page_title: Mesquite, Nevada
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Mesquite, Nevada / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Residence of Franklin S. Leavitt, Mesquite, Nevada. Franklin Samuel Leavitt, b. 1867, was the son of Dudley and Maria (Huntsman) Leavitt. He built this brick home in Mesquite. 9.4 in. x 7.5 in. Courtesy of the J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah.
context_page_description: Mesquite is a U.S. city in Clark County, Nevada, adjacent to the Arizona state line and 80 miles northeast of Las Vegas on Interstate 15. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 15,276. The city is located in the Virgin River valley adjacent to the Virgin Mountains in the northeastern part of the Mojave Desert. It is home to a growing retirement community, as well as several casino resorts and golf courses.
context_section_description: Mesquite was settled by Mormon pioneers in 1880, who called it Mesquite Flat. The community was finally established on the third attempt after having been flooded out from the waters of the Virgin River. The name was later shortened to Mesquite, and the city was incorporated 1984. The community was named for the mesquite timber near the original town site. Mesquite, like nearby Bunkerville, had its origins in farming. The Peppermill Mesquite casino, which opened in the 1970s, drove Mesquite's diversified economy.  The city incorporated in 1984 and established a master development plan during the early 1990s. In the mid-1990s, more casinos opened. By 2006, Mesquite was one of the fastest-growing small towns in the United States, though the late-2000s recession led to the closure of the Oasis (formerly the Peppermill) casino.
caption: Home of Mormon pioneer Franklin S. Leavitt, c. 1900
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