{"id":{"repo_id":"unlv","oai_identifier":"oai:oasis.library.unlv.edu:rtds-1269"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/unlv/oai:oasis.library.unlv.edu:rtds-1269","repository":{"repo_id":"unlv","name":"University of Nevada - Las Vegas","base_url":"https://oasis.library.unlv.edu/do/oai/"},"display":{"title":"From the Civil Law Doctrine to the reasonable use theory and from the frontier thesis to community action: Flood control in Las Vegas, Nevada, 1905-1976","abstract":"Flood control has long been a major problem for southwestern boom towns, and Las Vegas was no exception. From its birth in 1905 until the mid 1970s, the \"Civil Law Doctrine\" was the legal concept used by courts and residents to settle disputes over drainage problems; This paper will argue that the court's decision to change the guiding legal principle from the Civil Law Doctrine to the Reasonable Use Rule in Nevada ended the frontier viewpoint of individualism and replaced it with a new spirit of communal action. The legal revolution, along with a series of events tied to the valley's mushrooming urbanization energized the long dormant Las Vegas Valley Flood Control District which quickly won support in 1986 for implementing the flood control agenda. While emphasizing the legal dimension the paper will place the court ruling within the context of the city's urban sprawl and the growing political sentiment favoring flood control. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).","abstract_html":"Flood control has long been a major problem for southwestern boom towns, and Las Vegas was no exception. From its birth in 1905 until the mid 1970s, the "Civil Law Doctrine" was the legal concept used by courts and residents to settle disputes over drainage problems; This paper will argue that the court's decision to change the guiding legal principle from the Civil Law Doctrine to the Reasonable Use Rule in Nevada ended the frontier viewpoint of individualism and replaced it with a new spirit of communal action. The legal revolution, along with a series of events tied to the valley's mushrooming urbanization energized the long dormant Las Vegas Valley Flood Control District which quickly won support in 1986 for implementing the flood control agenda. While emphasizing the legal dimension the paper will place the court ruling within the context of the city's urban sprawl and the growing political sentiment favoring flood control. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Scholl, James L"],"institution":"University of Nevada, Las Vegas","degree_name":"Master of Arts (MA)","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"History","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Jay Coughtry"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":1993,"date_issued":"1993-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"1993-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:24:15Z","subjects":[],"languages":["English"],"rights":["IN COPYRIGHT. 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From its birth in 1905 until the mid 1970s, the \"Civil Law Doctrine\" was the legal concept used by courts and residents to settle disputes over drainage problems; This paper will argue that the court's decision to change the guiding legal principle from the Civil Law Doctrine to the Reasonable Use Rule in Nevada ended the frontier viewpoint of individualism and replaced it with a new spirit of communal action. The legal revolution, along with a series of events tied to the valley's mushrooming urbanization energized the long dormant Las Vegas Valley Flood Control District which quickly won support in 1986 for implementing the flood control agenda. While emphasizing the legal dimension the paper will place the court ruling within the context of the city's urban sprawl and the growing political sentiment favoring flood control. 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The legal revolution, along with a series of events tied to the valley's mushrooming urbanization energized the long dormant Las Vegas Valley Flood Control District which quickly won support in 1986 for implementing the flood control agenda. While emphasizing the legal dimension the paper will place the court ruling within the context of the city's urban sprawl and the growing political sentiment favoring flood control. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)."],"dc:format":["pdf"],"dc:identifier":["10.25669/425n-m7k7","https://oasis.library.unlv.edu/rtds/270","https://oasis.library.unlv.edu/context/rtds/article/1269/viewcontent/uc.pdf"],"dc:language":["English"],"dc:publisher":["University of Nevada, Las Vegas"],"dc:rights":["IN COPYRIGHT. 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