2.1.1998, North Las Vegas, Clark County
Hahns Surplus, located east on Lake Mead Blvd in North Las Vegas, is a store which deals mainly in outdoor equipement. Here everybody can find the right tools for all kinds of purposes - when we were here for the first time the place was packed with construction workers getting warm clothes for the unusually cold weather. If yo are the hardcore survival freak this is the place to buy the freezedried foodpacks for those long desert hiking tours, and if your planning to mine some rough rocks for those little gold nuggets, the heavier gear is in the backyard. It is also the headquarter for the little company that is looking for an underground canyon which was found by Earl P. Dorr in the 30's. It is told to contain an stalactite of over 1500 feet length (ca. 500m) and its banks are supposed to be packed with gold.
Larry, a very helpful and friendly associate, was so kind to comment on the modern mining activities in Nevada. It seems that most of these undertakings are keeping a low profile due to disputes between the miners and the environmentalists in the area. Big scale mining always involves disturbing the ecological balance due to the chemicals involved and the large areas that are dug up. Also the smaller operations require the use of explosives and machinery, but as Larry points out "What you cant grow you gotta mine". What has changed though is the ore which being mined: Not the gold in the earth is what is so precious but the dollars in the pockets of potential tourists... Last year about 32 million people visited Las Vegas, all in search for the quick buck and a cheap meal in one of the numerous buffets in the casino. These buffets are also one of the magnets for the many retirees coming to Las Vegas to from all over the world - they are one reason for the booming athmosphere in the area. When Larry came here in 1947 there were 25000 people living in the valley, now the population has reached 1,2 million.
Larry still regrets that he didnt buy land back in the day. But nobody thought it would be like it is, and as he says "it wasnt like anybody had a sixth sense or something like that, it just happend and some were lucky". On the other hand he thinks it would be very important for Las Vegas to find another source of income aside from over 100 casinos and the connected entertainment establishments. Maybe just a different kind of tourism, something like the Grand Canyon in Arizona or Death Valley in California. He says the city just has to outgrow its onesided gaming image and turn into a stable community which isnt totally dependent on the income and spending power of gambling tourists.

<__b.a.c.k.______