Throughout the 1950s and ‘60s when Las Vegas was polishing its image as a premier resort destination, architects from throughout the country were drawn to the city by its free-wheeling, forward-looking modernism. These architects, such as Paul Revere Williams, Palmer and Krisel, and Welton Beckett, designed some of Las Vegas’ most characteristic structures: the Guardian Angel Cathedral, the parabolic lobby of the La Concha Motel, the futuristic dome terminal at McCarran International Airport, homes in the Paradise Palms subdivision, and the flying saucer-shaped Las Vegas Convention Center.

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Crystal Van Dee, Curator of Manuscripts for the Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas, will be autographing her new book, Clark County, at a reception at the museum on Saturday, September 19, 2009, at 2 pm. Clark County was published by Arcadia Publishing as part of its “Images of America” series.

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One hundred years ago, long before anyone had ever dreamed of a Women’s Liberation movement, 22-year-old Alice Ramsey, climbed into a 1909 Maxwell Model DA — 30 horsepower Touring Car and drove it right out of the New York City showroom and into history. She became the first female to drive across the country.

You can learn all about this spunky young woman in “On the Road with Alice Ramsey: 100 Years Ago” in the Changing Exhibits Gallery at the National Automobile Museum, The Harrah Collection, in downtown Reno from July 1 through Jan. 11, 2010.

Ramsey’s father said his daughter was “born mechanical” and at school, instead of taking homemaking classes, she chose manual training. Her natural ability made driving easy and soon she was competing in against men, testing her skills driving around barrels and backing up. She did very well in...

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The Nevada State Museum in Las Vegas recently acquired a collection of photographs and memorabilia from the renowned battleship USS Nevada through descendents of Andrew Thomas Levering, who served aboard the ship from 1931-38.

Salvaged and modernized, the USS Nevada served as a convoy escort and fire-support ship during World War II. In 1946, the U.S. Navy assigned the Nevada to be a target ship in the atomic weapons test Operation Crossroads. The Nevada was decommissioned on Aug. 29, 1946, and sunk during naval gunfire practice on July 31, 1948.

In 2008, several materials were donated to the Nevada State Museum after Levering’s son, Robert, discovered a cache of USS Nevada documents and memorabilia, including his father’s duty book, shipboard diary, scrapbooks, a photograph album and medals. The collection will be displayed until April 30.

The Nevada State Museum in Las Vegas is at 700 Twin Lakes...

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The Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas recently acquired an important collection of photographs and memorabilia from the renowned battleship, U. S. S. Nevada, through descendants of Andrew Thomas Levering, who served aboard the Nevada in 1931-38.

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