Henderson preserves its past with capsule

Dan Kulin

Saturday, June 7, 2003 | 3:54 a.m.

WEEKEND EDITION: June 7, 2003

Dozens of old photos and official documents, a teddy bear and a Mardi Gras mask -- all linked to Henderson's past and present -- will spend the next 50 years inside a titanium box that itself represents a piece of Henderson today.

The titanium time capsule, built by Henderson company Timet, will be sealed during a 7 p.m. ceremony at City Hall and won't be opened until 2053. It will be entombed inside a wall of the new City Hall addition within the next 30 to 60 days. To make sure the time capsule isn't lost, a commemorative seal will be put on the wall to mark the capsule's location.

City Councilman Andy Hafen said the time capsule will give future residents an interesting window on the city from 1953 to 2003. Pictures of places and people taken over the last 50 years are among the roughly 165 items going into the silver-colored box.

"I just hope I'm here when I'm 99 years old when they open it," Hafen said.

Colleen Bell, chairwoman of the time capsule committee and a former city clerk, said the items will hopefully show future residents how the city grew in its first 50 years.

"It's also important because you can't hardly know where you're going if you don't know where you're coming from," Bell said.

The 120-pound box, which looks a little like a shrunken chrome refrigerator, is roughly 40 inches tall, 21 inches wide and 18 inches deep.

A 16-member committee oversaw the time capsule project and solicited items for the capsule from politicians, community groups, Henderson schools and some local businesses. Every group that contributed items for the time capsule has at least one of its items going into it.

Pictures and official documents make up most of what will be locked away. For example, there's a picture of the city's first bank, school yearbooks, many schools and the Community College of Southern Nevada Henderson campus.

Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev., contributed a U.S. flag that was flown over the Capitol on the opening day of the 108th Congress.

The toy stuffed bear came from the Railroad Pass hotel, and the Mardi Gras mask commemorates an annual party at St. Rose Dominican Hospital.

The city is providing officials maps, a City Council meeting agenda, the City Charter, population and demographic information, and the Comprehensive Plan.

The time capsule itself also serves as a memento linked to the city. Timet, which donated the capsule, has been producing titanium products in Henderson since 1952, a year before Henderson became a city.

Titanium, an element known for its durability, is used in jet engines, medical implants and water treatment plants, and should be more than up to the challenge of protecting the items for 50 years.

"It won't rust. It will survive, the box will be fine," John Sanderson, Timet plant manager and a member of the time capsule committee, said.

An old-fashioned sock hop and ice cream social will follow tonight's time capsule closing ceremony outside City Hall.

Although this is Henderson's first time capsule, it won't be alone in the Las Vegas Valley.

Las Vegas buried a time capsule in 1973 under the sidewalk along the west side of City Hall. It is scheduled to be opened in 2073.