Backstory: City of the century

By Michael Green

In 2007, Jamestown turns 400. So, what's the big deal about Las Vegas turning 100 in 2005?

Because it matters and deserves celebration. And the Centennial gives Las Vegans the chance to show their interest in something that so many believe we neither know nor care about: history.

The Centennial celebration technically began with the most elaborate New Year's fireworks show in Las Vegas history. But the preparations have been going on for a while. The results could serve a variety of useful purposes.

One is to generate more information about Las Vegas. This community goes back more than 100 years, of course--it's also the Mormon Fort's 150th anniversary, and humans roamed this area long before then. But so much remains unknown or little-known.

That's inevitable. Woody Allen put it best when he said organized crime saves a lot of money on office supplies. Historians work with records of the past--newspapers, letters, diaries, photos--and we just can't find the memo saying, "To: The Boys. From: Meyer. Re: Bugsy. Okay, kill him."

But the Centennial is inspiring a shelf of Las Vegas books that require research, and the more we dig, the more we find. So, those who played a role in creating Las Vegas will get extra attention and more chances to tell their stories. That means more grist for the mill--more knowledge, and a better chance of interpreting that knowledge correctly.

The Centennial also will lead to numerous community activities that celebrate Las Vegas' past--and thus, presumably, its future. Various groups, sometimes with help from Centennial Commission grants, will do charitable work, sponsor discussions and hold various events that will amplify for Las Vegans that while they can and should keep reinventing themselves and their city, they can learn from the past and might even enjoy it.

They might find that Las Vegas often has reinvented itself--it was a railroad town, but when the railroad removed its repair shops, it started looking for prosperity from tourism...in the 1920s. Those who think casinos control everything might benefit from learning that the railroad was even more powerful. And if they dislike today's good old boys--and girls--they might be surprised to learn that power and influence in Las Vegas always have been concentrated in few hands. It's a good year to learn.

According to an old joke, Los Angeles is 92 suburbs in search of a city. It isn't entirely a joke, any more than that city's incredible growth over the last century. Both truisms may remind you of another city, Las Vegas--and they should, because, economically and physically, they long have been connected in a variety of important ways, to the point that it's almost (but not quite) right to call Las Vegas L.A.'s easternmost suburb.

Some--including this big mouth--think Mayor Oscar Goodman is barking up the wrong tree when he talks about bringing major league baseball here. Las Vegas lacks the television market and populated hinterland of most other major league cities. But his broader point has to do with establishing Las Vegas as a big league city. And with that team could come a greater sense of community, which many see as lacking in Las Vegas. A major sports franchise might generate togetherness; some feel the Dodgers did that for Los Angeles when they moved there in 1958 (that was before the current ownership decided its fans don't matter). The Centennial offers a similar opportunity to build a sense of community--and at a much lower cost.

The Centennial also should be welcome for Mercury readers. It means something of a change in this column. When I began writing for the Mercury shortly after its birth, Editor Geoff Schumacher and I agreed to focus on history. One day, our pal Dayvid Figler, well-known for his ability to insert a shaft from at least 50 feet, asked, "Whatever happened to that history column you were writing?" Well, it evolved into a political column, sometimes with a historical perspective, sometimes not.

That's all well and good. And politics will continue to receive plenty of attention here. But a history professor whose focus includes Nevada and Las Vegas history ought to be able to put this stuff in a useful perspective, or explain why that history matters. Should doesn't necessarily mean can, but it's worth a try. Besides, you can get far better attempts at political soothsaying at locations other than under this byline, although it doesn't mean an end to assaults on the R-J's errors and biases or Republican hypocrisy or Democratic foul-ups.

Some years ago, two women rang my doorbell and disturbed my Saturday morning viewing of "Bugs Bunny" to talk to me about their religion and "the future." I politely thanked them--they have a First Amendment right to talk and I have a First Amendment right not to listen--but said I wasn't interested. One said, "You're not interested in...THE FUTURE?" I said, "No, ma'am. I'm a historian." So, let's talk more about history. Besides, if George W. Bush is the future, we'll all be a lot better off in the past.