LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Minerals played a major role in Nevada’s development, and some might say magnesium made Henderson.
On this day, Sept. 15 1941, Basic Magnesium broke ground on the plant that would lead to the city’s eventual incorporation. At the time, the lightweight metal was a key component in bombs, munitions and military aircraft.
As World War II waged on, both the United States and Great Britain faced a shortage. A company out of Ohio, Basic Refractories was already mining in northwestern Nye County.
So in June of ‘41, it teamed up with a British company to produce the magnesium everyone needed. They chose a site just south of Las Vegas based on easy access to the water in Lake Mead, and the power generated by Hoover Dam. The plant started producing magnesium even before construction was complete.
The first year of operation, it employed only 82 workers. Just a year later, more than 300 people worked for Basic Magnesium.
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