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In the early 1950s Howard Hughes acquired thousands of acres west of Las Vegas from the federal government, swapping with them property in five remote northern Nevada counties. Hughes’ petition to the Dept. of Interior said the land would be used for a new Hughes Aircraft facility, building radar and missile devices for the Armed Services. Though the deal was made, the facility was never built. The tract called Husite, one of the largest privately held parcels in Nevada, remained undeveloped for decades.

In the years after Hughes died, his company Summa Corporation, under leadership of William Lummis, gradually recast itself as a real estate developer, using the vast tracts of undeveloped land Hughes had amassed around Las Vegas. Their master-planned community built on Husite was announced in 1988. It would be named Summerlin, for Hughes’ paternal grandmother Jean Amelia Summerlin.

'52: Hughes acquires about 25,000 acres acres along the western rim of the Las Vegas valley from the federal government.

'87: City of Las Vegas annexes the first large tranche of Hughes land on the west side, and reclassifies that annexed area to PC – Planned Community District.

'88: Howard Hughes Corp unveils plans for Summerlin. Public planning and infrastructure investment began.

'90: The first homes and subdivisions opened, marking the official start of Summerlin as a community.

Detail from Street map of the city of Las Vegas & vicinity. "Shaded areas indicates Howard Hughes property as of 2/10/53." map000385, UNLV Special Collections & Archives.

Sources: Barrett, D.L. Empire: The Life, Legend, and Madness of Howard Hughes, 1979; Mead Dixon. Playing the Cards that Are Dealt: Mead Dixon, the Law and Casino Gaming; Schumacher, G. Howard Hughes: Power, Paranoia & Palace Intrigue, 2008. Photo: summerlin.com.