Ever wondered how Las Vegans in the early 1900s traveled, washed their clothes, bought their groceries or spent their Friday nights? You’ll soon get to experience life as they lived it, at forthcoming Springs Preserve addition Boomtown 1905. The interactive streetscape aims to “transport our guests back to the era of Las Vegas as a burgeoning railroad town,” according to a brief statement provided by the Preserve.
Plans on its website further reveal Boomtown to become an immersive, hands-on, life-size exhibit that presents and contextualizes the stories of Las Vegas’ beginnings and its citizenry; explains the importance of water to both the city and the steam-powered trains that once chugged through the Valley; and fully preserves four former Downtown railroad cottages built in 1910.
Across the cottages—with at least one serving as a furnished, walk-through exhibit—will sit four replica businesses: the Lincoln Hotel, the Las Vegas Mercantile store, the Arizona Club bar and the First State Bank, the only one patrons won’t be able to enter. The outdoor Majestic Theatre—built to host screenings and presentations—will sit in the middle of the aforementioned buildings. And at the end of the faux-dirt road will lie a likeness of the original 1906 train station, where a “trackless” train will deliver guests and simulate the post-turn of the century railroad experience.
A Springs Preserve rep says that while construction on the buildings is finished, work on refurbishing the cottages and interactive/interpretative exhibits continues. Boomtown 1905 is slated to open in February. Additionally, the Springs Preserve website reveals another attraction due in 2017: the Waterworks Museum, an interactive exploration of how water is treated, distributed, used and conserved in Southern Nevada. Springs Preserve is owned and run by the Las Vegas Valley Water District.