Walter S. Hunsaker

Walter S. Hunsaker was born in 1906. He graduated from Riverside High School (California) in 1923 and Pomona College in 1928. He met Leigh S.J. Hunt in California and was invited to become Hunt's private secretary in 1929. Hunsaker moved to Las Vegas and worked for the Hunt family until the last of their corporations was dissolved in 1980.

Hunsaker was an officer and director of all the associated Hunt companies and served as secretary and resident agent of the McDonald Mines Company from 1931 to 1980. He provided office space and facilities for the company and was active in the transactions of company business, initially under the supervision of Leigh Hunt, and later Henry Leigh Hunt and Helen Hunt Rives. The relationship was a close one, with mutual respect and admiration on the part of both the family and Hunsaker.

Hunsaker was a Las Vegas distributor for Richfield Oil Company during the 1930s. In 1943 he enlisted in the Army where he spent three and one-half years on active duty, retiring as a Lt. Colonel. He received his real estate broker's license in 1941 and in the same year he also joined the Rotary Club in which he was active for many years. He was a member of the B.P.O. Elks Club and the Presbyterian Church, and President of the Nevada Knife and Fork Club. In 1938 he married Martha Morrison after a long courtship. Hunsaker died between 1987 and 1993.

Martha Morrison Hunsaker

Martha Eleanor Morrison Hunsaker grew up in Las Vegas and graduated from Las Vegas High School. Prior to her marriage she worked for the El Portal Theatre. Martha and Walter were married in Las Vegas in May, 1938; they had no children. Martha died in 1982.

 

Leigh S. J. Hunt

Leigh Hunt was born in Indiana to Franklin and Martha Long Hunt. Hunt was an educator, president of Ames College in Iowa (1885), publisher of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, head of a Seattle Bank, gold mine operator in Korea, developer of Egypt's long staple cotton industry, personal advisor to President Theodore Roosevelt during the Russo-Japanese War, and mining developer in the Eldorado Canyon District in Clark County, Nevada. Hunt made and lost several fortunes but always recovered after each loss.

Hunt came to Las Vegas in 1923 in search of health. He became the largest single land-holder in the Las Vegas area and had plans for extensive development of those holdings stimulated by the growth made possible by the cheap power from the nearby Boulder Dam project. His holdings included both land for housing subdivisions and property along the downtown Las Vegas "strip." In 1929 he hired Walter S. Hunsaker as his confidential secretary and business agent.

Hunt was married to Jessie Noble in 1885. They had two children: Henry Leigh Hunt and Helen Hunt Rives (wife of Bayard Hunt). Hunt died in Las Vegas in 1933.

 

Jessie Noble Hunt

Jessie Hunt was born about 1862. She graduated from Ames College in 1882 and married Leigh Hunt in 1885 while he was president of the college. Mrs. Hunt accompanied her husband on his trip to Korea and other parts of the Orient, at which time she disguised herself as a boy to ensure her personal safety. She accompanied him to Africa where she managed the large plantation home they established there. She also traveled with him on exploration trips into the upper Nile River country.

After Mr. Hunt's death Mrs. Hunt served as president of her husband's companies but was not in a financial position to carry out his dream of seeing Las Vegas develop as a resort town. Gradually the Hunt holdings were liquidated during her lifetime, with the exception of the McDonald Mines Company. Mrs. Hunt died in 1960 at age ninety-eight.

 

Henry Leigh Hunt

Henry Hunt was born in 1886 and was the oldest child of Leigh and Jessie Hunt. He was married to French author Louise de Vilmorin in about 1924 and divorced in 1936. They had three children: Jessie Bruce Wood, Alexandra Horsey, and Helena Baxter. Henry was active in the management of his father's business interests until his death in 1972. In 1955 he was appointed the Consul from Monaco with honorary status at Las Vegas.

