History

Once a motel and bar catering to gold and silver miners, Laughlin has blossomed into one of the fastest growing tourist destinations in the United States.
 
Originally established in the 1940s, the river community was little more than a mining camp. The construction of Davis Dam brought a rush of hard working men to the South Pointe Bar and Motel, but after construction was completed in 1951, the establishments were abandoned.
 
It wasn’t until Las Vegas businessman Don Laughlin flew over the area - recognizing its promise - that the Nevada community began to flourish. The property was purchased in 1964 and within two years the Riverside Resort was offering all-you-can-eat chicken dinners for 98 cents, play on 12 slot machines and two gaming tables. Guest accommodations were available in four of the eight motel rooms while the Laughlin family resided in the remaining four.
 
In 1972, the Riverside added 48 rooms. In 1986, the 14-floor high rise was completed.
 
Playing off Don Laughlin’s success, the Bobcat Club (located where the Golden Nugget sits today) opened in 1967. In 1968, a third casino followed.
 
Today, Laughlin’s Casino Drive is home to 11 casinos, more than 60 restaurants, two museums, salons and sold-out events, attracting more than 3 million visitors annually. 
While Upper Laughlin along Needles Highway is home to more the 9,000 residents and a vibrant business area.

Fort Mojave Indian Tribe

Avi Kwa Ame, the center of creation for the Aha Macav people, stands proud and tall in the Newberry Mountains, looking down on the reservation of her people. For thousands of years, the Aha Macav has called the fertile river valley home, beginning with Matavilya, creator of the people and the vibrant river valley. According to the Mojave culture, Matavilya placed the plants and animals along the river for the Pipa Aha Macav and instructed them in the area of civilization.

Properous farmers by the time the Spaniards began exploring the Southwest, the Aha Macav, or the Mojave as they were later coined, established villages and trade routes stretching to the Pacific Ocean.

One hundred years later, as the American frontier opened and hordes of settlers drifted west, the Mojave resented the influx of disease and loss of land. They resisted the inflow of migrants crossing the Colorado River on the California Trail, resulting in the establishment of Fort Mojave as a military outpost in 1859.

Spanning land in Nevada, California and Arizona, the current boundaries of the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe extend along the Colorado River, covering 41, 914 acres. Home to 1, 120 people, the tribe is one of the wealthiest in the Southwest. Agriculture is the basis for the Fort Mojave economy, the 15, 000 acres of land under cultivation. Unlike most reservations in Arizona, occupancy of tribal land is less than 50 percent Native American. Much of the land is leased to white and Mexican American farmers for the growth of soybeans, alfalfa, cotton, corn and wheat.

More than 17 miles of the Colorado River runs through tribal land, creating many recreational opportunities for visitors, including fishing, water skiing, boating and hunting.

For more information about the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe call (760) 629-4591.