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Community members gather during the Las Vegas Gay Pride Parade at Sunset Park, circa 1999.
Dennis McBride Photograph Collection, approximately 1900-2018. PH-00263. Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.

Sunset Park

2601 E Sunset Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89120

Named as Las Vegas’s first regional park in 1967

Originally known as Houssels Ranch, Sunset Park is a historic desert sanctuary originally home to the Southern Paiute (Nuwuvi). The park is sustained by natural underground water, which nourishes a vibrant oasis amid the Nevada desert landscape. In 1914, Japanese farmer Bill Tomiyasu founded a farm adjacent to Sunset Park, which shared the same groundwater. His pioneering irrigation methods provided essential food for both Hoover Dam laborers and soldiers during World War II.

Sunset Park is now home to several Clark County government agencies, including the Clark County Parks and Recreation Administrative Offices. The park hosts events such as Pride marches and annual Renaissance fairs, serving as a gathering place for the local community.

Related People:

• Bill Tomiyasu, 1882-1969
  • Yonema “Bill” Tomiyasu was a pioneering Japanese immigrant and early Las Vegas farmer who helped shape agriculture in Southern Nevada. After immigrating from Japan in 1898, he moved to Las Vegas in 1914 and purchased 40 acres of land where he developed innovative farming methods able to withstand the harsh Nevada desert. His ranch became an important source of fresh vegetables, poultry, and produce, supplying local businesses, the Nellis Gunnery School (now the Nellis Air Force Base), and workers building Hoover Dam. His former ranch is located on Pecos and Sunset.

Learn More:

• https://www.clarkcountynv.gov/government/departments/parks___recreation/services/area_reservations/sunset-park-webpage
• https://www.clarkcountynv.gov/adobe/assets/urn:aaid:aem:6ff1b177-5ef5-4034-abc5-bb372bfbb52d/original/as/tomiyasu-ranch.pdf

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Indigenous laborers at the Tomiyasu Ranch, east of present-day Sunset Park, circa 1920s.
Tomiyasu Family Photograph Collection, 1908-1991. PH-00294. Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.

For questions or comments, please reach out to the Clark County Museum at ccmuseum@clarkcountynv.gov.