 

Helen Hunt Rives

Helen Hunt Rives was the youngest child of Leigh and Jessie Hunt and was born about 1893. She was married to prominent New York attorney Bayard [Baird] Hunt and had [two] children: Margaret Rives Kellam and George L. Rives. Helen and her brother Henry shared the estate of their parents. Although Mrs. Rives continued to rely on Walter Hunsaker after the death of her brother, she took an active interest in its management.

 

McDonald Mines Company and Related Hunt Businesses

Several associated corporations were organized by Leigh Hunt in the 1920s. All were similar in operation and under the same management. These companies were:

Colorado River Exploration Company - Organized as a Nevada corporation in 1924 as the largest of the Hunt corporations; it was liquidated between 1955-1960.

Huntco - No information is available on this organization. It appears to have focused on the Hunts' Las Vegas holdings.

McDonald Mines Company - a Nevada corporation organized in 1929 and dissolved in 1980.

New York and Las Vegas Investment Company - organized in 1929 and liquidated between 1949-1954. The company's residual assets were taken over by the Colorado River Exploration Company.

Overton Syndicate, Ltd. - organized as an unincorporated syndicate in the 1920s and incorporated in 1934 after Leigh Hunt's death. Liquidated between 1952-1954.

Vegas Valley Development Company - Originally organized as the Potts Syndicate by George H. Potts, J. Orange, Roger Moncrieff, and H.F. Meserve. On December 22, 1925 it was incorporated as the Vegas Valley Development Company by its original founders; later control was acquired by the Hunts. From the records available it appears that the company was devoted to developing and managing Hunt's property in the City of Las Vegas, some of which was located on the "Strip."

Ridgeview Estates, Ltd. - a company which both owned and managed Las Vegas rental properties.

Leigh Hunt foresaw that the availability of water and power from the Boulder Canyon Project, the natural resources of the Las Vegas area, and the almost unlimited land suitable for development, presented an irresistible opportunity. The corporations listed above were formed for specific ventures. Over the years slow appreciation in the value of various investments resulted in a selling program. Gradual liquidation was followed by substantial distributions by the various corporations until, in the 1950s all residual assets were transferred to McDonald Mines Company.

McDonald Mines Company was organized in 1929 to acquire a series of mining claims containing an estimated 50,000,000 tons of high grade gypsum. The deposits were located in an undeveloped area east of the Virgin River and close to the proposed location of Lake Mead. On the opposite side of the lake site was Overton, Nevada, on the railhead of a branch line of the Union Pacific Railroad.

The company planned to move the ore from the mine to the lake by a gravity operated tramway and ship by barge across the lake to the railhead. Significant changes in the Bureau of Reclamation's plans for the Colorado River Project would have substantially increased operating costs so this development plan was abandoned. The goal of the corporation then became to continue until the mining claims and other assets could be disposed of favorably. As other Hunt family corporations were liquidated many of their assets were transferred to McDonald Mines Company.

Gradually the company redeemed outstanding shares of stock until 1977 when ownership was concentrated in the hands of the Hunt family and Walter Hunsaker. At that time, it was apparent that only Helen Hunt Rives and Hunsaker had real knowledge or interest in the management of McDonald Mines Company and both were of considerable age. Therefore the decision was made to sell the company's assets and liquidate the corporation. All assets were converted to cash and liquidating distributions of $202.00 per share were made during 1979, for a total payout of $297,142.00. The certificate of dissolution was filed on June 2, 1980.

[The sources of most of the above information consisted of:

*Letter from Hunsaker to Helen Hunt Rives, Oct. 27, 1977;

*Statement to the Board of Directors of the McDonald Mines Company, "McDonald Mines Company," n.d. but probably after Aug. 28, 1978; and

*Statement to the Board of Directors of the McDonald Mines Company, "McDonald Mines Company, A Leigh Hunt Enterprise, Las Vegas, Nevada," June 30, 1980.

*Entries in various of the "General [financial] Records" ledgers for individual companies.

