Don Laughlin
From North Las Vegas to the Colorado River
A North Las Vegas gaming businessman whose Riverside Resort became the starting point for the southern Nevada town bearing his name.
An eight-room beginning
After a decade in North Las Vegas gaming, Don Laughlin began looking for another opportunity along the Colorado River. His resort’s historical account describes a $235,000 purchase of an eight-room motel and six acres in 1966. The Riverside opened that year with a small casino; the Laughlin family occupied half the available rooms. Nevada’s official proclamation dates the opening to August 2. [1] [2]
A resort and a town
Successive hotel additions enlarged the Riverside, while the surrounding community took Laughlin’s name. His contributions extended to the bridge connecting Nevada and Arizona and the regional airport. Those connections explain why his story belongs in a wider southern Nevada history, beyond the Las Vegas Strip. The Riverside records his death on October 22, 2023. [1] [2]
Key dates
People in the same story
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In the archive
312 entries about associated places, not necessarily this person in the saved collection.
Flooding takes lives beyond the neon
The Sun reports the recovery of two North Las Vegas employees swept away while directing traffic during a flood.
North Las Vegas adopts a desert tortoise habitat ordinance
North Las Vegas adopted Ordinance 949 on October 4, 1989, adding a desert tortoise conservation chapter to its municipal code and an interim development mitigation fee of $250 per gross acre, with specified exceptions.
Laughlin resort may lose permits due to lack of financing
Indexed press reference · View the bibliography. The original report has not been independently read for this entry.
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North Las Vegas, Henderson flooded with casino applications
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Mirage Resorts’ North Las Vegas golf-course plan is put on hold
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Station casino plan in North Las Vegas advances
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Go deeper into the record.
Sources for this profile and starting points for further research. Access notes mark links we could not open directly during the October 3–4, 2026 checks. Historical accounts describe their own period; they do not necessarily describe current operations.
- 1
History: Don Laughlin and the Riverside Resort
Read October 14, 2026. Uses its historical purchase/opening account and October 22, 2023 death notice. Undated present-day employment, room and population figures are not adopted.
- 2
A Day in Honor of Don Laughlin
Read October 14, 2026. Dates the Riverside opening to August 2, 1966 and identifies bridge, airport and community contributions. Ceremonial praise is not repeated as an independent finding.