I finally got to visit Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort in November of 2025. Thankfully, we went in the morning before the rain and flooding started.
In 1855, the fort was the first non-native permanent settlement in what would become Las Vegas. President Brigham Young sent a group of Mormons to convert the local tribes and teach them farming. Taking advantage of a spring-fed creek, they built an adobe structure. They planted an orchard and became a way station for travelers on the Old Spanish Trail.
During the Civil War, it was known as Fort Baker and housed a small detachment of US troops. Octavius Grass had the fort in 1865, renaming it Los Vegas Rancho. In 1881, he defaulted on the loan, and Archibald and Helen Stewart took over. Helen became known as “the first lady of Las Vegas” and was important in social, political, and business circles.
In 1884, Archibald was murdered at the nearby Kiel (Kyle) ranch. Helen went to court to legally secure half of the ranch (the other half went to their children) and took over its management. A small stack of adobe bricks is all that remains of the Stewarts’ house.
Mormon Fort is now a state park. It is open Tuesday through Saturday. The original adobe structure has been rebuilt, and the park includes recreated fort walls, a gate, a tower, and a museum.
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