Eldorado Valley timeline

Saturday, Aug. 2, 1997 | 3:32 a.m.

1957: State Legislature creates Eldorado Valley Advisory Group to advise and assist the Colorado River Commission, which was designated in state and federal legislation to purchase acreage from the government and sell it for development in the best interests of Nevada.

1958: Boulder City Council explores possibility of purchasing some of the land. Clark County offers to buy the land. Meantime, Sen. Molly Malone foresees a nuclear industry development "so large none of us can even dream of its vastness."

1959: NASA envisions a rocket research plant, with 2,000 employees.

1960: Three Southern Californians, claiming to be the "finest group of developers ever put together," form the Eldorado Valley Development Corp. They "selected" the new municipality of Boulder City as being "ideal for a perfectly planned, ideally located city of the future," with 40,000 people.

1965: The EVAG studies four development proposals. One would make the Eldorado Valley the "hub of a new industrial empire" and a city of 50,000 or more. Another would make it the site of a "new, revolutionary movie-making industry."

1969: A plan is drawn up calling for extensive residential use of the land with industry as a base. The hub would be an expanded Boulder City Airport, which could handle traffic from overloaded McCarran International Airport.

1972: The dry lake is considered as the replacement site for McCarran when the airport becomes obsolete after 1985.

1973: Calling it the "Garden of Eden," a Hawaiian land promoter fraudulently sells real estate in valley. One customer put $16,000 down, flew in from Hawaii and rented a helicopter to view "his" 4,480-acre property.

1974: The Boulder City Development Commission recommends that the City Council purchase a section of the Eldorado Valley in order to control future growth there.

1979: Boulder City passes controlled-growth ordinance.

1981: The CRC turns down Clark County proposal to buy 11,000 acres. EVAG proposes state acquire all 115,000 acres, but the legislation dies in a conference committee tangle between the Senate and Assembly.

1982: After some controversy, Tungsten Carbide Manufacturing builds a plant to produce drill bits.

1986: Aerojet General proposes a rocket-engine testing facility on a 45,000-acre parcel. Del Webb looks to build a 3,000-home Sun City senior community.

1987: A bullet-manufacturing company causes a stir by wanting to take over the site formerly occupied by Tungsten Carbide. It was approved the next year. Today it's called Eldorado Cartridge.

1990: With the CRC behind it, Boulder City pursues purchase of Eldorado Valley in effort to control its future.

1991: The state Legislative Commission approves the sale.

1995: The federal government signs the land over to the CRC, which transfers it over to Boulder City, which becomes the largest city in Nevada. The original 1958 appraisal was used to determine the price, $1.23 million.

1996: City Council approves landfill, starting a year-long controversy.

1997: City Council approves power plant. Two council members lose seats in election, including Mayor Erik Lundgaard. The new City Council withdraws landfill permit, with Councilman Bryan Nix concluding: "We're not going to put a landfill out there ever. We are not going to industrialize or further develop the Eldorado Valley."

Sources: Boulder City News, Las Vegas SUN