Henderson history: Longtime residents talk about a changing city

Henderson has grown to become the second largest city in the state. For those who lived in Henderson before the city was officially incorporated in 1953, what has it been like for them to see the burgeoning city evolve into what it is now?

“It’s exciting, especially for the hometown Henderson kids,” said Henderson resident Rick Watson, 84.

“We have so many people that move here because it’s such a beautiful city, but no one really knows their history here,” said Henderson resident Valerie La Porta, 73.

World War II

The Basic Magnesium Plant opened in 1941, in what’s known today as Henderson. The plant processed magnesium for the munitions and airplane components in World War II.

“Henderson is the second largest city in the state of Nevada, and it exists only because of what happened in the Second World War,” said retired Senior Judge Charles Weller, who authored the book “World War II and Nevada.”

“The United States needed magnesium for the war,” said Weller. “We needed to increase the amount of magnesium production in the United States by 9,000 percent.”

The magnesium allowed planes to weigh less, said Weller. The plant eventually supplied one-fourth of the magnesium used in World War II.

The plant also drew wartime workers from all over the country. One of those workers was Rick Watson’s father.

Watson remembered growing up in one of the first housing complexes built in Henderson, Carver Park. His father was a painter and came to Henderson for work.

“He was a house painter and just really handy, could do all kinds of work,” said Watson.

“Jobs were hard to come by, and the minute they heard that they were going to build Hoover Dam, people just flocked here. Even before there were any jobs, they were still just drawn to the plans. It was the same with World War II,” Watson said.

“At that time, young men were in the military,” Weller said. The plant ended up employing young men, but employed far more older, female, and Black workers, said Weller.

Segregation was widespread across the country and in Southern Nevada in the early to mid 20th Century.

In Las Vegas, casino owners would only allow white patrons. In a response, Black-owned clubs thrived in the heart of the Black community — which was centered west of downtown in an area now known as the Historic Westside.

Threats of violence

In Henderson, there was no segregation at the Basic Magnesium Plant, said Weller, but racism was still a reality in the city.

“The law, by Supreme Court decision, allowed segregation to exist, but President Roosevelt signed an executive order saying that there would be no segregation in war plants,” said Weller.

Although there was no segregation at the plant, Black workers faced segregation when they went home from work. Two of the city’s first housing complexes, Victory Village, and Carver Park, were segregated.

Victory Village, located on S. Chola Street and Dondero Avenue, was designated for white workers. Carver Park, located near Lake Mead Parkway and Boulder Highway, was designated for Black workers.

Although there was a housing complex for Black workers, many of them chose not to live there.

“Very few Black workers were willing to move to Carver Park because of threats of violence. So most lived on the Westside in Las Vegas,” said Weller.

“Some whites living near (Basic Magnesium Plant) threatened violence if more Black families moved closer to (Basic Magnesium Plant),” Weller continued. “There were rumors that the sheriff wouldn’t step in if something bad happened to the families living in Carver.”

Carver Park housed 40 black families, and the rest was filled with white families. One of those families that moved into Carver Park was Rick Watson’s family.

“They weren’t treated well. It wasn’t a friendly atmosphere for Black people,” Watson said.

Watson remembered World War II having an impact on his childhood.

“The movies were full of soldiers fighting Second World War, so we would reenact those things that we were seeing in the movies and newsreels,” he said.

Watson would play in the Pittman Wash, which is the main path for water runoff from storms, and bike along what’s now known as Boulder Highway before it became a major thoroughfare.

Watson said he never thought Henderson would be the city it is today, especially after the war ended.

“The government’s plan when the war was over there was to dismantle everything,” Watson said.

“The houses are all built out of redwood. And they had this vision that they could just take everything apart and sell it in auctions,” said Watson.

However, the housing complexes didn’t get dismantled after the war.

“Other companies got interested and realized that they could move their facilities to Henderson,” said Watson.

The foundations for other businesses were built when Basic Magnesium Plant closed down. One of those foundations was inexpensive hydropower from Hoover Dam, Weller said.

Water Street

Water Street got its name from the water line being constructed for Basic Magnesium Plant, Weller said. Small businesses, as well as Henderson’s first movie house, the Victory Theater, opened on the street.

La Porta remembered running along greeting people at small businesses on Water Street. La Porta lived in a housing complex called Freedom House, which was constructed after the war.

“The war was over, and it was really a newness for everybody,” La Porta said.

“Walking up Water Street to get to school, it was nothing for people to say hello to us, because everybody knew everybody. We had the Victory Theater,” said La Porta.

La Porta remembers one of first movies she watched at the theater.

“One of my first movies that I saw at Victory Theater was ‘The Fly,’” La Porta said, referring to the 1958 sci-fi horror film directed by Kurt Neumann.

Both Watson and La Porta are involved in Henderson Historical Society, a group that captures and memorializes stories from Henderson residents.

The group is working to preserve the building that housed Henderson’s first fire station at 134 West Atlantic Avenue.

“It was the pioneers that gave their tears to this town,” La Porta said.

Contact Annie Vong at avong@reviewjournal.com. Follow @annievwrites on X or @annievong.bsky.social.