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- Unconfirmed, 'Missing in Action' -
Missing Since: Fall 1996
Directions:
According to the State Marker System, the location for this marker is:
"Located on West Charleston Avenue and Valley View Road in Las Vegas, Nevada."
N 36° 09.563 W 115° 11.523
Description:
According to the State Marker System, here is the exact description as reads:
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The famous Las Vegas Springs rose from the desert floor here, sending two streams of water across the valley to nurture the native grasses and create lush meadows in the valley near Sunrise Mountain. The water gushed forth with such force that a man could not sink in the Springs.
The natural oasis of meadow and mesquite forest was the winter homeland of Paiutes, who spent the summers in the Charleston Mountains.
An unknown Spanish-speaking sojourner, whether padre, trapper or trader, named Las Vegas "The Meadows," and marked it as such on a map of the Southwestern Desert.
Antonio Armijo stopped at the Springs in 1829-30, traveling a route which became known as the Old Spanish Trail. After 1830, the route was traveled by Spanish traders, emigrants and frontiersmen, who rested beside the Springs. On one of his western explorations trips, John C. Frémont camped here on May 3, 1844.
Because of artesian water here, Mormons established the Las Vegas Mission and Fort in 1855; the Valley became a huge cattle ranch from 1866 to 1904; and the San Pedro, Los Angeles, Salt Lake Railroad Company acquired water rights and land and created the City of Las Vegas in 1905.
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Status: Here is yet another unfortunate case deriving from Las Vegas. Marker #40 in particular is more than a classic case of another MIA. This is a marker that had many historical connections to all of southern Nevada; notably, #40 went hand-in-hand with just about every marker in Clark County, making mention of several references such as Antonio Armijo, the Old Spanish Trail, John C. Fremont, Mormon explorers, the Mormon Fort, and the Paiute Indians. This marker is a great loss to our system and many southern Nevadans who have robbed of such valuable history.
 The previous site of Marker #40.
As you can see, the LVVWD (Las Vegas Valley Water District) has erected a huge commemoration of the Las Vegas Meadows and Springs while poor Marker #40 has gone the way of the dodo.
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The beginning
Sit tight, boys and girls. This is long one ...
Perhaps no other intersection in Las Vegas has undergone more renovation than Charleston at Valley View Blvd. At the northeast corner of this intersection visitors will find the Las Vegas Valley Water District (LVVWD) Headquarters, the former site of #40 (as listed on several NDOT maps.) It is also important to note that this marker site is located only a 1/4 mile south of Las Vegas Meadows/Springs that has now sadly been replaced by a shopping mall. However, the city of Las Vegas began renovations on the intersection around 2002 along with the grounds of the LVVWD Headquarters. From my research, landscapers came in and started full renovation on the entire northeast corner after the intersection had been widened. During this "renovation" is when the marker most likely disappeared. Here's an ironic twist: in 2007 (five years after the marker's disappearance), the city of Las Vegas opened the new "Springs Preserve," a sight-seeing attraction and water park built around the real Las Vegas Spring. Clearly, Clark County seems to remember the roots of Las Vegas! What's even funnier is Nevada recently released a license plate in 2010 commemorating the Las Vegas Springs Preserve. Now I ask this ... What of the marker? We are hopeful that a replacement marker will be erected at this preserve in the near future. I say "replacement" because more chances than not the original #40 is gone for good. Are we getting comfy yet?
Finding information on Marker #40 is a difficult process. The employees at the LVVWD keep quiet to anyone who isn't a city/county/state official ... this means us marker hunters with begging questions. To be honest, I spent more time looking for this one than any other MIA in Clark County. In my quest, I searched parks, ponds, schools, fire stations, nearby museums or any other applicable location within a three square mile radius of the intersection and and found more frustation than anything. Furthermore, the Archives in Carson City has very little information that catalogs this marker. Before I close the book on this case, I advise much caution for any marker hunter who wishes to conduct a search of his own ... in particular, the grounds of the LVVWD Headquarters. The grounds of the building are heavily guarded and security patrols this place day and night. Yours truly nearly found himself in a bit of trouble when the security officer approached him on a visit. I pulled into the grounds and security saw me walk up to both office entrances (closed at the time with notebook in hand). I did a little scouring on the grounds while taking notes of my findings in the parking lot. I informed him as to who I was and how far I'd come to find Marker 40. It didn't matter. He very bluntly told me to leave without another word. He didn't even know that Las Vegas Spring existed. Typical.
 A dinky replacement plaque commemorating the Spring.
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Hunters: The Clark MIAs are a thorn in my side because they aren't a skip away from where I live. In short, I'm relying on you to keep me posted. This intersection is passed by thousands of people everyday and fewer than a dozen will likely ever know what the Las Vegas Springs represent (told by #40.) The Las Vegas Strip wastes water every second without acknowledging how important the Springs are to their very city. If you happen this way and somehow miraculously run into this marker, or have any information regarding it please
email me
so I can update this information or finding of it with full credit given to you! It is likely that officials at the LVWWD know some knowledge of this marker's disappearance, but trust me folks, they won't be talking any time soon. [40] was first erected around 1995 as a large "Standard" type marker that sat on the northeast corner of Charleston Blvd and Valley View Rd. The odds of it ever being erected or even found again is extremely slim. As the risk of sounding like the glass is half-empty, it may have already been destroyed. However, if it's one thing Nevada is good at saying, it is "never say die."
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