Don Laughlin: Desert Wonder Tours Honors a True Legend

The Founding of Laughlin, Nevada

It is unusual for one person to be the first commercial business in a region, but for Laughlin, Nevada, that person is Don Laughlin. The early town called Southpointe in the 1940’s consisted of a motel and bar that catered to gold and silver miners, construction workers building Davis Dam, and fishing enthusiasts. However, after the completion of Davis Dam, the town all but disappeared.

Before the fateful day when Mr. Laughlin flew in his helicopter over a sliver of the Colorado River Valley where Nevada, California and Arizona meet, the little town had all but disappeared. Mr. Laughlin had a vision. He made that vision into a reality. Mr. Laughlin’s vision is fated to live long into the future. That is the stuff of legends.