Stewart, Helen Jane Wiser, 1854-1926

Helen Jane Wiser Stewart married Archibald Stewart in 1873. The Stewarts moved to Pioche, Nevada where Archibald operated a freighting business during Pioche's boom years. In 1882 the Stewarts and their three children moved to the Las Vegas Ranch after obtaining ownership through a default on a loan Archibald Stewart had made to the ranch's owner, O.D. Gass. The Stewarts ran the ranch as a farm and way station for travelers. In 1884, tragedy struck when Archibald was killed at the neighboring Kiel Ranch. her father, Hiram Wiser, took over operation of the ranch. Her father, Hiram Wiser, took over operation of the ranch. For twenty years Helen Stewart was a part of the social, political, and business life of early Las Vegas. She was an early member of the Mesquite Club; she became an authority on state history and developed an extensive collection of Indian baskets. She was the first woman elected to the Clark County School Board. In March, 1926, Helen Stewart died of cancer. Businesses in Las Vegas closed for the day of her funeral and people came from all areas of the state to attend the funeral of the woman who has been described as "The first lady of Las Vegas".

Helen Jane Wiser Stewart came to southern Nevada in 1882 where her husband, Archibald Stewart, had taken over the former Gass Ranch; renamed the Stewart Ranch, also known as the Las Vegas Ranch, Helen and Archibald Stewart managed a productive farm and offered their tree shaded springs as an oasis for travelers, miners, cattlemen, and others passing through the valley; after her husband died in 1884, she continued running the ranch until 1902.