Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort State Historic Park

The Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort consists of a low, square adobe enclosure that marks the first permanent non-Native settlement in the Las Vegas Valley. Established in eighteen fifty-five by thirty missionaries led by William Bringhurst, the site was chosen for its location along a spring-fed creek, the only reliable water source for travelers crossing the desert. The fort provided a critical way station for those moving along the Old Spanish Trail between Salt Lake City and Los Angeles.