Viola Johnson
Dublin Core
Title
Viola Johnson
Subject
Source
Women in Nevada History: A Legacy Digital Project
Publisher
Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN)
Rights
This resource is available for education and research purposes. This collection is a collaboration and combination of various projects including, but not limited to; the Women in Nevada History: A Legacy Digital Project, the Nevada Women’s Archives, the Las Vegas Women Oral History Project and the Makers: Women in Nevada History Project, a co-production of the Women's Research Institute of Nevada and VegasPBS. The text, images, audio and video in this collection are under copyright by different repositories and may not be reproduced without express written consent of the appropriate entities.
Person Item Type Metadata
Work/Contribution
Housekeeping
Birth Date
October 12, 1921
Birthplace
Arrival in Las Vegas
1942
Interviewer
Date of Interview
March 12, 1996
Biographical Text
Viola Johnson, along with her baby daughter, left Fordyce, Arkansas in 1942 to join her parents in Las Vegas. Before coming to Las Vegas, Viola worked chopping cotton in Arkansas. Her mother was then working at the El Rancho Hotel as a maid, and her father worked at the Basic Magnesium plant in Henderson. After moving to Las Vegas, the family all lived together in a tent on Jackson Street in the Westside.
In 1943, Johnson married and she and her husband moved to a small house on Jackson Street. Soon after her marriage, she went to work at the Flamingo Hotel as a maid. She later left that position, and began working in the pantry at the Rivera. She eventually went to the International (now the Las Vegas Hilton) and worked in the pantry there, retiring after fourteen years.
She was very active in her church, singing in the choir, and teaching Sunday school. She passed away in 2004.
The interview provides information about labor conditions and the Culinary Union during the early years of the Las Vegas strip casino development.
In 1943, Johnson married and she and her husband moved to a small house on Jackson Street. Soon after her marriage, she went to work at the Flamingo Hotel as a maid. She later left that position, and began working in the pantry at the Rivera. She eventually went to the International (now the Las Vegas Hilton) and worked in the pantry there, retiring after fourteen years.
She was very active in her church, singing in the choir, and teaching Sunday school. She passed away in 2004.
The interview provides information about labor conditions and the Culinary Union during the early years of the Las Vegas strip casino development.
Collection
Citation
“Viola Johnson,” Makers Teaching Modules, accessed March 12, 2025, https://makersteachingmodules.sites.unlv.edu/items/show/64.