Formed in 1911 as a literary club for women, the Mesquite Club quickly became a force for community improvement in the railroad town of Las Vegas. The name, suggested by an early settler of the area, Helen J. Stewart, emphasized the hardiness and usefulness of a tree native to the area. The women of the club began immediately to enhance the appearance of the raw new town constructed on the Southern Nevada desert. They decided to add trees along the dusty streets, building on Las Vegas' history as a shady oasis for travelers along the Old Spanish Trail.