Editorial: City’s past deserves a yearly fete

Tuesday, April 22, 2003 | 8:54 a.m.

The beginning of Henderson was also a beginning of the end -- for the Axis powers of World War II. It all started with magnesium, lightweight and heat-resistant, exactly the chemical element the United States needed for aircraft and munitions. In 1941 the world's largest magnesium plant was built at the Basic Townsite in Midway City. In 1942 Midway City was renamed in honor of former U.S. Sen. Charles Henderson, D-Nev. As chairman of a federal agency created to assist Depression-era businesses, Henderson helped finance the federally owned magnesium plant. Managed first by Basic Magnesium Inc. and later by the Anaconda Copper Mining Co., the plant employed nearly 14,000 people and their efforts helped win the war.

Toward the end of the war, owing to the plant's voluminous production, demand for magnesium fell and Henderson's future was cast in doubt as workers were laid off. The state bought the plant in 1948 and recruited industries to share space there, reviving the city of Henderson and giving it a solid base from which to grow. For 55 years the Henderson Chamber of Commerce sponsored "Industrial Days" -- renamed "Heritage Days" in the mid-1990s -- to celebrate the city's history and foster community pride.

The chamber, however, has now withdrawn its sponsorship. Henderson is the nation's fastest-growing city and the state's second-largest, leaving the chamber little time for event planning. The chamber deserves a lot of credit for its efforts over the years. The question now is whether other community groups will keep this tradition going. We hope so -- it would be sad to see Heritage Days end. The city's growth is assured and remembrance of its past should be assured too.