The Story of Hoover Dam

Hoover Dam is a testimony to a country’s ability to construct monolithic projects in the midst of adverse conditions. Built during the Depression; thousands of men and their families came to Black Canyon to tame the Colorado River. It took less than five years, in a harsh and barren land, to build the largest dam of its time. Now, years later, Hoover Dam still stands as a world-renowned structure. The Dam is a National Historic Landmark and has been rated by the American Society of Civil Engineers as one of America’s Seven Modern Civil Engineering Wonders.

Artwork – One of the highlights for many of the people who visit Hoover Dam each year is the artwork they find.

Cofferdams – Before the dam could be built the Colorado River had to be moved. This was accomplished with the aid of cofferdams.

Concrete – Hoover Dam is concrete; and without concrete, this dam could not have been built.

Fatalities – How many bodies are buried in Hoover Dam? This and other information is presented in this article.

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High Scalers – Before construction could begin on the dam, loose rock had to be removed from the canyon walls. Special men were required for the job, men called “high-scalers.”

Jet Flow Gate Test – A test of the jet flow gates was performed after their installation.

Spillways – The Spillways help to protect the dam, and make sure that water never goes over the top.

Tunnels – What do you do with the river when you want to build a dam? You divert it into tunnels.

Wages – A comparison chart of prevailing wages at the time of construction.

What is biggest? – What is the biggest dam? It depends on what you are measuring.

Workforce – A table showing the origins of the people who built Hoover Dam