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Facts About Water and Life
Water is a necessary component for all living things.
We can't survive more than a few days without water.
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People can live several weeks without food, but only a few days without
water.
- The human body is 66 percent water. The human brain is 75 percent
water. A living tree is about 75 percent water.
- An acre of corn gives off more humidity than a lake of the same size.
- A desert is defined as an area that gets less than 10 inches of rain
per year. Las Vegas receives about 4 inches of rain a year. Tucson,
Ariz., gets 11.5 inches.
- Pueblo and Paiute artifacts dating back 5,000 years have been found
near the Las Vegas Springs, the
site of artesian springs where travelers and explorers camped.
- Mormon Missionaries came
to the valley in 1855 and set up camp near the Las Vegas Springs.
- Once the Mormons left, their fort was taken over by different people
like Octavius Decatur Gass and
Helen Stewart. The abundance
of water attracted numerous travelers to the area.
- In 1882 Helen Stewart owned the fort and the water rights to the Las
Vegas Springs. William Clark bought
the fort and the water rights so that he could build his railroad. Las
Vegas became a town in 1905 when the railroad auctioned off land lots.
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