The Story of the Hoover Dam

History Behind 1 of America’s 7 Engineering Wonders

Hoover Dam, once known as Boulder Dam, is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the U.S. states of Nevada and Arizona. It was constructed between 1931 and 1936 during the Great Depression and was dedicated on September 30, 1935, by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

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Explains the overwhelming need to control and regulate the raging waters of the Colorado River; the 1928 passage of the Boulder Canyon Project authorizing construction of the Hoover Dam; the ensuing construction of diversion tunnels and then the dam itself; building of support facilities, such as a steel fabrication plant for giant pipe construction; and creation of hydroelectric operations that provided electricity to California, Nevada, and Arizona. Also details how Lake Mead evolved into a successful recreational area as a result of the dam construction.