Why Are So Many Henderson Streets Named after Minerals?

We're moving to Las Vegas in the next few months and when we were looking around Henderson for property, we were surprised by how many streets are named after metals, minerals, rocks, and gemstones. Why is that?

Henderson was once home to the Three Kids Mine, a source of manganese for the military-industrial complex during World War I and the Korean War. The durability of manganese made it desirable for metal alloys. But the manganese vein played out by 1961 and both the mine and its custom-built mill were dismantled in 1962.

"There was also some mining of a few other non-precious minerals," says Las Vegas historian par excellence Eugene Moehring, "but they were relatively small operations."

Of course, Basic Magnesium was responsible for the town of Henderson coming into being in the early 1940s; the magnesium was mined in central Nevada, then shipped to and processed at Basic, which supplied more than 25% of all magnesium needed for the war effort. Other minerals were processed at Basic and city planners responsible for naming the streets took much of their inspiration from the metals at the plant. Magnesium, Tungsten, and Manganese streets were among the earliest. Of course, water was needed for all processes, which is probably why Water Street is the main downtown thoroughfare.

Other street names -- Zinc, Nickel, Lead, Silver, Gold, and Platinum -- are al metals mined somewhere in the state.

Streets named for precious stones -- Amethyst, Ruby, Turquoise, Jade, Sapphire, a number of Diamonds and several Emeralds -- are a variation on the Basic theme.

No part of this answer may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without the written permission of the publisher.

Have a question that hasn't been answered? Email us with your suggestion.

Missed a Question of the Day?

Have a Question?

Tomorrow's Question

Has Clark County ever considered legalizing prostitution?

Comments

Kevin Lewis Nov-01-2021

Company town

What was the main drag at the time was named "Basic" for the company that ran the town. This tradition continued a decade or so later, when all the major streets intersecting the Strip were named for the casinos that ran Vegas.

Now, we need Resort Fee Boulevard, State Highway 6:5, No Comps For You Avenue, and No Way Buffet Parkway, to keep this tradition alive. Remind us who's boss.

(And to commemorate what's "extracted" in Nevada these days, we need to have a Wallet Way and a Credit Card Court.)

Brent Peterson Nov-01-2021

Wheel

Three Kids Mine is more recently known for the Wheel of Misfortune. Basically, it's just graffiti. However, it's kinda cool.

Question of the Day - 01 November 2021

Comments