Whether for business or pleasure, the Holiday Inn Henderson/E Las Vegas hotel is your personal oasis. Savor sophisticated accommodations with everything you need from high-speed Internet access , 24-hour business center, 32" flat screen television with Direct TV, to a microwave and refrigerator in every room. For a real treat, try our extra spacious suites, equipped with whirlpool tub ...more
Before the existence of Lake Mead, Lake Mohave, and Hoover Dam, the area encompassing the one and a half million acres of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area was occupied by early desert Indian cultures, adventurous explorers, ambitious pioneers looking for cheap land and religious freedom, and prospectors seeking riches.
Based on archaeological evidence, several Native American cultures have been identified as having existed 8,000 to 10,000 years ago in an environment wetter and cooler than it is today. These cultures hunted game, gathered local edible plants and practiced farming. In a cave near present-day Lake Mead, the remains of large mammals were discovered by archaeologist Mark R.Harrington and paleontologist James Thurston including: ground sloth, horse, camel and mountain sheep . Notches found on the bones of animals located in that primitive dwelling show evidence that they were prepared and eaten by humans.
The reservoir created by the damming of the Colorado River became Lake Mead, named after Elwood Mead, the Bureau of Reclamation commissioner at the time. The newly formed lake drew thousands of visitors to this wondrous contrast of desert and water. Lake Mead National Recreation Area became the first national recreation area in 1964. Today, millions of visitors each year come to enjoy the many recreational opportunities found within the park's diverse landscape.
Explore the exhibits to see how plants and animals survive out there, how to read the stories in rocks and mountains, and how the landscape has changed over the ages. Gather around the relief map to see how vast Lake Mead is and to learn about the land before Hoover Dam was built.
