Hoover Dam and Lake Mead, Nevada - By: Joy Kenzic, Posted on: 2006-12-19

Among the many man-made technological marvels in the world, the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River deserves a special mention. It is located on the border between Arizona and Nevada and is its importance could be gauged from the fact that it is the main source of electrical power, irrigation and flood control of the entire South-West United States. But more than that, it is a very popular tourist destination in the United States that draws scored of tourists each year.

The dam was named after President Herbert Hoover, to recognize and honor his unstinted support and zeal in making the project a reality. The 31st President of the United States was however, zealous about the project even before he was President. As Secretary of Commerce, he conceived a plan to tame the Colorado River that would provide people of the states of Arizona, Southern California, Nevada cheap electricity and irrigation. To facilitate this, the Boulder Canyon Project Act was passed in the year 1928.

The construction of Hoover Dam that was the largest dam in the entire world at the time, started in September of 1930 and was completed in a mere five years. The engineers developed a way to quickly cool and harden the concrete in order to expedite the project, which would have otherwise taken at least ten years to complete. The dam only cost $49,000,000 to build and the entire Boulder Canyon Project, which encompasses Hoover Dam, Imperial Dam, and the American Canal cost a total of $165,000,000.

There were approximately 16,000 workers that included both men and women who built the structure. Contrary to popular stories associated with the dam, no one is buried inside the walls of the dam, though some deaths did occur in the five-year long period of its construction.

Hoover Dam’s measurements are mind blowing, especially for the early 1930s. Workers used 4,360,000 cubic yards of pure concrete in its construction, making the dam the first edifice to contain more masonry than Egypt’s Great Pyramids. The dam itself now ranks in as the 18th highest dam in the world, standing 726.4 feet tall and measuring 1,244 feet wide at the top of the structure. The dam weighs an estimated 6.6 million tons!

The purpose of Hoover Dam and the entire Boulder Canyon Project was to attempt to take the wild and often destructive Colorado River. The river often breeched its banks and flooded nearby towns, fields, and homes. With the river’s power harnessed, the residents of Southern California, Nevada, and Arizona could be provided with power. The Hoover Dam is capable of producing 2,000 megawatts of electricity by using its 17 generators.

The Boulder Canyon Project also led to the creation of one of the most loved tourist destination- the lovely body of water, Lake Mead. The lake occupies an astounding 146,000 acres and is visited by thousands each year. The warm Sun gives the area a serene look and it is very near the Sin City itself, Las Vegas.

Those of you interested to visit the Hoover Dam, should first take a behind the scenes tour of the Dam by checking out the visitor's center that is a sea of interactive information about the building and purpose of the dam. For the walk-"a-holics", it is advisable to take your best walking shoes as you would go the very summit of the dam.

Article Source: http://golfarticlesdirectory.com

Joy Kenzic is the chief editor for F nevada, the #1 source on the internet for information about nevada, For more articles on nevada why not visit: www.fornevada.com/articles
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