 

Scope and Content

The Walter S. Hunsaker papers were donated to the Special Collections Department in 1994 by Jack Leavitt. The collection consists of 7.5 cubic feet of material dating from 1884-1987. The bulk of the papers date from 1924-1980; there are no restrictions on access to the collection.

The Hunsaker collection consists of some of Hunsaker's personal papers and those of his wife but a major part of the collection contains the Las Vegas business records of Leigh Hunt and his family. This collection is important because it documents the twentieth century development of Las Vegas as a resort town and illustrates the long-term impact of the construction of Hoover Dam. It also serves to illustrate the formation of a multi-business, family-held corporate structure.

Walter Hunsaker was responsible for the creation of many of the documents in the collection in his role as resident agent and executive secretary for the Hunt Family businesses. Although extensive, the corporate records are not complete. A letter from Walter Hunsaker to Leigh L. Hunt, nephew of Leigh S.J. Hunt, June 27, 1973 (94-43/II/3/2/3) states that "almost everything from the [Leigh S.J. Hunt] office was turned over to Mrs. [Jessie] Hunt and I understand most of it went to George Rives in the hopes it would be available for a biography." Another letter from Hunsaker (Sept. 20, 1972) confirms that Hunt's personal papers went to Helen Hunt Rives who in turn gave some to her son George.
Most of what survives in this collection was originally part of Hunsaker's working files. Hunsaker made several copies of his outgoing and incoming correspondence. One set was kept in chronological order. Other sets were filed by the name of the correspondent, such as Helen Hunt Rives. Occasionally personal news was exchanged in these letters but generally these were business letters reporting on the activities and financial status of the business.

Much of the Hunt business centered around real estate acquisition and management and these activities are well documented, especially in the McDonald Mines Company series. These files also provide insight into the procedures for dissolving a corporation and also into the process of transferring assets from one company to another.

The best documentation for each company is in the minutes of the boards of directors for each company and in financial ledgers for several of the corporations. Ledgers for specific companies often contain information about other Hunt companies in their listings of accounts payable and receivable. Several ledgers have a typed summary providing the date when the company incorporated and listing initial assets and liabilities.

This collection was received after the death of Walter Hunsaker. The papers had been stored in cardboard boxes for some time but aside from some dirt, were in good condition. However, many of the papers were not in folders and some of the existing folders did not have labels, making identification somewhat difficult.

Because of the disruption to Hunsaker's original order, the collection has been arranged by the Manuscript Curator of the Special Collections Department to reflect the various Hunt Family corporations. Two subgroups were created; one which includes papers of Walter Hunsaker, his wife, and his own personal business interests, and a second subgroup representing the Leigh Hunt family and their corporations. Within the second subgroup, series represent individual family members and named corporations. Again, because of the interlocking nature of these corporations, information about one or more companies will be found in several series. For example, the "General [financial] record" for the Colorado River Exploration Company includes financial documentation for the Vegas Valley Development Company and the Overton Syndicate. Some attempt has been made to cite such cross references in the series descriptions for individual corporations but the researcher should examine all of the series to ensure completeness.

A few photographs also accompanied the collection; they have been transferred to the Special Collections photographic archives.

Processed by: Susan Searcy
Date: September 29, 1994

 

The Walter S. Hunsaker papers have been arranged into the following record groups and series:

Group I - Walter S. Hunsaker

I/1 Walter S. Hunsaker Personal Files

I/2 Estate of Ellis S. Johnson

I/3 Martha Hunsaker Personal Files

Group II - The Hunt Family

II/1 Leigh S.J. Hunt

II/2 Jessie Hunt

II/3/1 Helen Hunt Rives

II/3/2 Henry Hunt Children

II/4 Henry L. Hunt

II/5 Colorado River Exploration Company

II/6 Huntco

II/7 McDonald Mines Company

II/8 New York and Las Vegas Investment Company

II/9 Overton Syndicate Limited

II/10 Vegas Valley Development Company

II/11 Ridgeview Estates, Ltd.

