Native People of Las Vegas
Before the dazzling lights and massive crowds of the Las Vegas strip, there were open lands that provided a perfect habitat for Native Americans. Approximately 10,000 years ago the area we know today as Las Vegas was a valley often visited by nomadic Paleo-Indians . These nomads traveled the lands by foot carrying all their belongings on their backs. The early Paleo-Indians of Nevada had the ability to use flint stone tools to hunt and gather. Their shelters were made of rudimentary brush and skin shelters (1). Nevada is also home to the “Lost City” or Pueblo Grande de Nevada, a settlement that was occupied by Anasazi Indians. Located northeast of Las Vegas in, it is believed that their people also migrated to the areas of Las Vegas. Approximately 2000 years ago, the people of the Anasazi cultivated this area and planted corn, beans, squash, and cotton. They lived in pueblo style buildings constructed of stone, adobe mud, and other materials. Aside from farming they also hunted local game and cultivated salt and turquoise for use and trade (2). These early settlements showed the organization and cooperation of communal living. Although little is known in planning of the community, there are records from archaeological sites that indicate organization in the building (3). |
In 1829, one of the first non-native Americans to arrive in the Las Vegas Valley was Antonio Armijo , a Mexican merchant tasked with establishing a trade route from New Mexico to Los Angeles. The explorers discovered the valley and named it Las Vegas which stands for “The Meadows” in Spanish. Raphael Rivera, part of the caravan of 1829, strayed from his party and discovered the Las Vegas Springs. This discovery shortened the Spanish Trail, and is also known as the birthplace of Las Vegas. Following the discovery by Rivera, a young captain, John C. Fremont, led a U.S. military expedition that charted most of the springs in the surrounding areas and also was the first to describe the area as a Great Basin. Fremont was the first to actually map out the route that is known today as the “Old Spanish Trail”, and is also credited for literally putting Las Vegas on the map (4).
Reference
1. Sharp, J.W. The Paleo-Indians. Retrieved from http://www.desertusa.com/ind1/du_peo_paleo.html
2. Lost City Museum. (March 2006). Retrieved from https://www.realtown.com/chrisshouse/blog/lost-city
3. Lost City Library. Retrieved from http://archive.org/stream/lostcitypueblogr00shut#page/12/mode/2up
4. History of the Springs Preserve. Retrieved from http://www.springspreserve.org/about/history.html
Image (From top to bottom)
1. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Southern_Paiutes.jpg
2. Retrieved from https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Old_Spanish_Trail
1. Sharp, J.W. The Paleo-Indians. Retrieved from http://www.desertusa.com/ind1/du_peo_paleo.html
2. Lost City Museum. (March 2006). Retrieved from https://www.realtown.com/chrisshouse/blog/lost-city
3. Lost City Library. Retrieved from http://archive.org/stream/lostcitypueblogr00shut#page/12/mode/2up
4. History of the Springs Preserve. Retrieved from http://www.springspreserve.org/about/history.html
Image (From top to bottom)
1. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Southern_Paiutes.jpg
2. Retrieved from https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Old_Spanish_Trail