A colorful as Las Vegas is today, its past is just as colorful when I comes to the history of Las Vegas. Once a railroad town, the first reported visitor was a Mexican Scout, named Rafael Rivera, who passed through in 1829. At the time, the Las Vegas Valley was populated by Native Americans and Rafael was the first non-Native to visit the valley. He used the water while he was heading along the ‘Old Spanish Trail’ on his way from Texas. Despite being a desert area, the valley was actually supported by an extensive well system, known as the Artesian Wells that allowed meadows and green areas to spring up around the arid desert landscape. To Rafael it must have looked like an oasis after the dry areas he passed through en route.
Historical Information and Culture
At that time, the valley was still owned by Mexico and had not yet been incorporated into the United States. However, in 1855, following its annexation into the United States the Mormon’s came down from Utah in an attempt to talk the local Natives into converting to Mormonism. This effort lasted a short time until 1857 when they left because of the Utah War. This ‘war’ was a fight between the Mormon’s, who wanted to take Utah and call it ‘Deseret’. The region at the time was huge, but during the dispute, Utah was cut into chunks to create what is now part of Nevada and Colorado. In 1911 Las Vegas became an incorporated city, with Peter Buol as its first Mayor.
Initially situated in Lincoln County, Las Vegas is now in the newly established Clark County, sitting in the arid basin on the floor of the desert. It is surrounded by mountains, with the ‘Spring Mountains’ to the west. The water supply to the city is governed by those mountains as well as ‘imported’ water to furnish the millions of visitors who come to Las Vegas each year for food, gambling and shopping. There is an abundance of Mexican restaurants in Las Vegas, as well as hundreds of global cuisine establishments to taste foods from around the world. Experiencing Las Vegas is the only way to get a real feel for the place. Visit website to know more.
