Gamble in the Desert: The Mormon Mission in Las Vegas (1855-1857) - Fred E. Woods - Hardcover

Till now, few have known the story of the remarkable but short-lived effort by a band of hardy Latter-day Saints to make a permanent settlement at the Las Vegas springs, a vital water source on the Spanish Trail. During its history, the Vegas has served the needs of Native Americans, Mexican traders, American military explorers, California-bound gold seekers, Mormon colonizers, and for more than a century, residents of the town that bears its name - Las Vegas. The author brings into focus the story of one of those groups, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as the Mormons. For a few short years in the 1850s, the great colonizer and church leader Brigham Young, to use the author's metaphor, took a gamble at colonizing the Las Vegas site. His hope and purpose included a mission to Native Americans and the development of a potentially important lead mining enterprise. A Gamble in the Desert follows the trials and challenges of the pioneers who tried to accomplish these twin objectives, a remarkable story that has remained in relative obscurity until this year (2005) which marks the centennial anniversary of Las Vegas and the sesquicentennial of the Mormon mission.Woods, Fred E. is the author of 'Gamble in the Desert: The Mormon Mission in Las Vegas (1855-1857) - Fred E. Woods - Hardcover' with ISBN 9780976953203 and ISBN 097695320X.