What is the story behind the Hoover Dam?
Hoover Dam is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the U.S. states of Nevada and Arizona.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 ...
What are the hours of operation for Hoover Dam?
The hours for the Hoover Dam parking lot are from 8 am to 5:15 pm. The Hoover Dam Visitor Center is open from 9 am to 4:15 pm, and official tours operate from 9 am to 3:45 pm. You can visit Hoover Dam 365 days a year, except for Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.
Where is Hoover Dam located?
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 Arizona and Nevada. Hoover Dam impounds Lake Mead, and is located near Boulder City, Nevada.
What are the statistics of the Hoover Dam?
Hoover Dam Statistics - Hoover Facts. 726.4 feet high (221 m) 1,244 feet wide (379 m) 660 feet (203 m) thick at the base. 45 feet (13 m) thick at the top. $165 million dollars to build. 4.5 years to build. 4.4 million yards of concrete used for construction. March 1931 building began.
What city is the Hoover Dam in Arizona?
The dam is located near Boulder City, Nevada, a municipality originally constructed for workers on the construction project, about 30 mi (48 km) southeast of Las Vegas, Nevada. The dam's generators provide power for public and private utilities in Nevada, Arizona, and California.
Why is Hoover Dam in Arizona?
In the early 20th century, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation devised plans for a massive dam on the Arizona-Nevada border to tame the Colorado River and provide water and hydroelectric power for the developing Southwest.
How many states is the Hoover Dam in?
This river is an important source of water to seven western states - Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and California, as well as a portion of Mexico. Along the way it is used for irrigation, domestic water, recreation, and hydroelectric power production.
Where is Hoover Dam situated?
Hoover Dam and Lake Mead, spanning the Arizona-Nevada state line, are located in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River about 35 miles southeast of Las Vegas, Nevada. It is a concrete thick-arch structure, 726.4 feet high and 1,244 feet long.
How many bodies are in the Hoover Dam?
There are no bodies buried in the concrete. The dam was built in interlocking blocks, built on top of each other as they went. Each block was five feet high. The smallest blocks were about 25 by 25 feet, and the largest blocks were about 25 by 60 feet.
How long until Lake Mead is empty?
On Aug. 16, 2022, the federal government declared a tier two water reduction on the Colorado River. This will limit the amount of water Southern Nevada will be allowed to withdraw from Lake Mead beginning in January 2023.
What is the biggest dam in the world?
Three Gorges Dam, China is the world's largest hydroelectric facility. Accroding to Wikimedia, the Three Gorges Dam is a hydroelectric gravity dam that spans the Yangtze River by the town of Sandouping, in Yiling District, Yichang, Hubei province, China.
Is Hoover Dam the largest dam in the world?
Currently, the tallest dam in the world is Nurek Dam on the Vakhsh River in Tajikistan. It is 984 feet (300 meters) tall. Hoover Dam is 726.4 feet (221.3 meters) tall. Today, Hoover Dam still ranks in the top 20 of the tallest dams in the world, but only in the concrete gravity and arch categories.
Where can you stand in 2 states at once?
Fantastic four In fact, the exact spot where Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah meet is marked with an x on the ground. This remote destination is just under four hours from Flagstaff, Arizona, one of the closest large cities.
What 2 states does the Hoover Dam border?
Hoover Dam, spanning the Arizona-Nevada border about 30 miles southeast of Las Vegas, is the most-visited dam in the world, counting some 7 million tourists a year.
Why you cant swim in Hoover Dam?
Water conditions near a dam Above the dam flow can pull swimmers in and drag them below the water level with such force they can't escape. Below the dam air trapped in water reduces your buoyancy to a point where even if you are wearing a personal flotation device you may sink below the water level.
Is Hoover Dam part of the Grand Canyon?
Grand Canyon is located in northern Arizona. The national park spans the Colorado River from Glen Canyon Dam in the east to the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead in the west, a distance of 277 miles (455 km).
How does the Hoover Dam provide power to California Nevada and Arizona?
8. How does the Hoover Dam provide power to California, Nevada and Arizona? Suggested answer: The Hoover Dam provides power to California, Nevada and Arizona by harnessing the converted potential energy of Lake Mead.
What 2 states does the Hoover Dam border?
Hoover Dam, spanning the Arizona-Nevada border about 30 miles southeast of Las Vegas, is the most-visited dam in the world, counting some 7 million tourists a year.
Is Hoover Dam part of the Grand Canyon?
Grand Canyon is located in northern Arizona. The national park spans the Colorado River from Glen Canyon Dam in the east to the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead in the west, a distance of 277 miles (455 km).
What happens if the Hoover Dam breaks?
