The Arden post office was established in 1907.[8] Around that time, William K. Moore, who has been credited as Arden's founder, discovered gypsum deposits in the nearby mountains.[9] With financing from Southern California businessmen, Moore started the Arden Plaster Company, which opened a mill at the site in 1908.[9][10] It was reported to be the second largest gypsum plant in the country.[10] A narrow-gauge railroad was constructed to connect the plant to the gypsum mine, 5 miles (8.0 km) away.[11]
The plaster plant burned down in 1912, but was quickly rebuilt.[9][12][13] In 1919, it was purchased by the United States Gypsum Company.[14] The plant was closed and dismantled in 1930 due to a decline in the construction industry.[15]
A railroad spur line was built in 1925 to connect Arden to the Blue Diamond Mine, 11 miles (18 km) to the northwest.[16]
A gravel pit was established at Arden in the mid-1950s, and operated until 1978, growing to 160 acres (65 ha) in size.[17] A commercial operation has since resumed operations at the site.
Clark County built a fallout shelter at Arden in the 1950s or 1960s to house regional government leaders in case of an attack on Las Vegas.[18][19] The shelter was maintained at least until the 1980s.[19]
^David F. Myrick (1963). Railroads of Nevada and Eastern California: The Southern Roads. Howell-North Books. p. 760. On the other hand, there is possible evidence of an affiliated Harriman influence in the designation of certain of the station names. One of these, an original small station twelve miles south of Las Vegas, was called Arden, possibly in honor of Harriman's luxurious estate in New York.