 

Group I - Walter S. Hunsaker

I/1. Walter S. Hunsaker Personal Files. 1927-1987. .5 cubic feet and 1 volume.

These materials reflect Hunsaker's personal interests and business affairs, aside from his work with the Hunt Family and McDonald Mines Company. There is some material related to a gas station he owned in the 1930s; Rotary Club correspondence, newsletters, clippings, and testimonials for his long-time service to the Club; membership cards for organizations to which he belonged; obituaries and eulogies for Rotary Club acquaintances; and files for subjects in which Hunsaker had some interest.

Also included is a financial ledger (labeled "McDonald Securities Company, Ltd.") in which Hunsaker kept detailed accountings of his personal financial status (1931-1980). An indication of Hunsaker's business investments can be found in the general financial ledger of the Ridgeview Estates Ltd. Company (94-43/II/11), under the section "Capital investment account, Walter S. and Martha Hunsaker."

Box 1

I/1/1 Biographical information.

I/1/2 Correspondence to Hunsaker. 1930-1987.

I/1/3 Legal documents. 1939-1949.

I/1/4-6 Rio Grande Service Station/Richfield Oil. 1935-1940.

I/1/7-8 Rotary Club. 1929-1985

I/1/9 Hunsaker membership cards.

I/1/10 First Presbyterian Church of Las Vegas. 1961.

I/1/11 First Methodist Church, Las Vegas. 1955; 1958.

I/1/12 Ephemera.

I/1/13 World War II ration books.

I/1/14 Obituaries of Leonard R. Fayle, John Beville and others. 1983-1988.

I/1/15 Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce. 1941-1983.

I/1/16 Atomic power. 1984.

I/1/17 McCarran International Airport historical facts. 1974.

I/1/18 Grand Jury (on which Hunsaker served). 1948.

I/1/19 Misc. brochures and programs. 1927-1973.

I/1/20 List of Las Vegas softball teams. 1930s.

I/1/21 Las Vegas historic structures.

I/1/22 Pine Creek/Red Rock. 1971-1987.

I/1/23 Boulder City '31ers Club. 1985.

I/1/24 Southern Nevada Times. 1986-1987.

I/1/25 Las Vegas real estate appraisal. 1965-1975.

I/1/26 Task Force to Develop Introductory Mapping Course, International Association of Assessing Officers. 1976.

I/1/27 Registered professional engineers and registered land surveyors in southern Nevada (Clark County).

I/1/28 State of Nevada. Real Estate Division. Annual Directory of Licensees, Fiscal Year 1966-67.

I/1/29 Financial general ledger. 1931-1980.

 

I/2. Estate of Ellis S. Johnson. 1971-1987. .5 cubic feet.

Walter Hunsaker was appointed executer of the Ellis S. Johnson estate in 1975. Johnson (1898-1975) was a life-long Las Vegas resident and an heir to the estate of Minnie Pearl Watkins, his sister, who died in 1973 in Arkansas. Johnson's heirs were Hunsaker and Harold and Skip Johnson. The Johnson estate settlement occurred over a protracted period of time because of delays in settling the Watkins estate. This series contains correspondence regarding estate settlement, copies of court documents and other legal papers, financial accountings, tax returns, and statements of final settlements. Generally arranged in the following order: correspondence, financial documents, and miscellaneous subjects. Folders are roughly arranged in chronological order.

Box 1

I/2/1 George Dickerson (estate attorney) correspondence from Hunsaker. 1975-1981.

I/2/2 Correspondence to/from George M. Dickerson. 1983.

I/2/3 Harold and Skip Johnson correspondence, financial reports. 1975-1983.

I/2/4 Inventory, estate of Ellis S. Johnson. 1975-1979.

I/2/5 Income tax returns. 1973-1982.

