Las Vegas Springs
The Las Vegas Springs were a natural oasis (also called "Cienega") in the Nevada desert for about 15,000 years and for a long time supplied the First Nations Americans living here with water. After the discovery of the place by Rafael Rivera , the Las Vegas Springs on the Old Spanish Trail called the trade route were an important stop, both for traders and for people who wanted to settle in western North America, including many Mormons . They are now part of the Las Vegas Springs Preserve and are considered the reason for the creation of the city of Las Vegas ("Birthplace of Las Vegas").
history
The first non-native to see the Las Vegas Springs was Rafael Rivera, who discovered the place in 1829 as a scout on an expedition; one of the Spanish expedition participants named the place Las Vegas ("the willows"). John C. Frémont and Kit Carson camped here alongside many other travelers .
Originally there were three springs that fed two large pools of water. From 1905 the springs supplied the developing city with water; but soon after the pipes were laid and the springs were directly tapped, the level of the pools sank. The steadily increasing demand for water forced the city to open “Well No. 1 ”to be drilled. In 1962 the water sources were finally overloaded.
In 1978, the springs and associated infrastructure were added to the National Register of Historic Places and marked with the Nevada Historical Marker 40.