But, where are the Big Pants?

Familiarity is comfortable, but it also breeds contempt. You’ve heard it — been there, done that museum. Well, get ready for some big changes at the City of Las Vegas Museum. Staff and community members gathered as a planning team earlier this year to discuss new ways to tell the area’s stories.

Over the next couple of years, the museum plans to unveil displays that will replace exhibits in the entire gallery. The new exhibits will offer a broad outline of the history and traditions of the Las Vegas area through topics and subjects that resonate with the community. Some areas that will be explored include the arts, social institutions, architecture, trade, land resources and sources of conflicts. Displays will include interactive components to engage and challenge visitors. Traditional text panels and displays will be augmented with other forms of media to provide a hierarchy of information in a variety of learning styles.

An area will be designated for temporary exhibits. Changing exhibits allow more of the collection to be displayed, on a rotating basis. It provides space to explore topical subjects and to examine some subjects in more depth than could be accomplished in the permanent exhibit area. Who knows? The big pants may reappear.

Linda Gegick

Museum Administrator

Discovering Stories

I joined the staff of the City of Las Vegas Museum in June of 2008 and discovered that I have always been a "closet archivist." I love delving into the documents and photos, indentifying them, recording them, and--when possible--connecting them to other archives. The stories that emerge tell fascinating tales of the area and its people.

Recently, I have been updating our records on the Las Vegas Cowboys' Reunions. There are now close to 200 records in this collection--snapshots of rodeo events and parades; programs listing prizes, contestants, and rules (beginning in 1915); and souvenirs such as match books, dance cards, a neckerchief. I enjoyed uncovering the rich history of these Reunions that, each year, drew famous people like Tom Mix, Prairie Rose Henderson, Tex Austin, and Jim Shoulders to join with hardworking ranchers, cowgirls, cowboys, and top-notch stock to take part in one of the largest rodeos "entirely managed and owned by cowboys" (from the 1928 program).

In June of this year, the Museum received a New Mexico Humanities Council grant which gave me the opportunity to work as part of the team creating a new exhibit--"Git Fer Vegas, Cowboy"--about the Cowboys' Reunions (1915-1967) and their impact on both Las Vegas and East Las Vegas. The exhibition kicks off with a performance--Songs of the Cowboys by Mark Gardner and Rex Rideout --on October 23. I am excited to be part of this project, and I love coming to work each day--I never know what new discoveries await me.

Pat Romero, Ph. D.
Museum Assistant and Research Specialist
Las Vegas City Museum & Rough Riders Memorial Collection
(505) 454-1401 ext 283

From our Humanities Consultant

Over the past few years our local museum here in Las Vegas has seen many positive changes and improvements. For the last year and a half I have been fortunate enough to witness it first hand. Museums have always been of great interest to me, and having the opportunity to participate in the events at the Las Vegas City Museum has been an invaluable learning experience for me. Since beginning my work at the museum over a year ago I have gotten the chance to try my hand at archiving various artifacts, I have researched and developed a presentation for the Night On the Range Cowboy Event held at the CCHP on Bridge Street, and I have assisted Nellie Price, our museum educator, in developing Las Vegas Alive, an interactive learning game for children. The latter of these projects is my current assignment. Currently I am working on revising a few of the campaigns I have already researched and prepared. Campaigns are narrative descriptions of a historical event that either took place in Las Vegas, or had direct involvement with Las Vegas and its inhabitants. To date we have campaigns on the Civil War, Fort Union, the Santa Fe Trail, and the Mexican American War. Each of these are covered in the first timeline of the game, 1821-78. Once I research these topics and write a 3-4 page report I turn them into Nellie. Edwina Romero has been extremely helpful in editing my work. At this point in the process I am revising each report according the the corrections that Edwina has suggested. What I enjoy most about working on this project is that everyone works as a team. I look forward to the completion of Las Vegas Alive. I hope visitors will not only enjoy playing it, but will take a piece of Las Vegas with them to share with others!


Laura M. Gonzales