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Show 124 Nuwuvi: A Southern Paiute History improve these conditions on their own, and as long as the government refused to take action, the situation looked pretty hopeless. In the late 1930's funds from the government finally were available for an Indian rehabilitation program. E. A. Farrow, Superintendent of the Paiute Agency at Cedar City, who had general responsibility for the Las Vegas Colony, recommended a plan for rearranging and beautifying it. He proposed "making roads and streets, moving the houses onto regular lines, making a plaza in the center of the inhabited portion, constructing a bathing pool and planting trees." Water was to be supplied from flowing wells.8 Although the beautification proposal was in many ways a worthwhile idea, it was also a rather superficial method of dealing with the more basic problems of survival that confronted the Las Vegas Nuwuvi. A plaza, a bathing pool, and trees were unlikely to significantly benefit the Indians. The shortage of funds for any colony projects suggested that what funds there were should be used to create more definite and permanent benefits. The Commissioner of Indian Affairs suggested to Farrow that he substitute an irrigation reservoir for his beautification project. The reservoir would allow the Nuwuvi to grow vegetable gardens and thereby raise a portion of their food.9 A well was drilled, the reservoir was built, and ground was leveled for the gardens. The Nuwuvi were quite happy to finally be able to do something positive with their land. Kenneth Anderson, present Las Vegas Chairman, recalled that "There was plenty of water; we planted beans and other things. There were grapes, too. I was raised on beans. They planted cottonwoods by putting poles in the ground - a whole row." 10 It was obvious, however, that the physical condition of the colony still needed a lot of work. Roads and home repairs were especially needed. The beautification proposal which had originally been created by Farrow and Carl Henry of the Las Vegas Nuwuvi was kept under consideration in hopes that funds would come along. The Las Vegas Junior Chamber of Commerce involved themselves in the discussion by proposing that new housing, combined with a gateway sign, be built in order to attract tourists to the colony.11 Farrow responded that while new housing was a worthwhile idea if |