Pull up Your Cowboy Boots and Step into the Past
The Museum’s Outdoor Exhibit takes you back to Las Vegas’ wild and glorious history…
By Dr. Terra Liddil
Gaze at the giant photo in the outside window of the museum, and you’ll suddenly feel yourself ambling down the dusty street amid the scattering of buildings of early Las Vegas, circa 1835. A few townspeople gather at the corner and a church bell tolls nearby.
You’ll feel the pioneer spirit that brought the first families here to grow pinto beans and graze their cattle in the meadows along the Gallinas River.
Could these settlers have ever imagined what their humble settlement would soon become?
The intriguing history of Las Vegas was forged with courage, boldness, and vision. In its first 50 years, it rapidly progressed from dusty fields and grazing land into an important trade center on the Santa Fe Trail, and later a major territorial railway hub.
You can follow this amazing history for yourself in the gardens of the Las Vegas City Museum. The new outdoor exhibit displays five-foot photos of memorable events in Las Vegas history. Informative plaques accompany the photos to provide an explanation of their significance.
Each larger-than-life photo invites you to step into a moment in city history. The poignant scenes provoke your imagination to experience the mood and spirit of the occasion.
How would you like to join the cowboys dangling their legs over the top of the boxcar of the first locomotive arriving in town in 1879? Imagine the thrill of that…
By 1880, a genteel middle class had gained control of the town, and the central plaza was forever changed. Sit on a park bench and admire the new gazebo in Plaza Park. Gone is the dirt field for parking wagons. Gone is the Hanging Windmill. The central plaza has now become a lovely Victorian Park.
And just two years later, the Tamme Opera House is finished. Go ahead, step inside and catch that Puccini Opera…
A brand new Harvey House is built in 1898 right next to the railroad station. The Hotel Castenada is an architectural masterpiece, and you are one of the first to step inside its giant arches.
How about joining the Rough Riders in their training ground in 1899? Witness their confidence and pride.
And even attend the exciting first Cowboy Reunion parade in 1915!
These historic photos have been well selected for their unique significance. The black and white images evoke the past to carry us back in time.
You can take this “Journey through Las Vegas” in less than 10 minutes. The six stations will give you a powerful preview of the history of the town from its inception in 1935 to the first Cowboy Reunion in 1915.
This may be just enough to whet your appetite for the expanded version within the walls of the museum…
Best of all, the outdoor exhibits are always open--night and day, all year round!
While you’re in the garden, wander through the other exhibits. Learn to identify local geological samples like basalt and sandstone. Discover local plants favored by butterflies and bees in the pollinator garden.
A display of healing plants is located on the south side of the museum.
The exhibits were made possible by a grant from PNM, Friends of the City of Las Vegas Museum, Community 1st Bank of Las Vegas, Dr. Jennifer Lindline and the NMHU Geology Club, NMHU Department of Media Arts and Technology, and City of Las Vegas Museum Staff.