New museum plans could shed new light on historic westside of Las Vegas
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LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — It was once dubbed as a thriving area where only blacks could live and enjoy entertainment, now the historic westside Las Vegas could be sharing its rich history in a new museum.
“I feel like the westside is being left behind, due to the area and the high crime rate,” Brianna Kelly a Las Vegas resident said.
However it wasn’t always that way, often times it was called the Mississippi of the west, back in the 1950s, and before integration, blacks were only allowed to live on the westside where they thrived in their own community.
“See Jackson used to be like Fremont Street. You go from here to here across the street, around the corner,” Lucinda Heckard a Las Vegas resident said. “See all of this was, you know we used to hit the spots all the time.”
Then in 1955, came the world-famous Moulin Rouge. The first integrated casino in Las Vegas.
“My grandmother, she used to do hair there. So I know a little bit about that. They brought a lot of attraction, and a lot of gambling,” Kelly added.
She also described a darker side that the community saw years ago.
“It brought different types of crowds and tourism to the town and that’s why it’s historical. So this is where it started,” she told 8 News Now.
With its rich history, residents feel a museum might be a great way, to share the story of the westside.
“If we put an African American museum on this side of town, it would draw more of us,” added D’Mario Osley a Las Vegas resident.
