The Moapa Paiute decorative basket donated in 2008 to the Nevada State Museum, Las VegasAfter 82 years, an important piece of Nevada history has returned to the state. A decorative basket produced by the Moapa Paiutes in the early part of the 20th century, collected by Las Vegas pioneer Helen J. Stewart, was recently donated to the Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas by Helen’s descendants Lawrence and Harriet Stay. The gift was facilitated by James Martin, Helen Stewart’s great grandson, and museum volunteer Paul Carson.
![Helen J. Stewart poses with several of her baskets, c. 1910-20 [photo courtesy of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Special Collections Department]](http://blog.travelnevada.com/images/216.jpg)
Helen J. Stewart poses with several of her baskets, c. 1910-20. Photo courtesy of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Special Collections Department.Known as “The First Lady of Las Vegas,” Helen J. Stewart [1854-1926] came to southern Nevada in 1882 where her husband, Archibald, had taken over the former Gass Ranch, which had been established on the site of the old Las Vegas Mormon Fort. Renamed the Stewart Ranch—also known as the Las Vegas Ranch—Helen and Archie managed a productive farm and offered their tree-shaded springs as an oasis for travelers, miners, cattlemen, and others passing through the valley. After her husband died in 1884, Helen continued running the ranch until 1902 when she sold it to the San Pedro, Los Angeles, and Salt Lake Railroad. The city of Las Vegas was founded on this land in 1905.
During her years on the ranch, Helen befriended the local Paiutes and collected their baskets. By the early 1920s Helen’s collection had grown to nearly 600 baskets and was considered one of the finest in the West. Helen was working a deal with the State of Nevada to transfer her collection to the Nevada Historical Society when she died on March 6, 1926. When the state could not find the money to complete the deal, Helen’s heirs sold the collection for $12,500 to the Fred Harvey Company. The collection was broken up and disbursed.
Helen J. Stewart’s basket on display at the Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas.Today, baskets from Helen’s original collection have been traced to the Heard Museum in Phoenix, the Nelson Atkins Museum in Kansas City, and to institutions in Denver and Texas. The basket on display in Las Vegas, however, is the only one the family kept, passed down through three generations until donated to the museum by Lawrence and Harriet Stay. So far as known, this basket is the only one of Helen’s once extensive collection to remain in Nevada.
The Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas is located at 700 Twin Lakes Drive in Lorenzi Park. The museum is open daily from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. General admission is $4 for adults, $3 for seniors 55 and over, and free to children 17 and under.
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