Las Vegas’ Decatur Boulevard’s history pulls from the Navy

Nearly 25 miles long, Decatur Boulevard is a major staple for Las Vegas commuters traveling north-south in the city. Nestled in the west, it crosses the Las Vegas Beltway twice and is divided by U.S. Highway 95. The boulevard, running from West Cactus Avenue and past Iron Mountain Road, provides access to hundreds of businesses, half a dozen parks or community centers, a college campus and an airport.

The street's roots are equally deep . The boulevard was named for Decatur, Ill., which honors naval war hero Stephen Decatur Jr.

In the 1930s, Leonard Frechette moved to Las Vegas and worked for the Union Pacific Railroad, according to Mark Hall-Patton's book "Asphalt Memories." Frechette and his wife lived on Vegas Drive at the corner of what is now Decatur Boulevard and were one of two families on the street.

"The Carrs were not interested in naming the street, so Frechette did," according to Hall-Patton's street history book.

Frechette lived there until 1977, when he moved to California. His home was difficult to tear down after it was sold, as it was made of railroad ties, Hall-Patton wrote.

Details on whether Frechette had any connections to Decatur, Ill., are not included in the brief history of how the street was named.

Decatur, Ill., a town about 46 square miles, is three hours south of Chicago and two hours northeast of St. Louis by car. About 75,000 people lived there in 2010, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The town was also the first Illinois home of Abraham Lincoln, who settled just west of Decatur in 1830 with his family.

Stephen Decatur Jr., of Maryland, joined the Navy as a midshipman in 1798. He was promoted to lieutenant the following year.

In 1803, he commanded the vessel Enterprise and captured the enemy ship Mastico, according to his U.S. Navy biography.

It was taken into the U.S. Navy under the name Intrepid. Decatur then used it for an 1804 night raid of Tripoli harbor, destroying a former U.S. ship that had been captured.

The successful operation made Decatur "an immediate national hero," according to the Naval Historical Center. He later became a captain and led dozens of other missions over the next eight years, including the capture of the British ship Macedonian in 1812. He persuaded Algiers, Tunis and Tripoli to sign peace treaties in 1815. Five years later, he died of injuries from a duel with a brother officer. The U.S. Navy has named five ships in Decatur's honor.

Contact Southwest/Spring Valley View reporter Jessica Fryman at jfryman@viewnews.com or 380-4535.