Trail evokes memories of past…

Kristen Peterson, Las Vegas Sun

Sunday, Aug. 20, 2006 | 7:44 a.m.

A small crowd loiters in front of the New Town Tavern on a hot weekday afternoon. When strangers approach, they scatter across the intersection of Jackson Avenue and F Street without saying a word. Eventually, they cross back to their regular haunt.

The tavern is all that remains of a commercial district that thrived in the 1940s and '50s.

Depending on which direction you walk, you're likely to be standing amid abandoned homes, neighborhoods littered with empty beer bottles, even the occasional drug deal.

But nestled in these dirt lots with boarded-up buildings that read "Keep Out" in spray paint are historical landmarks that fill out the Las Vegas story.

This particular chapter, packaged as the Pioneer Trail, is set in an area that has evolved differently from most of the rest of the Las Vegas Valley. So jarring is the comparison that the Pioneer Trail not only provides a look at our history, but a sobering glimpse at our present and future.

The trail begins at the Las Vegas Springs Preserve and ends at the Biltmore Village near Cashman Field. Along its six miles, it stops at some of the worst blight that Las Vegas has to offer.

"There still is a lot of work to be done," Las Vegas Councilman Lawrence Weekly says.

Improving the neglected areas is a matter of neighbors getting involved and taking ownership of their neighborhood, he says. But the Pioneer Trail is a step toward recognizing the area and its valuable history. Its map and signs were paid for using $365,650 that came from the sale of Bureau of Land Management land.

Jace Radke, spokesman for the city , says the trail is designed to recognize the history of the development of the city. "Some of those buildings and artifacts may no longer be there, but the sites themselves are still historic."

While much of what traditionally has been called West Las Vegas is undergoing neighborhood revitalization efforts, many of these landmarks stand on rough turf.

"It's true that we've lost so much," preservation advocate Dorothy Wright says. "There are limits to what the government can do and what private owners can do. The Moulin Rouge is a case study of some heartfelt attempts."