I/2/6 Harrington-Horsey Insurance Company. 1975-1977.

I/2/7 Tax accounting - Hugh Templeton. 1975-1983.

I/2/8 Financial statements. 1979-1983.

I/2/9 Railroad Retirement Board. 1975-1976.

I/2/10 Dreyfus Leverage. 1976-1983.

I/2/11 Estate of Minnie Pearl Watkins. 1970-1983.

I/2/12 Executer's account ledger, various estates. 1975--1982.

I/2/13 Estate checking account check register. 1975-1983.

I/2/14 Legal documents and certificates. 1952-1975.

I/2/15 Sierra Pacific stock. 1975-1979.

I/2/16 Sale of residence at 721 South 6th Street, Las Vegas. 1973-1975.

I/2/17 Probate Court. 1975-1983.

 

I/3. Martha Hunsaker Personal Files. 1923-1978. 5 folders.

There are few papers which belonged to Martha Hunsaker; her husband wrote to Helen Hunt Rives after Martha's death that he spent some time cleaning out [and presumably discarding] Martha's belongings. The bulk of what survives consists of greeting cards sent to Martha for birthdays, Christmas, and announcing births of friends' babies.

Box 2

I/3/1-3 Greeting cards. Mostly undated.

I/3/4 Clippings. 1923-1978.

I/3/5 Miscellaneous ephemera.

 

Group II - The Hunt Family

II/1. Leigh S.J. Hunt. 1884-1985. .25 cubic feet.

Most of the records in this series pertain to Hunt's business activities in Nevada and to the settlement of his estate. Several folders contain biographical materials about Hunt, compiled by Laurence B. Rand.

Of particular interest is a report by Elwood Lloyd, IV, called "Preliminary Trip Report, Boulder Canyon Dam Basin," June 5-15, 1923 (94-43/II/1/18). The exact date of Hunt's move to Las Vegas is not known but this fact-finding report may have provided the incentive to do so. "It would appear that the power factor of the Boulder Canyon Dam project will be the real 'open sesame' to the wealth of the country...low priced electric power should make these things possible of commercial development even in the face of transportation costs considerably higher than might obtain elsewhere" (pp 27-29). "In view of all the foregoing, the writer believes that the project of syndicated exploration of the country under discussion is well worthy of being carried forward, and suggests that arrangements be completed at the earliest moment looking toward the inauguration of the exploration September 1, 1923" (p. 43).

This series is arranged in three groups of documents: biographical materials, financial records, and folders pertaining to land acquisition. Additional records of Mr. Hunt's Las Vegas businesses are available in the series pertaining to specific Hunt companies, i.e., Colorado River Exploration Company, Overton Syndicate, Ltd., etc.

Box 2

II/1/1 Death certificate. 1933.

II/1/2 Articles about Hunt. 1884-1934.

II/1/3-4 Laurence B. Rand biography of Leigh Hunt. 1926-1985.

II/1/5 Leigh Hunt biography. 1972-1977.

II/1/6 Leigh Hunt at Iowa State University. 1972.

II/1/7 "An American Capitalist in Korea: Leigh S.J. Hunt and the Unsan Gold Mines" by Laurence B. Rand, III. n.d. but sent to Hunsaker in 1985.

II/1/8 Settlement of Leigh Hunt estate. 1933.

II/1/9 Federal income tax returns. 1927-1929.

II/1/10 Ledger sheets, 1929-1930.

II/1/11-14 Buy and sell orders to Harriman & Co. Stock Brokers, account statements. 1924-1932.

II/1/15 Account with Logan & Bryan Stock Dept. 1929.

II/1/16 Check stubs. 1929-1930.

II/1/17 Correspondence regarding sale of ranch at Pine Creek Canyon. 1935.

II/1/18 Elwood Lloyd, IV, "Preliminary Trip Report, Boulder Canyon Dam Basin," June 5-15, 1923.

