Editorial: Remembering our past never ends

Thursday, Dec. 29, 2005 | 8:19 a.m.

Las Vegas' yearlong centennial celebration is near its end, but we are glad to see that one of the funding sources for this commemoration will live on. Specifically, the sale of the black and white commemorative license plates will continue, and the proceeds will be used for projects to preserve the city's history.

As the Sun's Dan Kulin reported Tuesday, this could mean that historic preservation projects could receive millions of dollars in the coming years. Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman said the funds likely will be put toward assisting larger projects, which still will need help from other sources, along with smaller projects, such as historical markers and signs.

In recent years we have been pleased with the efforts to preserve our past, including important structures, such as the historic downtown post office and the relocation of some of the cottages in the downtown area that date from Las Vegas' early days as a railroad town.

Las Vegas is a relatively young city -- at least among major metropolitan areas -- and is so forward-looking that sometimes it is easy for residents to forget our history. But it is important for our cultural heritage to preserve the parts of our past that should be forever linked to the present and our future.