Vegas continued
to grow until
1917
when the
Las Vegas and Tonopah Railroad went broke. Although William
Clark sold the remains of the company to the
Union Pacific Railroad, a nationwide strike in
1922
left Las Vegas is a desperate state.
With
US 91
reaching Las Vegas in
1926,
Vegas was finally connected to California with a road. Even the
addition of a modern road did not help revitilizing Las Vegas. In
1929,
John Calhan, a newspaperman, said People in the city of
Reno, or northern Nevada would have been very happy if Las Vegas
had
seceded from the state ...
Continue to History of
Las Vegas pg#2
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