Hoover Dam
Hoover Dam in Colorado River
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 US
states of Arizona and Nevada.
It was constructed between
1931 and 1936 during the Great Depression and was dedicated on September 30,
1935, by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Its construction was the result of a
massive effort involving thousands of workers, and cost over one hundred lives.
Hoover Dam, located 30 miles southeast of Las Vegas on U.S. 93, is open daily except
Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Hoover Dam impounds Lake Mead,
and is located near Boulder City, Nevada, a municipality originally constructed
for workers on the construction project, about 25 mi (40 km) southeast of Las
Vegas, Nevada. The dam's generators provide power for public and private
utilities in Nevada, Arizona, and California. Hoover Dam is a major tourist
attraction; nearly a million people tour the dam each year. 
Ø Hoover Dam is 726 ft. tall. That is 171 ft. taller than
the Washington Monument in Washington D.C. and twice as tall as the Luxor
Casino (338 ft.) in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Ø Hoover Dam is shaped like a huge curved axe head, 45 ft.
wide at the top and 660 ft. thick at the bottom.
Ø Lake Mead is the largest reservoir in the USA and
contains enough water to flood the entire state of New York with 1 ft. of water
(26 million acre ft.).
Ø The dam is named after America's 31st president, Herbert
Hoover, who played a large role in bringing the nearby states into agreement
about water allocations.
Damming the Colorado River
created Lake Mead, a National Recreation Area managed by the National Park
Service. The lake offers boating, fishing, camping, house boating, water skiing
and swimming. Hikers enjoy the stark beauty of the desert surrounding the lake.
How To Reach :
The Hoover Dam is 35 miles south of Las Vegas on U.S. 93.
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