Essie Shelton Jacobs
Dublin Core
Title
Essie Shelton Jacobs
Subject
Source
Women in Nevada History: A Legacy Digital Project
Publisher
Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN)
Rights
This resource is available for education and research purposes. This collection is a collaboration and combination of various projects including, but not limited to; the Women in Nevada History: A Legacy Digital Project, the Nevada Women’s Archives, the Las Vegas Women Oral History Project and the Makers: Women in Nevada History Project, a co-production of the Women's Research Institute of Nevada and VegasPBS. The text, images, audio and video in this collection are under copyright by different repositories and may not be reproduced without express written consent of the appropriate entities.
Person Item Type Metadata
Work/Contribution
Labor leader in the Cullinary Union (HERE)
Birth Date
March 21, 1937
Birthplace
Arrival in Las Vegas
1963
Interviewer
Date of Interview
February 1, 1996
Biographical Text
Essie Shelton Jacobs followed all of her siblings to Las Vegas from Fordyce, Arkansas. Her husband moved first, with the plan of the then-pregnant Essie to wait until she gave birth to make the four-day trip by car to Las Vegas. She could not wait and arranged her own transportation, surprising her husband in Las Vegas.
She soon went to work at the Tally-Ho casino. Later, when it was rebuilt into the Aladdin Hotel she continued to work there, spending twenty-three years in housekeeping there. She became a supervisor and shop steward for the Culinary Union Local 226.
She raised her eight children as a single parent after the murder of her husband, relying on the Westside community, her church, and family for help.
In her interview, she describes the development of the Culinary Union, its leadership, and where she sees it going. She also talks about the nightlife of the Westside and the development of the Las Vegas Strip.
She soon went to work at the Tally-Ho casino. Later, when it was rebuilt into the Aladdin Hotel she continued to work there, spending twenty-three years in housekeeping there. She became a supervisor and shop steward for the Culinary Union Local 226.
She raised her eight children as a single parent after the murder of her husband, relying on the Westside community, her church, and family for help.
In her interview, she describes the development of the Culinary Union, its leadership, and where she sees it going. She also talks about the nightlife of the Westside and the development of the Las Vegas Strip.
Collection
Citation
“Essie Shelton Jacobs,” Makers Teaching Modules, accessed October 5, 2026, https://mail.makersteachingmodules.sites.unlv.edu/items/show/59.