by Brenda Kimsey Warneka (Author)
Laughlin, Nevada, today's most dynamic town on the Lower Colorado River, is a relatively new community. In 1966, when founder Don Laughlin opened his casino, only a dozen or so people resided there. Ten years later, when an election christened the town "Laughlin," there were 82 registered voters. It was only in the 1980s that the town exploded. However, the larger tristate area of which Laughlin is a part--where Nevada, Arizona, and California meet--is a much older, historically important community. It goes back to Native Americans who claim origin at the beginning of time at Spirit Mountain, on Laughlin's border. And it continues through a montage of characters from the Old West--explorers, Indian warriors, soldiers, riverboat captains, miners, cattlemen, dam constructors, and entrepreneurs--leading to the Laughlin of today, a destination gaming site, recreation mecca, and upscale retirement and snowbird community.