McWilliams' Townsite

McWilliams' Townsite (HMYG3)

Location: Las Vegas, NV 89106 Clark County
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Country: United States of America
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N 36° 10.746', W 115° 9.107'

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Inscription

1905

Created by J.T. McWilliams in 1905, the Original Las Vegas Townsite was Las Vegas' first business and residential development.

J.T. McWilliams (photo top right) was hired to do survey work in and around the Las Vegas Valley for the San Pedro, Loas Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad in 1904, and later platted a townsite west of the railroad tracks. Located along the wagon road between Salt Lake City and Los Angeles, the townsite became home to roughly 1,500 people who worked at nearby mines and other businesses. By 1905 there were numerous stores, bars, freighting companies, banks and a bakery.

Under direction of the owner, former Montana Senator William A. Clark, the railroad platted a townsite across the tracks to the south and east of McWilliam's Townsite. Wanting to control development, the railroad's land auction was held on May 15, 1905, threatening the future of the original townsite. Immediately after the auction, man businesses abandoned the area for the new Las Vegas Townsite. McWilliams' Townsite languished until four months later a fire destroyed much of the area.

Lacking basic amenities until the 1940s such as paved streets and a sewer system, the townsite never fully recovered to is glory days. Later additions expanded the "Westside," offering affordable housing for people who came to Las Vegas to build Hoover Dam, Henderson's Basic Magnesium Plant, or work in the hotels. Industrial development and a freeway have eliminated all but roughly half of the original townsite.
Details
HM NumberHMYG3
Tags
Marker Number6
Placed ByLas Vegas Pioneer Trail
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Friday, October 17th, 2014 at 10:56am PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)11S E 666206 N 4005396
Decimal Degrees36.17910000, -115.15178333
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 36° 10.746', W 115° 9.107'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds36° 10' 44.76" N, 115° 9' 6.42" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)702
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 750-798 H St, Las Vegas NV 89106, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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