II/1/19 Cold Creek Property. 1929-1931.

 

II/2. Jessie Hunt. 1947-1961. 4 folders.

All of the material in this series relates to the sale of Mrs. Hunt's property and is arranged chronologically.

Box 2

II/2/1 Purchase option to sell Las Vegas Property to Joseph M. Smoot. 1947.

II/2/2 Deeds, power of attorney, tax returns. 1950-1960.

II/2/3 Deeds for Las Vegas property conveyed by Jessie Hunt to Henry L. Hunt. 1955-1956.

II/2/4 Jessie Hunt estate. Sale of property to pay inheritance taxes. 1961.

 

II/3/1. Helen Hunt Rives. 1963-1986. 7 folders.

All but one folder of this series consists of correspondence regarding the administration of the Hunt estate and McDonald Mines Company, the last of the Hunt holdings. There is one folder concerning a property lease. Arranged chronologically.

Box 2

II/3/1/1 Leases of Las Vegas property. 1963-1982.

II/3/1/2 Correspondence regarding the Bank of Nevada Trust Department. 1973.

II/3/1/3 Correspondence regarding the McDonald Mines Co., mostly from Walter S. Hunsaker. 1973-1978.

II/3/1/4-7 Correspondence, mostly from Walter S. Hunsaker. 1973-1986.

 

II/3/2. Henry Hunt Children. 1953-1974. 3 folders.

Henry Hunt's children inherited their father's estate which was held in a trust for them. This series consists of correspondence from or about the children and their trust. Arranged chronologically.

Box 2

II/3/2/1 "Cabell Papers." [About Albert "Cabell" C. Bruce, Jr., first husband of Henry's daughter Jessie.] 1953; 1961. See also files 94-43/II/4/2-3 for additional business correspondence with Henry Hunt.

II/3/2/2 Mrs. Clement B. Wood (Jessie Hunt, daughter of Henry). 1973.

II/3/2/3 Leigh L. Hunt correspondence regarding his uncle, Leigh S.J. Hunt. 1972-1974.

 

II/4. Henry L. Hunt. 1929-1980. 1 cubic foot.

This series has been arranged into three functional areas: financial records, activities concerning the Hunts' Las Vegas properties, and a small amount of personal materials. The contents of many of these folders also pertain to the business affairs of Henry's sister Helen Hunt Rives, as they jointly inherited the estate of their parents. In addition to his Las Vegas and mining interests, Henry L. Hunt was involved financially in the Permian Oil Company (formerly, Cactus Petroleum, Inc.) with his son-in-law, Albert C. Bruce, Jr.; several folders document those transactions.

Box 3

II/4/1 Correspondence with Mr. W.W. Hoffman, Vice President, City Bank Farmers Trust Company, New York, regarding Pre-WWII Europe and war possibilities. 1938-1940.

II/4/2 Ledger book. 1928-1950.

II/4/3-8 Income accounts, Henry Hunt and Helen Hunt Rives. 1964-1970.

II/4/9-11 Income tax returns. 1952-1970.

II/4/12 Oil interests. 1958-1961.

II/4/13 South Permian Oil Co. 1966.

II/4/14 Deeds for property conveyed by Horace F. Wilson and Glenna Wilson to F. Fessenden Meserve. 1929.

II/4/15 Deeds for Las Vegas property conveyed to Walter Hunsaker by W.H. McDonald and Nora McDonald. 1930.

II/4/16 Stardust Hotel lease. 1961; 1984-1985.

II/4/17-18 Vegas Village Shopping Center. 1961-1980.

II/4/19a Leased property, Las Vegas income, appraisal report. 1971-1979.

II/4/19b Title Insurance and Trust Co. 1966-1967.

II/4/20-22 Check registers, stubs, and passbooks.

II/4/22b Directory of Licensed Real Estate Brokers (State of Nevada), 1956. Las Vegas Board of Realtors Commission Schedule and Membership Directory, 1952.

