The Oldest Structure In Las Vegas

Photo Courtesy of Nevada State Parks

Las Vegas loves to build and tear down to keep things fresh so we wanted to find out what the oldest structure in Las Vegas is. After doing some research we can’t say we're super surprised to find out that it’s the Old Mormon Fort.

The Fort was built in 1855 by a group of 30 Latter-Day Saints who made the 35-day trek (yes you read that correctly) to Las Vegas from Salt Lake City. The Fort was the first permanent settlement in southern Nevada. A 14-foot tall and 150-foot long wall on all four sides surrounded the Old Mormon Fort. The wall wasn’t necessarily built to protect them from the local Paiute but mainly built to keep the livestock in.

What’s interesting is the Mormons abandoned the settlement only 3 years later in 1858. Those massive walls eventually came down except for a portion of the eastern wall, which remains today. Over time the Fort was used as a store by travelers, as a ranch, a railroad stop, and even played a part in the construction of the Hoover Dam when the Bureau of Reclamation leased the adobe building and used it as a concrete testing lab.

Today you can still visit the Old Mormon Fort which is located at 500 E Washington Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89101. It’s worth a trip for all you history and architecture lovers.