Hoover Dam Part I

On my last day in Las Vegas I drove out to Hoover Dam which is less than an hour away. The project began in the 1930s, during the Great Depression. The Colorado River often flooded, causing havoc for farmers and others. Southern California was badly in need of water. Creating a controllable source (like a reservoir behind a dam) was a viable solution. The dam would provide hydroelectric power to the region. The project also also provided jobs and a sense of accomplishment to a country suffering under economic ravages.

The Colorado River's Black Canyon was selected among several sites as easier than others. Even so, the project required a lot of infrastructure. Roads were built into the area and Boulder City was created to house the workers. The first part of the project was to divert the river around the site. Four large tunnels were dug through the cliff sides to channel the water downriver. With the water clear, the rocks and detritus on the riverbed were taken out. Concrete began pouring and continued constantly for two years. The project was planned down to the last detail and was completed two years ahead of schedule. President  Franklin Roosevelt dedicated it in 1935 as Boulder Dam. The project was authorized under Herbert Hoover's administration and eventually the name was changed to honor the thirty-first president.

The dam has been in continual use since opening. The builders also planned for tours of the dam by adding in marble and fancy decorations in certain sections. The tours have been ongoing since the dam opened in the 1930s. I took one of the tours and saw the museum and the insides of the dam.

The Welcome sign

Approach to the dam from the parking lot

After buying a ticket (I spent extra for the inside tour), I had a wait till the dam tour started, so I went through the museum. The museum tells the whole story of the dam from its construction to the science of hydroelectricity and the impact on the area.

One display showed the various reactions to the announcement of the project. Some were skeptical of the government spending so much money on the project (though it has more than paid for itself). Farmers and residents of the area wanted the water and the prosperity the project promised.

Various opinions on whether to build or not

Choosing the site was a long and laborious process. Black Canyon was chosen because it wasn't too far from resources like sand and gravel (for the concrete) and the point was more narrow and had better bedrock for the dam.

Where to make the dam

Construction began with blasting and digging out the tunnels to divert the river. Once the water was out of the way, the workers started pouring tons of concrete around the clock for two years.

Blasting powder and other tools of the trade

Recreation of the concrete bins used for the dam

Map of the river diversion and dam project

A model shows how the dam was built block by block. Each block had pipes inside of it so that water would cool the concrete and make it set faster. If they hadn't done that, the concrete would still be curing today!

Building up the dam

The displays show how the hydroelectric generators work. Each side of the dam has several generators, with seventeen in total.

Using magnets to make electricity

The museum has an observation area where I took my first picture with the dam.

The dam and I

Originally, the dam was used as a roadway across the Colorado River from Arizona to Nevada. Now, access to the dam is only on the Nevada side though people are allowed to drive across the top of the dam to the parking on the Arizona side. There's no exit on the Arizona side so I didn't bother diving my brother's car across the dam just to drive across the dam. A new bridge was built not far from the dam.

Cars on the dam

Colorado River under the dam

The power plants are just under the dam.

Power plants

Blogger with bridge in background

Another display shows how the energy flows from the dam to people's homes.

The path of power

Yet another display shows art inspired by the Native Americans of the area. Several large sculptures depict the industry and the resources used and produced by the dam.

A bit of art

The original museum for the dam is located on the Nevada side.

Original (and smaller) museum

Inside the old museum, a bust commemorates Herbert Hoover.

Hoover remembered

A display shows the various projects (i.e. other dams) created by the Bureau of Reclamation. Plenty of dams provide electricity for the western United States.

Dam map

The main display is a forty-foot diorama showing the Colorado River and the various dams built along it.

Diorama

Lake Mead (created by Hoover Dam)

A less complicated dam

Hoover Dam

The gift shop/cafeteria has a statue of the high scalers who removed the loose rocks from the canyon walls, thus making the site a safer place to work.

High scaler

In the next post, my tour of the dam starts!