I first visited Laughlin, Nevada, in 1979. My brother took my wife, son, and me to the Riverside Casino to try our hands at playing slot machines. We each took turns sitting in an air-conditioned truck watching one-year-old Gunnar, because there was no place inside the building for children back then.
The AC worked so well in Jim’s Chevrolet, that I’d have to step outside his vehicle every so often to warm up. Even on low, the Chevy cab would become a virtual refrigerator. A few minutes of sweltering Nevada heat helped immensely before getting back in.
When it was my turn to play, after perhaps 30 minutes of feeding large Eisenhower dollars into a slot machine, my pockets were bulging with winnings. Feeling proud of myself as I walked out of the place, I ended up with $100 more than I started.
Joleen and Jim came out ahead as well. My wife still has an unopened roll of Eisenhower silver dollars from that trip tucked away in a bedroom drawer. I don’t believe they’re totally made of silver as that practice stopped in 1964.
I purchased everyone’s dinner that night, telling anyone who’d listen that Don Laughlin was paying for things. The late Don Laughlin is the originator of Laughlin and owner of Riverside Casino.
Over the years we’ve gone back only to see Laughlin grow in leaps and bounds, and then slow down to a snail’s pace. New bridges have been built to make it easier to get across the Colorado River, but casino construction has all but ceased. The Colorado Belle casino closed down several years later.
Our reason to visit Laughlin these days isn’t to gamble, but to dine at a favorite Mexican Restaurant and check out the cars in Don Laughlin’s car museum. That museum has been in existence for quite some time with free admission.
I talked to a man overseeing the museum collection sometime in the 1990s. He told me that Don Laughlin would stealthily show up unannounced to inspect things. It wasn’t uncommon for him to climb inside an automobile and check it for dust and cleanliness. He’d then quietly disappear through a secret passageway.
I found that to be humorous because there’s been a story circulating around Lake Havasu City for many years, about Don flying his helicopter to a car show here in town, and landing on the golf course where all of the vehicles were parked. Dust, dirt, and debris went everywhere. Supposedly, he graciously paid for any damage to the cars and trucks.
Don Laughlin died on October 22, 2023, and was 92 years old. Laughlin as a city lost a great man, a visionary who was generous with his money in keeping the town alive. He did so many things where charity is concerned, that it’d take a book to list them all.
Just recently, we were back in Laughlin to visit his museum and grab a bite to eat. A longtime employee of one of the Laughlin businesses, who wishes to remain anonymous, told Joleen and me that Don still lived in the penthouse suite above the Riverside. With that bizarre statement being said and knowing that Don was deceased—we both raised our eyebrows.
The fellow then went on to explain that Don Laughlin made plans to have his body cryogenically frozen years before his death. Evidently, the wish was followed through by family members. He finished things off by saying, unconfirmed rumors had it that Don’s frozen remains were returned to Laughlin and now reside within the top floor of the casino.
I checked things out, finding that Don had been frozen as the fellow claimed. For rich folks having that process done, they do so in hopes somewhere down the road scientists will be able to bring them back to life. As a Christian, I know that isn’t possible using cryogenics alone. As far as the location of Laughlin’s body goes, I couldn’t substantiate that rumor.
In the forty-ninth state, there’s a special dessert called Baked Alaska. It consists of cake and ice cream. By following a prescribed recipe, the combination is baked in an oven without any ice cream melting. From a layman’s perspective, that’s how I view this cryogenic experiment.
Should scientists ever revive one of these frozen corpses, I suppose the first thing Don Laughlin would do after waking, besides grabbing a cup of hot coffee, would be to walk outside his casino for a blast of desert air.
Having aching bones myself whenever I get cold, a dose of Arizona or Nevada desert heat makes them hurt much less. I can only imagine how rejuvenated Don will feel after doing the same, with Baked Laughlin instantly coming to mind!
I like to write junk... 