II/4/23 Quitclaim deed from City of Las Vegas. 1944.

II/4/24 Zick & Sharp, Architects correspondence and invoices. 1953-1955.

II/4/25 Passport, address book, affidavit of birth.

II/4/26-30 Materials related to Monaco and appointment as Consul. 1951-1958.

 

II/5. Colorado River Exploration Company. 1924-1976. 3 folders and 3 volumes.

Although there are few materials in this series, there is a complete set of official, bound Board minutes. One folder contains many of the company's vital records such as loose minutes of the Board of Directors and financial balance sheets. The other two folders contain miscellaneous documents regarding the sale of land. The folders are arranged chronologically.

Also included in this series are two bound volumes containing detailed financial records, one of which also lists the company's initial assets and liabilities.

A few stockholder reports can also be found in Series II/8 (New York & Las Vegas Investment Company).

Box 4

II/5/1 Minutes. Nov. 14, 1924 - Feb. 19, 1960. Bound volume, placed on shelf after Box 5.

II/5/2 Assignment of real estate commission. 1941.

II/5/3 Minutes, balance sheets, stockholder list, reports, dissolution filings, and correspondence. 1943-1976.

II/5/4 Agreement to sell land to Harold J. Stoker and Walter Hunsaker. 1950.

II/5/5 General [financial] records. 1924-1960. Includes list of initial assets and liabilities, including real estate. Bound volume, placed on shelf after Box 5.

II/5/6 General [financial] records. 1924-1960. Bound volume, placed on shelf after Box 5.

 

II/6. Huntco. 1964-1973. 4 folders.

The records in this series relate to land transactions in the City of Las Vegas and include promissory notes, agreements, and requests for variances. Arranged chronologically.

Box 4

II/6/1 Promissory note. 1964.

II/6/2 Promissory note. 1964-1967.

II/6/3 Agreements, other land transfer documents. 1967.

II/6/4 Requests for variances in Las Vegas. 1973.

 

II/7. McDonald Mines Company. 1926-1980. 1 cubic foot and 4 volumes.

Although not complete, this series contains good documentation on the activities of the McDonald Mines Company, particularly for the 1960s and 1970s. Included are the minutes of the board of directors, correspondence regarding business transactions and financial affairs, financial ledgers, annual reports, tax statements, appraisal reports on the company's Moapa/Overton gypsum property, and documentation on the company's liquidation. Two folders (II/7/26-27) contain land transfer documents related to the acquisition of the company's original land and mineral claims. Unbound materials are arranged into four series: tax returns, correspondence, property and mining claims materials, and liquidation. Arranged chronologically within each type. Almost all of the folders retain the original folder headings assigned by Hunsaker. The bound volumes are shelved after Box 5.

Box 4

II/7/1-4 Tax returns and financial statements. 1929-1979.

II/7/5-6 Correspondence. 1976.

II/7/7 Correspondence with Citibank regarding trust accounts for children of Henry Hunt. 1978-1980.

II/7/8 Annual reports, tax statements, correspondence. 1967-1979.

II/7/9-12 Bank of America Trust Dept. financial statements. 1945-1968. Also contains documentation on other Hunt companies and summary of organization of the companies and their liquidations.

II/7/13 Mayme and Harold J. Stoker contract/assignment. 1951.

II/7/14 Mining claims. 1933.

II/7/15-17 Hearings with State Board of Equalization. 1976-1977.

II/7/18 Bank passbooks. 1961-1979.

II/7/19-21 Moapa Valley acreage prospectus, sales brochure. 1978.

 

Box 5

II/7/22-25 Appraisals of Overton area land, gypsum mining claims. 1977-1978.

II/7/26-27 Gypsum claims [legal documents related to acquisition of the claims]. 1926-1955.

II/7/28 Overton properties. 1976-1978.

