Origin of Las Vegas

Origin of Las Vegas

This article relates to The Devil's Wind

The first person of European descent to discover the location that is now Las Vegas was a young Spanish scout named Rafael Rivera in the early 1700s. Spanish traders en route from Santa Fe to Pueblo de Los Angelos, traveling along the Spanish Trail, sought a route through the valley in the hope of cutting a few days off the journey, then known as the 'jornada de muerte' (journey of death).  When Rivera found a plentiful water supply, they renamed the valley 'Las Vegas' (The Meadows). Find out more at the Las Vegas City website.

Rayner's Bibliography

Fiction

• The Elephant (1993)
• Murder Book (1997)
• The Cloud Sketcher (2001)
• The Devil's Wind (2005)

Non-Fiction

• Los Angeles Without a Map (1989)
• The Blue Suit (1995)

Filed under People, Eras & Events

This "beyond the book article" relates to The Devil's Wind. It originally ran in March 2005 and has been updated for the January 2006 paperback edition. Go to magazine.