Maybe it’s fated that a place like Boulder City, which has always seemed so typically American with its manicured lawns, tidy houses and neat street grids, would be associated with one of Nevada’s most mysterious deaths.
The death in question is that of Raymond Spilsbury, one of the original investors and owners of the Boulder Dam Hotel. Spilsbury, who was born into a wealthy Utah ranching family, had spent several decades working in Peru as general manager of a copper mine.
In 1933, he became an investor in a new Boulder Dam Hotel being constructed in Boulder City. During the next decade, despite becoming a playground for Hollywood celebrities, the hotel experienced financial difficulties. In 1942, Spilsbury acquired full ownership of the property.
Two years later, Spilsbury retired from the mining business and moved into the hotel with his wife and son. At the time, his brother, G.C. Spilsbury was manager of the elegant Colonial-style lodging house.
During the 1930s and 40s, the hotel had hosted many famous people. Actress Bette Davis vacationed at the hotel after filming a movie nearby and actor Boris Karloff (“Frankenstein”) lived there while gaining residency for a quickie divorce.
On January 19, 1945, the then-56-year-old Spilsbury drove out to Emery’s Landing, a fishing camp on the Colorado River to go fishing with its owner, Murl Emery. According to newspaper accounts of the time, Spilsbury never met up with Emery but was seen taking a walk along the river.
The next day, Emery saw that Spilsbury’s car still parked in the lot at 3 a.m. and the next morning started to look for the owner. According to one account, Emery discovered Spilsbury’s hat and coat about a day later. The latter had been carefully folded and a rock had been placed on both to keep them from being blown away.
Inside the coat pockets, was a check for $12,352.40, $1,100 in traveler’s checks, $53 in cash, two pairs of glasses and keys to the car and Spilsbury’s hotel room.
For the next five weeks, searchers combed the river and surrounding area looking for any sign of Spilsbury. Finally on February 27, a group of three fishermen from Los Angeles spotted his body tangled in a clump of bushes about eight miles from Emery’s Landing, near Nelson, Nevada.
Perhaps the most peculiar aspect, however, was that when Spilsbury’s body was pulled from the river, authorities found that his ankles had been tied together using his own belt and his pockets were filled with heavy stones.
A few days later, authorities said they believed Spilsbury, who, according to his brother, had been in ill health for several years, was depressed about his health and committed suicide.
But was it suicide? According to one account, Spilsbury’s wife, Vona, was suspicious of the circumstances surrounding her husband’s death and never completely accepted the determination that her husband had killed himself.
Ultimately, no other motive—certainly he wasn’t robbed—than suicide could be found and the case was closed.
But even today some believe there is more to the story. In fact, one theory is that Spilsbury—and perhaps Emery—may have hidden caches of money in the vicinity. But who knows for sure?
The most complete history of the Boulder Dam Hotel, including Spilsbury mysterious death, can be found in Dennis McBride’s 1993 book, “The Secret Life of the Boulder Dam Hotel.” The story is also investigated in my book, “Nevada Myths and Legends, Second Edition.” Both can be found on Amazon and other online booksellers.
For more information about the Boulder Dam Hotel, go to: www.boulderdamhotel.com.
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