AIS 102: Introduction to Asian American Studies: Library Guides

Your assignment is to locate Asian American entertainment in Las Vegas by conducting research in UNLV's Special Collections and Archives to understand how Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) have been a vital part of Las Vegas' entertainment scene historically and in the contemporary moment. This guide includes links to specific collections and resources that include AAPI entertainers.

Your final paper will provide a space for you to reflect upon your research in Special Collections and Archives, locate Asian America beyond dominant understandings, and discuss in relation to issues and topics covered in AIS 102. 

Here is a list of some of the shows and entertainers you may do research on in Special Collections and Archives.

Flower Drum Song

• MS-00268 Maury Stevens Papers (Box 1)
• MS-00180 Thunderbird Hotel Records (Box 6, Folders 1-3 & Box 7, Folders 1-5)

Holiday in Japan

• MS-00268 Maury Stevens Papers (Box 1)
• MS-00577 Larry Billman Papers (scrapbook and photographs from box 01)

Geisha Rella

• MS-00180 Thunderbird Hotel Records (Box 6, Folders 13-15)

China Doll Revue

• MS-00333 Las Vegas Show Programs (Box 1, Folder C)

Kim Sisters

• MS-00633 Kim Sisters Scrapbooks and Clippings (box 1)
• PH-00299 Kim Sisters Photographs (direct links to digitized photographs can be found in the inventory)
• An Interview with Sook-Ja Kim (PDF of oral history interview transcript)

Gia Mo

MS-00328 Dunes Hotel and Casino Records (Box 9, Folder 9)

Shimada

MS-00328 Dunes Hotel and Casino Records (Box 8, Folder 12)

Fabulous Las Vegas Magazine, 1955

Follow Me to Las Vegas Magazine, 1966-1967

• Issues of the magazine have also been digitized and can be found in the Special Collections and Archives Portal

Tomiyasu Family

The Tomiyasu farming and ranching business began in 1914 after Yonema “Bill” Tomiyasu bought forty acres of land in Las Vegas, Nevada. Tomiyasu migrated from Japan to California in 1898 and promptly began farming. He relocated to Las Vegas because of a California law that restricted immigrants from owning land for agricultural purposes. Tomiyasu originally grew  alfalfa due to how well it grows in dry climates. Within a few years, Tomiyasu became proficient in  farming the dry soil, becoming the lead supplier of melons, peppers, brussel sprouts, lettuce, cabbage, onions, carrots, radishes, and beets for Las Vegas stores and restaurants.

Tomiyasu married his wife, Toyono, in the late 1910s and they had two boys, Nanyu and Kiyo, and two girls, Uwamie and Mamie, “Mimi.” Throughout the 1920s the Tomiyasu business expanded, and became the largest produce supplier for Hoover Dam workers.  During those years, the Six Companies Inc. operated a store near the Hoover Dam project in Boulder City, Nevada, which the Tomiyasu farm regularly supplied with fruits and vegetables. Tomiyasu eventually purchased an additional 120 acres for farming and ranching in the 1930s. In addition to farming, the Tomiyasu family raised chickens and turkeys. By 1940, Tomiyasu supplied produce not only to the residents of Las Vegas and Boulder City, but also to Beatty, Jean, Goodsprings, and Sloan, Nevada. 

Although Tomiyasu taught his children the farming business, they all attended college in pursuit of different careers. While Tomiyasu remained in horticulture the rest of his life, but following World War II, he primarily grew landscaping plants. Tomiyasu later lost his land due to a misunderstanding in a loan contract. Despite the loss of land, Tomiyasu continued to manage a plant nursery until his death in 1969. The city of Las Vegas commemorated Tomiyasu in the late 1980s by naming an elementary school and a street after him. 

• PH-00294 Tomiyasu Family Photograph Collection (direct links to digitized photographs can be found in the inventory)

Videos

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