II/7/29 Overton tax assessment. 1976-1977.

II/7/30 Sidney Whitmore [purchaser of a portion of the McDonald Mines Company property]. 1978-1979.

II/7/31 Guy and Rose Whitmore [sale of McDonald Mines Company land, Overton]. 1978-1979.

II/7/32-38 Operation and liquidation, 1970-1979.

II/7/39 A.W. Ham [attorney, dissolution of McDonald Mines Company]. 1980.

II/7/40 Minutes of the Board of Directors. 1929-1980. Also includes some reports to stockholders. Bound volume shelved after Box 5.

II/7/41 General ledger. 1929-1979. Bound volume shelved after Box 5.

II/7/42 General ledger. 1934-1954. Bound volume shelved after Box 5.

II/7/43 General records. 1929-1980. Includes section listing initial assets and liabilities. Bound volume shelved after Box 5.

 

II/8. New York & Las Vegas Investment Company. 1929-1955. 1 folder and 2 volumes.

This series contains minutes, stockholder reports for the New York & Las Vegas Investment Company, and financial ledgers. The folder of stockholder reports also holds several reports for the Colorado River Exploration Company, Vegas Valley Development Company, and Overton Syndicate. The volume of financial records contains a summary of initial assets and liabilities of the company.

Box 5

II/8/1 Stockholder reports. 1932-1955.

II/8/2 Minutes of the Board of Directors. 1929-1954. Bound volume shelved after Box 5.

II/8/3 General [financial] record. 1929-1954. Bound volume shelved after Box 5.

 

II/9. Overton Syndicate, Ltd. 1930-1954. 3 folders and 1 volume.

Although this is a small series it includes a complete set of minutes of the Board of Directors, a folder containing documentation on how the Syndicate acquired its initial land holdings, a stockholders' report for 1946, and final reports to the stockholders regarding the Syndicate's dissolution. Arranged chronologically.

A few stockholder reports can also be found in Series II/8 (New York & Las Vegas Investment Company). Some information on accounts receivable for 1934-1950 is listed in a volume called "General Record" in the Colorado River Exploration Company Series (94-43/II/5/6).

Box 5

II/9/1 Title papers. Title search information, quit deeds, maps, and correspondence. 1930-1952.

II/9/2 Stockholders' report. 1946.

II/9/3 Liquidation. 1949-1954.

II/9/4 Minutes of Board of Directors. 1934-1954. Bound volume placed on shelf after Box 5.

 

II/10. Vegas Valley Development Company. 1926-1960. 3 folders and 2 volumes.

This small series deals primarily with the company's Hotel El Rancho holdings and its proposed sale in 1940 to Thomas E. Hull, stockholder reports, minutes of some meetings of the board of directors, list of stockholders, and maps of the property. A ledger provides a complete picture of the company's financial transactions. The folders are arranged chronologically.

A few stockholder reports can also be found in Series II/8 (New York & Las Vegas Investment Company). Some information on accounts receivable for 1934-1950 is listed in a volume called "General Record" in the Colorado River Exploration Company Series (94-43/II/5/6).

Box 5

II/10/1 Thomas A. Hull, proposed purchase of Hotel El Rancho. 1940-1942.

II/10/2 Reports, minutes, list of stockholders, map. 1941-1954.

II/10/3 George E. Franklin property in Las Vegas. 1959-1960.

II/10/4-5 General [financial] record. 1926-1953. Bound volumes placed on shelf after Box 5.

 

II/11. Ridgeview Estates Ltd. 1953-1978. 1 volume.

This series contains one general financial ledger. From the type of accounts listed in this volume, the company apparently owned various rental properties - apartments, a furniture company, and other commercial buildings in Las Vegas. One section lists capital investments of Walter and Martha Hunsaker. Bound volume placed on shelf after Box 5.

Manuscripts | Special Collections

Please direct questions to Jacquelyn Sundstrand
Updated July 4, 2008