Heirloom Quilt

Click images for enlargements.

Photo of a Las Vegas artesian well.

A photo commemorating the first daily air mail service to Las Vegas in the mid-1950s.

Left: Neon sign for the Chief Hotel. Right: Paris-Las Vegas Hotel & Casino on Las Vegas Blvd.

Photo of Mayor Oscar B. Goodman, sitting Mayor, 2005.

Photo of the Eldorado Club on Fremont Street taken around 1948.

Postcard announcing the opening of the Moulin Rouge resort, purchased by Mildred Brown on opening night and sent to her mother, Ora Brown.

Like every historic event, the Centennial has its own heirloom quilt to mark the celebration. This beautifully crafted queen-size quilt has taken up permanent residence at the Nevada State Museum and Historical Society, 700 Twin Lakes Dr., in Las Vegas. There, among our valley's many historical artifacts, the quilt will add a show-stopping splash of color to our already colorful Las Vegas history.

The Centennial Quilt is the work of local quilt artist Mimi Shimp, owner of Quilt Time at 9640 Tropical Parkway in Las Vegas. "From the quilt's conception in December of 2003 to its presentation in August 2005, I have been on my own journey through time," said Ms. Shimp. "It's been an exciting adventure collecting and documenting 100 years of Las Vegas history in photographs-one filled with learning and creativity." Click here for a photo from the quilt's presentation on August 25.

Mimi Shimp estimates she spent close to 400 hours creating the Centennial Quilt. This includes time spent researching and collecting vintage photos, then scanning and cleaning them; selecting and cutting the fabric strips that surround the quilt; and sewing everything together-that is, quilting, binding, and applying crystals.

The Centennial Commission expresses its gratitude to Mimi Shimp and to her Centennial liaison, Kristin Stout, for all the time and love expended on the Centennial Quilt. We can't imagine a more beautiful legacy gift to leave our descendents.

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