Several new books celebrate Las Vegas' centennial year; this volume edited by professors Jerry Simich (political science) and Tom Wright (history) is one of them. As the "edited by" suggests, the book is a collection of authors, most, but not all, from the ranks of the UNLV faculty.
In 15 chapters, Peoples tells of 13 of the many ethnic groups that now make Las Vegas home, most of which are nearly invisible to both residents and visitors even though they have been here a century or more. The groups were chosen by availability of qualified writers as much as by their size or importance and, says Simich. "We could easily do another 20 or more ethnic groups, if we had authors and a publisher."
Simich developed an interest in ethnic groups through his own Croatian background. Likewise, Wright remembers gratefully that one summer his father sent him to live with a family in Mexico. The experience not only piqued his interest in other cultures, it resulted in his decision to spend the rest of his life studying the history of Spanish-speaking countries.
Other groups discussed include the Southern Paiutes, African Americans, Chinese, Greeks, Italians, Jews, Poles, Filipinos, Salvodorans, Chileans, and people from the Indian Subcontinent.
Simich and Wright say they were cheered on in their ethnic endeavor by former political science chair Andy Tuttle, and by Wright's wife, political science professor and state Sen. Dina Titus. "We've all always had a love of ethnic food," Simich comments, noting that Tuttle and Wright joined them as they ate their way around the valley at ethnic restaurants and festivals.
In their introduction, the editors express the desire to make Las Vegans and visitors alike more aware of the richness of the ethnic community. "A lot of these groups go way back to the founding of the city," Simich says, "and, of course, the Native Americans well before that."
His own ethnic group, the Croats, have had a presence in Las Vegas since the 1920s. The book contains a photo of a gas station/ motel owned by the Pinjuv brothers at Fremont and 10th streets in the 1930s. "Many of the Croats living here today are descended from the Pinjuvs," Simich says.
Each chapter provides historical background, statistical information, and key features of their local cultures, including festivals and other special events. Authors followed the template of the Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups, published in the early 1980s.
In addition to the 13 specific ethnic groups, the book contains an essay, "Immigration, Ethnicity, and the Rise of Las Vegas," by UNLV history professor Eugene Moehring, whose own centennial history, Las Vegas: A Centennial History, (with CCSN history professor Michael Green), is also featured in this issue. Additionally, Wright and Titus describe the enormous rise in ethnic diversity during Las Vegas' recent decade of super growth. Moehring is also the author of Urbanism and Empire in the Far West, 1840-1890, described in the fall 2004 issue of UNLV Magazine.
