Past is paramount for Pioneering Las Vegas History group

It’s one thing to listen to a lecture about local history. It’s quite another to hear that lecture surrounded by people who experienced it.

The group Pioneering Las Vegas History has met monthly since December. Its lunchtime events are organized by historian Joe Thomson, who had been attending similar monthly meetings by the Las Vegas Media Group.

“It just seemed like there was room for two groups, and as a historian I’ve worked with some amazing people,” Thomson said. “I’ve heard their stories and become friends with them, and so I thought that if I could find some way to share those stories and give back to them, that would be something I would look forward to.”

At the March meeting, Las Vegas Fire Department spokesman Tim Szymanski explained the department’s history. It was formed in 1906 in response to a Sept. 5, 1905, fire that destroyed most of McWilliams Townsite, where west Las Vegas is now.

He also talked about why the county and city fire departments weren’t combined as the police departments were, the significance of the numbers on the dice on the logos on the city’s early firetrucks and the first firefighter killed in the line of duty. Harold U. Davenport was killed Dec. 18, 1955, when he touched a live wire while trying to rescue a cat from a utility pole.

Gail Andress, a longtime resident, told of the day he took all of the batteries out of the firetrucks to service them and an alarm came in.

“I knew that they didn’t actually need the batteries to run, just to get the engines started,” Andress said. “We push-started them and then I followed them to the fire and put the batteries back in while they were fighting the fire. I learned to take them out one at a time after that.”

Thomson said people are too busy working to get together like they used to. The Mesquite Club and the Elks are two groups that still meet, but he said there were dozens of similar organizations with active memberships in the 1950s and ’60s.

“Most of the people that we’re involved with are hometown pioneers with tight roots in the community,” Thomson said. “They don’t get to see each other as often as they used to. That’s a big part of the meeting, is getting old friends together to discuss old times.” The meetings are open to the public, and all ages are welcome, Thomson said.

“I highly encourage young people to talk to old people and take a moment to learn something from them,” Thomson said. “They have an incredible amount of information and wisdom to offer.”

To reach East Valley View reporter F. Andrew Taylor, email ataylor@viewnews.com or call 702-380-4532.