Moapa River Paiute Indian Reservation

In 1913, Harry Hess and his wife, Edna, traveled from Pullman, Washington to the Moapa River Paiute Indian Reservation northeast of Las Vegas where Harry had received a civil service commission to be teacher at the reservation school. The couple lived in a cottage next door to the school for five years, and took a keen interest in the students and their lives. Harry was an amateur photographer and snapped photos of the children, their families, and scenes around the Moapa Valley. The couple, whose daughters Helen and Marjorie were born in Las Vegas, left Nevada in 1918 for Los Angeles. The photos Harry took have survived nearly 100 years, and were recently donated to the Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas by their granddaughter, Susanne Tisdall. The Hess Collection provides a rare and unique glimpse of Southern Nevada’s native Paiutes in the early 20th century.

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