Fifty years ago, Laughlin, Nevada, did not exist. It was just a spot on the map along the Colorado River and accessible by the Davis Dam – when its lone dirt road was dry.
On August 2, Don Laughlin led the 50th anniversary celebration of the Riverside Resort that he opened on the same date in 1966.
Two years later, the US Postal Service created the Laughlin substation, and Laughlin eventually became the city’s name.
The area grew with a dozen casinos now in operation, and Laughlin built a bridge across the Colorado River in the 1980s to help improve local tourism and traffic.
Laughlin no longer has to make his thrice-weekly flights to North Las Vegas to obtain food and supplies for his resort.
Nor does he take high-rollers up in his private helicopter for a personal tour of the area, although he continued piloting a helicopter until last year.
Now 85, Laughlin still closely manages the resort and its 1,900 workers, and every August celebrates another year in business with a company picnic.
The city namesake has 9,000 residents, and Laughlin Economic Development Corporation President Jim Maniaci says it’s time to stop overlooking Laughlin when it comes to economic development.
Although the city has a dozen casinos, it does not have a hardware store, car repair shops, or even a hospital. Locals must cross the Colorado River and enter Bullhead City, Arizona, for emergency medical treatment and hospital stays.
Meanwhile, about 100 miles away in Las Vegas, the about 12 percent room tax paid by hotel guests has helped to pay for many improvements and will help to fund the $2.3 billion expansion of the Las Vegas Convention Center and might help to pay for a 65,000 seat stadium.
Clark County first imposed a modest room tax in 1957 to build the convention center, and raised it several times since, to an average of 12 percent now. But Laughlin has seen none of the money, despite its many hotel rooms and growth since its founding 50 years ago.
Also celebrating an anniversary this year is the Railroad Pass Casino, which opened 85 years ago and is the oldest continually operated casino in Nevada.
Current owner Joe DeSimone Jr. bought the casino from MGM Resorts International last year, and recently gained local approval for a $10 million travel plaza expansion.
The Railroad Pass was built and opened in 1931, when Nevada legalized gaming.
It primarily served workers on the Boulder Dam project, which now is Hoover Dam.
New freeway construction connecting Las Vegas and Phoenix is underway, and the $10 million travel plaza project anticipates more traffic and customers coming in the near future.
