Las Vegas Mormon Fort established at a desert spring oasis

The Las Vegas Mormon Fort State Historic Park marks the site of the mid-19th century Mormon settlement built around a natural artesian spring that created an unusual freshwater oasis in the Mojave Desert. That spring enabled the first permanent non-indigenous settlement in the valley and is the origin point for the city's early geographic significance. The park preserves the fort site and interprets how the spring shaped early Las Vegas geography and settlement patterns.