Ranger Don Bolton sits patiently at the front desk, waiting for a “paying customer” to walk through the doors of the Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort. Three Daughters of the Utah Pioneers arrive to clean its new visitors’ center as well as the oldest structure in all of Las Vegas, standing sturdily behind it.

Three narrow, adobe rooms are the only original remnant of a once-mighty fort built by 30 Mormon Missionaries in the burning heat of the summer of 1855. These brave, tired, thirsty Mormon Missionaries followed the old Spanish Trail through land where the Las Vegas Temple now stands, then made camp in the center of what is now Las Vegas, on the corner of Washington and Las Vegas Blvd. North.

Looking into the friendly eyes of the fort’s new ranger, one DUP volunteer introduces herself as a member of the 7th Ward, Las Vegas Stake. Bolton’s reaction is instantaneous.
He stands, extends his large hand in greeting, and says,
“What can I do to get more Latter-day Saints to their fort?”

Unlike Cove Fort in Southern Utah, the Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort is neither owned nor operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Instead, the State of Nevada graciously assumed the Fort as one of its 25 state parks. The fort’s spacious new visitors’ center, theater, and museum were built by taxpayer dollars, not tithing funds. Yet Mormons should treasure its heritage.

“Sin City” began as a bastion of safety and hospitality when those 30 missionaries (and a sprinkling of brave women) accepted a call from the pulpit in General Conference, April 6, 1855, by President Brigham Young, to come to this valley as its first “settlers,” and teach the gospel and farming techniques to the thousand or so native Paiute Indians here.

By June 15th, they were here and at work. Two and a half
weeks later, they had proudly designed and begun a fort and sewn themselves an American Flag to wave atop a hastily-constructed 30 foot pole. With great enthusiasm, these “strangers in a strange land” celebrated the first
Independence Day in Las Vegas, scrutinized by surprised, but not hostile Indians, and with no protection from the triple digit heat.

Today, does anybody care? The Old Mormon Fort State Park earned only a little over $4,000 in entrance fees last year. At a dollar a ticket for adults and free admission for anyone 12 or under, the old fort needs a lot of visitors to garner any money. This year, the need is greater. Facing a drastic loss in revenue but required by the state constitution to balance its budget, the Nevada State Legislature trimmed $1 million dollars from the state parks budget. That million dollars in operating revenue must be made up in increased visitors, especially to Valley of Fire, Spring Mountain Ranch, Laughlin’s Big Ben, and of course, the Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort—it’s official title.

“It costs the State of Nevada $18.10 for every visitor who comes to the Mormon Fort, but our revenue is only fifty cents per person because children are free,” said Russ Dapsauski, Regional Manager of Nevada State Parks. Would a donation of a few thousand dollars save the fort? “No,” says its new and young supervisor, Scott Egy. “It’s not about donations. In the long run, we need 2,000 more paying visitors to the fort.” All the state parks in the Las Vegas valley need more visitors to prove their value to the legislature, Egy emphasizes. “We have only until the end of
December, 2010, to make up the one million dollar shortage. If we don’t, we don’t know what is going to happen.”

Unfortunately, even unpaid visitor count to the fort is down. Situated conveniently in the City’s “cultural corridor” next to the Dinosaur Museum and Lied Discovery Museum, these three facilities have traditionally attracted grade school field trips. Now schools can’t afford the bus costs. “School field trips are down significantly since ’08 when our economy went downhill,” Egy says.

So, like the 30 Mormon Missionaries who heeded the call and left for “Los Vegas” on a week’s notice, 24 Mormon Stakes in our Las Vegas Valley today are hearing the rallying call. The LDS Public Affairs Committee for Las Vegas is inviting each stake to hold an activity at the fort this year, and the two Fort Rangers couldn’t be happier.

“We want to start doing more LDS youth activities in the evenings. Hosting dances at the fort, singles activities, firesides, candle making, pioneer activities, and tours,” says Egy. Already, 50 youth from one ward in the Tule Springs stake have scheduled an evening tour. But it’s been more than three years since any stake held a youth conference at the fort. Attendees remember dancing in early spring by the light and warmth of pit fires.

“Under the old fort management, this park became invisible.
Now we’re visible and trying to be more family-oriented.
These times are tougher than ever and we need all the help and support we can get,” Egy says. To that end, he and
Ranger Bolton have enthusiastically agreed to open the fort for nearly any event a stake or ward can envision, day or night. They will also reserve large areas of the fort for groups. Reserving space at the fort costs a bit more, however: $100 for any age group up to 100 and $150 for any group up to 200.

“Part of the charm of the fort is that it is completely different from anything else in Las Vegas and very ‘hands on,’” says fort enthusiast, Mara Meservy. “There’s nothing surreal about it in a town that’s largely surreal.”

Egy says the fort offers endless possibilities for children and adults. The Daughters of Utah Pioneers have agreed to help in conducting tours with a Mormon emphasis, and sharing its mini-centers for doll making, butter and scones, boat racing, scavenger hunting and story telling. If a group doesn’t require a reserved space, they are welcome to use the fort for as long as they want, indoors or outdoor, for the $1 per adult fee, as long as they aren’t using space another group has reserved. Egy says he hopes to see quilting bees, Cub Scout day camps, weddings, square dances, and concerts there.

Finally, the fort offers endless service opportunities. “There is tons of different work to do around here from cleaning and raking to weeding.” As long as dust and weeds are a part of our desert, the fort will have plenty to do. With its unique and peaceful aura, working at the fort is worth paying for. Egy said, “please let individuals, families and groups know we welcome their help anytime they want to donate a couple of hours of service to the fort—as long as they pay their $1 entrance fees for the privilege, of course!”
Regular fort hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 8 am to 4:30 pm. Call Supervisor Scott Egy at 486-3511 with any questions.