The Las Vegas Springs or Big Springs is the site of a natural

oasis In ecology, an oasis (; ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment'ksar''with its surrounding feeding source, the palm grove, within a relational and circulatory nomadic system.” The location of oases has been of critical imp ...

, known traditionally as a cienega. For more than 15,000 years, springs broke through the desert floor, creating grassy meadows (called ''las vegas'' by Spanish New-Mexican explorers). The bubbling springs were a source of water for Native Americans living here at least 5,000 years ago. Known as ''The Birthplace of Las Vegas'' it sustained travelers of the Old Spanish Trail and

Mormons Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...

who came to settle the West. The springs' source is the Las Vegas aquifer. The springs are now a part of the

Las Vegas Springs Preserve Las Vegas Springs Preserve consists of dedicated to nature walks and displays and is owned and operated by the Las Vegas Valley Water District. The Preserve is located approximately three miles west of downtown Las Vegas, Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevad ...

. Las Vegas Springs was once the site of three springs, running into two large pools of water. It is a site historically known for a gathering of pioneers and Native Americans and early settlers in the Las Vegas Valley. In 1905, it provided the water source to the budding town and railroad. Once pipe lines were laid and wells were drilled, the water table dropped, and the springs stopped flowing to the surface in 1962. The site is currently undergoing rehabilitation to protect what remains architecturally and archaeologically. Now, it is 180 acres of historic land located just west of Downtown Las Vegas. It is open to the public.

History

The first non- Native American crossing Las Vegas Springs was

Raphael Rivera Rafael Rivera was a Mexican scout and the first non- Native American to set foot in the Las Vegas Valley.Barbara Land, Myrick Land, "A short history of Las Vegas", University of Nevada Press, 2004, p. 4. Trader Antonio Armijo led a 60-man party alo ...

in 1829. He was the Mexican scout for the expedition of

Antonio Armijo Antonio Mariano Armijo (1804–1850) was a Spanish explorer Exploration refers to the historical practice of discovering remote lands. It is studied by geographers and historians. Two major eras of exploration occurred in human history: one of ...

who pioneered the Old Spanish Trail between New Mexico and California. Later, American traveler John C. Fremont and

Kit Carson Christopher Houston Carson (December 24, 1809 – May 23, 1868) was an American frontiersman. He was a fur trapper, wilderness guide, Indian agent, and U.S. Army officer. He became a frontier legend in his own lifetime by biographies and n ...

camped at the springs in 1844. The springs stopped flowing to the surface in 1962 as the

water table The water table is the upper surface of the zone of saturation. The zone of saturation is where the pores and fractures of the ground are saturated with water. It can also be simply explained as the depth below which the ground is saturated. T ...

dropped as more water was pumped out to meet the demands of a growing population than was being replaced by

rainfall Rain is water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. It provides water f ...

and snow melt. Uncontrolled use of private wells and wasted water contributed to the early depletion of the aquifer. This forced the Las Vegas Land and Water Company to drill 'Well No. 1' in 1923 to supply the demands for water. The springs and associated infrastructure have been listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

since 1978 and are marked a
Nevada Historical Marker 40

References

{{Nevada State Historic Places/Clark National Register of Historic Places in Las Vegas Oases of Nevada Bodies of water of Clark County, Nevada Nevada State Register of Historic Places Natural features on the National Register of Historic Places Old Spanish Trail (trade route) Mormon Road

History

See also

References