I read recently that the millennium time capsule associated with the former Texas Station has been recovered. I have a question for the people who are responsible for deciding what happens to it next: What is the plan?
This isn’t just an old box of casino memorabilia.
In 1999, Texas Station invited Las Vegans to leave messages for people living 1,000 years in the future. The capsule was intended to preserve photographs, videos, artifacts and personal messages from our community and was originally supposed to remain sealed until the year 3000.
Think about that for a minute. People in Las Vegas in 1999 were deliberately trying to communicate with people who wouldn’t exist for another thousand years. They were leaving behind a snapshot of who we were at the beginning of a new millennium.
Then Texas Station disappeared. The building was demolished. The property is being redeveloped. But apparently this little piece of Las Vegas history survived.
So what happens to it now? Will the contents be preserved? Will they be displayed publicly? Will historians, museums or archivists be given access to document them? Will the people whose messages were placed inside ever get to see them?
And perhaps most importantly: Who is responsible for making sure this piece of Las Vegas history doesn’t quietly disappear again?
We spend millions of dollars preserving famous buildings, neon signs and casino memorabilia. Surely we can find a proper home for a time capsule specifically created to tell future generations what Las Vegas was like at the turn of the millennium.
I’d like to know what the city of North Las Vegas, the developers of the former Texas Station property and whoever currently possesses the capsule intend to do with it. What is the plan for the Texas Station millennium time capsule?
Las Vegas has already lost enough of its history. Let’s not lose this one twice.
