Henderson Homegrown: From 1954 to Now
Manage episode 355971844 series 3443111
Madeline Hinkell Vonderlinden's Las Vegas journey began when her family set out from the East Coast to Orange County, California in search of new opportunities. However, fate intervened when they stopped in Las Vegas, where they decided to build a new life in Henderson.
At 12 years old, Madeline was still adjusting to her new surroundings when her father passed away. As the oldest child, with her youngest sibling being only two months old, she encountered poverty and hardship. But a stroke of luck would help Madeline's mother build a life for she and her five children in Henderson.
Madeline remembers watching mushroom clouds erupt from atomic bomb tests over the Las Vegas skyline as a regular occurrence, and even part of local entertainment. She began working at the Nevada Test Site in 1961. It was there that she met and fell in love with her husband. New job opportunities took them all over the world, including Japan and then to the Yucca Mountain project.
Despite their globetrotting adventures, the couple eventually returned to their roots in Henderson, Nevada. Today, Madeline is happy to be back home, surrounded by family and some of the places she's enjoyed for decades.
Her stories bring to life some very notable moments in Las Vegas history, but also highlights the humble upbringings of life in Henderson, NV, a city that has grown to encompass what most know as the southern-most areas of the Las Vegas valley.
39 episodes