|
Hoover Dam
Hoover Dam is 30 miles southeast of Las
Vegas. It was originally named Boulder Dam, but the name was changed to
honor the 31st President, Herbert Hoover. Standing more than 726 feet
high and weighing more than 6.6 million tons, the dam has a story to tell
about the beginning of Las Vegas.
Building the dam
During the 1930s, the United States suffered
through what is called the "Great Depression." This was a time
when many people did not have jobs.
The government commissioned the building of Hoover Dam in
Black Canyon, Nevada, to help control the Colorado River and to give people
jobs.
The dam helped control the Colorado
River by stopping floods during wet years and storing water for dry
years. When the dam was finished, the water began to pool behind
it, creating Lake Mead. We get about
88 percent of our water from Lake Mead. The dam also is a source of low-cost
electricity.
People who needed jobs came to Southern Nevada to work
on the dam. In fact, that is how Boulder City was created. Most of the
dam workers lived in Boulder City to work on the dam, which was then called
"Boulder Dam."
It took less than five years to build Hoover Dam, which
is a National Historic Landmark and one of America's Seven Modern Civil
Engineering Wonders.
|
