Vegas Magazine - Niche Media - There is a place beyond the crowds, beyond the ropes, where dreams are realized and success is celebrated. You are invited.
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I n 1880, when Archibald Stewart told his pregnant wife, Helen, that he planned to move the family to an isolated 960-acre ranch in the Mojave Desert, she was horrified. But things were about to get worse. In 1884, two years after their arrival, Archie was murdered, leaving Helen alone with four children, another on the way, and responsibility for the ranch. In 1889 rumors arose of a plan to bring a railroad to the region, which set off rampant land speculation. So instead of selling her land, Helen bought more, and convinced family members to do the same. The remote ranch had long been a hub for weary travelers and a communication center. In fact, in 1893 Helen was named postmaster of the "Los Vegas" post office (so named to avoid confusion with Las Vegas, NM). In 1902, she signed a contract with the San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad to sell the ranch for $55,000, then quickly bought another 924 acres in the area. Three years later, the railroad auctioned off 1,200 lots of her original property, which became the core of downtown Las Vegas. Helen continued to be involved with the developing city, becoming the first woman elected to the Clark County School Board, as well as president of the Southern Nevada branch of the Nevada Historical Society. Her extensive collection of Native American baskets from the Paiute tribe was sold to the Fred Harvey Company after her death, and some are currently on display as part of the Clark County Museum exhibit "Tribal Treasures: Regional Baskets and Their Collectors." When Helen died in 1926, her funeral was one of the largest the city had ever seen, with people coming from all over the state to pay their respects to Las Vegas's unofficial founder. V The First Lady of Las Vegas THE CITY OF LAS VEGAS WASN'T FOUNDED UNTIL 1905, BUT IT WAS A CONTRACT SIGNED IN 1902 BY HELEN J. STEWART THAT BECAME THE CITY'S BIRTH CERTIFICATE. BY MICHAEL GERARD Helen J. Stewart owned the finest Paiute basket collection in Nevada, some of which are now on display at the Clark County Museum. 18 VEGASMAGAZINE.COM F ront Runners 018_V_FOB_FR_MAYJUNE_14.indd 18 4/21/14 12:58 PM