RiverScene Magazine | Pages From History

By Becky Maxedon

The twinkling waterfall careening into the crystal-clear pond at the entrance to the building located roughly in the area where the Lake Havasu City complex is now was an icon to early residents and visitors.

The Havasu Hotel came to life in early 1964, according to Havasu Pioneer Jay Coombs.

The city’s founder Robert McCulloch had purchased the land upon which the hotel was built. It was Lake Havasu City’s second. The Nautical Inn (now the Nautical Beachfront Resort) was the first and had been the hotel where McCulloch’s lot sales fly-ins stayed.

McCulloch’s key to developing the city and attracting residents was to fly them in to shop for a lot upon which to build a house. They were wined and dined and provided with complimentary hotel stays.

According to Coombs, the first flight carrying prospective Havasuvians was on Dec. 7, 1963. They stayed at the Nautical.

After the Havasu Hotel was completed, fly-ins stayed there. The first paying customer at the Nautical, Coombs said, was on April 16, 1964.

Nautical Inn Lake Havasu City RiverScene Magazine Lake Havasu Museum of History

The entrance of the Nautical Inn, 1964.

McCulloch Properties Inc., established in 1961 as a subsidiary of McCulloch Oil Corp., built and operated the Havasu Hotel primarily to accommodate land sales fly-ins.

As part of the ongoing collaboration between RiverScene Magazine and the Lake Havasu Museum of History to digitize slides from the history of Lake Havasu City, the following photos illustrate the building and completion of the Havasu Hotel.

According to Michael Auria of the Lake Havasu Musuem of History, the Havasu Hotel was torn down on October 20, 1989. While digitizing slides, film was also found of the tear down. Photographer is unknown. If you would like to view the video, visit our RiverScene Magazine YouTube Channel by clicking https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yi-OrJYGNw

Please enjoy the photos and feel free to add your memories of the hotel.