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Helen J. Stewart
1854-1926
Helen J. Stewart's foresight helped boost Las Vegas
from a small, dusty town to a thriving city in the desert. Stewart's husband
Archibald collected on a bad debt from Octavius Decatur Gass in 1880 and
took over the Las Vegas Rancho. That move changed the course of Nevada history,
bringing the woman pioneer into the dustbowl that she would eventually change
forever.
The
First Lady of Las Vegas
Helen Jane Wiser was born on April 16, 1854, in Springfield, Illinois.
She married Archibald Stewart in 1872 and moved with him to Lincoln County,
Nevada, where he ran a successful shipping business since 1868. He also
had a ranch near Pioche, where he raised cattle and vegetables. The move
proved difficult for Helen because she was so lonely out in the desert.
Octavius Decatur Gass
asked to borrow some money from Archibald to save his ranch. Unable to
to pay back the loan a year later, Gass forfeited the ranch to the Stewart
family, which renamed it the Las Vegas Ranch.
Life on the ranch
Travelers often stopped to rest at the ranch.
A cool creek bubbled from an underground artesian well and giant cottonwood
trees provided shady spots where travelers could find relief from the
scorching desert sun. Helen Stewart reveled in the company of the travelers
since Lincoln County had been so lonely.
But just as life was starting to flow smoothly, Archibald
Stewart was killed in a gunfight with Henry "Hank" Parrish,
one of the hired hands from a nearby ranch. Helen Stewart was left on
her own with four children and another on the way. She had to take care
of the farm, the ranch and the orchards. Travelers visited the ranch every
day in need of food water and rest. For the next 20 years, Helen ran the
ranch.
The Railroad
In 1902, Montana Senator William
Clark came to Las Vegas with an idea that would help change the small
town into a city. He wanted to build a railroad that would connect Los Angeles
to Salt Lake City, a frequently traveled route. Las Vegas was a good half-way
point for the train route. All he needed was a reliable source of water
to begin construction.
Clark found that Helen Stewart owned the Las Vegas Ranch
and the Las Vegas Creek that ran through the ranch. Stewart agreed to
sell most of her land and the water rights. The price was $55,000 and
did not include the family cemetery or a small part of the water from
Las Vegas Creek. Some say that sale created the city of Las Vegas because
with the railroad in place, jobs were created, houses were constructed
and the population boomed.
Life After the Ranch
Stewart bought up some land near the ranch and built a new house, where
she remained for the rest of her life. In 1905, the railroad sold pieces
of her land to the public. That created the downtown core of Las Vegas,
which includes Stewart Street.
Stewart remained active in the community becoming the
first woman elected to the Clark County School Board in 1915, and the
first woman to sit on a jury in Las Vegas in 1916. Stewart died in 1926. |
