Copyright University of Nevada Oral History Program 2002
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| Well, I never had any dealings
with Mr. Ely directly. We were good friends,
and I felt that he was doing the job the best
anybody could do. There was some criticism,
of course, and I think we still have that same
criticism now with our city officials. But it
was time for a sternness. Probably 90 percent
of the people that were here in Boulder City
at that time never caused any trouble, but there
were a group that were always in bad. And when
the Wobblies [Industrial Workers of the World]
got in here and tried to get a strike going,
there was plenty of trouble. Mr. Ely was very
strict about those things. He had a good set
of rangers who took care of the job and did
the work. Of course, that was one reason that
the government decided to move everybody out
who wasn’t employed at that time. But
I would say from my experience that the criticism
was unjust about Mr. Ely. |
Bob Parker: Well, on Sims
Ely. . .he was the full authority, no
way you could back him down. Now, we had
a man that came in here from Texas by
the name of Clarence Newlands, who build
the Green Hut- -one of the first restaurants
in Boulder City. And he brought a colored
cook in here from Texas- -an old colored
cook. See, there wasn’t any colored
people in Boulder City. Sims Ely called
him in there and he said, “You get
rid of that colored cook. I have had too
many complaints about that colored cook.”
And Clarence Newlands said, “Mr.
Ely, how much money you got?”
Sims Ely said, “What difference
does it make how much money I got?”
And Clarence Newlands says, “If
you’ve got $80,000, my Green Hut
is yours tomorrow. And you can hire who
you want to. But as long as I own the
Green Hut, you’re not telling me
who to hire.” He kept his colored
cook. He supported the colored cook. .
. . Sims Ely tried to bluff Clarence Newlands,
and it didn’t work. |
Guy Rocha: I think
what might have been the most controversial
aspect of living on the project
was the nature of the government
of Boulder City. The administration
of a man by the name of Sims Ely
incurred many conflicting points
of view. [See end note] I want to
start with Erma Godbey, if she would
address the kind of life one led
under the administration of Sims
Ely.
Erma Godbey: Well, Sims Ely was
just like a dictator. The thing
with Sims Ely. . .if anybody wrote
in about him, the powers that be
never did get the message. His son
was in the Department of the Interior,
and everything had to go through
him that came from Boulder City.
So if anybody wrote in any complaints,
why, it never got any further.
Now, we had a ranch for a long time,
and Sims Ely didn’t want us
to have the ranch because cows and
horses made flies, and they would
come to Boulder City. And one time
our cow got up in Boulder City,
and it got put in the police impound.
[audience chuckling] Sims called
Tom, and he said, “Get that
cow out of here right now.”
Tom went up to get it out, and by
that time the kids were out of school.
They were all over looking at the
cow and talking to it and saying
nice things to it, and then Sims
came out, and he said, “Mr.
Godbey, you wait until the children
go back into school; they’re
all enjoying watching the cow.”
[laughter] |
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