If catastrophe struck the Hoover Dam and it somehow broke, a catastrophic amount of water from Lake Mead would be released. That water would likely cover an area of 10 million acres (4 million hectares) 1 foot (30 centimeters) deep.
Where is the Hoover Dam?
Hoover Dam impounds Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the United States by volume (when it is full). The dam is located near Boulder City, Nevada, a municipality originally constructed for workers on the construction project, about 30 mi (48 km) southeast of Las Vegas, Nevada.
Why was the Hoover Dam named Hoover Dam?
When Secretary of the Interior Ray Wilbur spoke at the ceremony starting the building of the railway between Las Vegas and the dam site on September 17, 1930, he named the dam "Hoover Dam", citing a tradition of naming dams after Presidents, though none had been so honored during their terms of office. Wilbur justified his choice on the ground that Hoover was "the great engineer whose vision and persistence ... has done so much to make [the dam] possible". One writer complained in response that "the Great Engineer had quickly drained, ditched, and dammed the country."
How hot was Hoover Dam in 1931?
The site of Hoover Dam endures extremely hot weather, and the summer of 1931 was especially torrid, with the daytime high averaging 119.9 °F (48.8 °C). Sixteen workers and other riverbank residents died of heat prostration between June 25 and July 26, 1931.
What was Edison's plan for Hoover Dam?
Edison allowed land options it held on the river to lapse —including an option for what became the site of Hoover Dam. In the following years, the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR), known as the Reclamation Service at the time, also considered the Lower Colorado as the site for a dam.
When was Hoover Dam filled with concrete?
Concrete. Columns of Hoover Dam being filled with concrete, February 1934 (looking upstream from the Nevada rim) The first concrete was poured into the dam on June 6, 1933, 18 months ahead of schedule.
When was Hoover Dam built?
states of Nevada and Arizona. It was constructed between 1931 and 1936 during the Great Depression and was dedicated on September 30, 1935, by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
What states were included in the Colorado River Compact?
Delph Carpenter, a Colorado attorney, proposed that the seven states which fell within the river's basin (California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, Colorado and Wyoming) form an interstate compact, with the approval of Congress. Such compacts were authorized by Article I of the United States Constitution but had never been concluded among more than two states. In 1922, representatives of seven states met with then- Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover. Initial talks produced no result, but when the Supreme Court handed down the Wyom ing v. Colorado decision undermining the claims of the upstream states, they became anxious to reach an agreement. The resulting Colorado River Compact was signed on November 24, 1922.
How to drive to Hoover Dam?
Hoover Dam Driving Directions and Parking Information 1 Take US Highway 93 South and continue about 20 miles to Boulder City 2 In Boulder City, take a left at the second stoplight in town (there are only 2 of them) 3 Continue on US 93 for about 5 miles (just past the Hacienda Hotel) to the turn-off to Nevada State Route 172 - the Hoover Dam Access Road 4 Take NV SR 172 for about 2 miles to the Dam on the Nevada/Arizona border#N#(Note: Visitors who wish to continue travel into Arizona must re-enter Nevada and access Highway 93 to cross the Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge; the roadway across Hoover Dam is no longer open to through-traffic.)
When will Hoover Dam be closed in 2021?
ROADWORK: Due to scheduled roadwork, Hoover Dam hours of operation will be temporarily shortened. September 19, 2021 through January 31, 2022 hours of operation will be 5 a.m. to 7 p.m.
How long is the crest of the dam?
(The crest of the dam is nearly a quarter-mile long.)
How to enter the visitor center in Arizona?
From the Arizona side, cross the dam, continue past the Winged Figures, and as you head toward the Gift Shop concession, you'll see a sign to access the escalators and elevator to enter the Visitor Center.
Does the Dam have a street address?
The Dam does not have a street address, so directions are provided below. Also, visitors with GPS navigators can use the coordinates: N 36.016222, W -114.737245 to locate the site. Those who want to use an Internet map service should try one that allows input of landmark names instead of a street address.
Overview
Hoover Dam is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the U.S. states of Nevada and Arizona. 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, …
Background
As the United States developed the Southwest, the Colorado River was seen as a potential source of irrigation water. An initial attempt at diverting the river for irrigation purposes occurred in the late 1890s, when land speculator William Beatty built the Alamo Canal just north of the Mexican border; the canal dipped into Mexico before running to a desolate area Beatty named the Imperial Valley. …
Construction
Soon after the dam was authorized, increasing numbers of unemployed people converged on southern Nevada. Las Vegas, then a small city of some 5,000, saw between 10,000 and 20,000 unemployed descend on it. A government camp was established for surveyors and other personnel near the dam site; this soon became surrounded by a squatters' camp. Known as McKeeversville, th…
Operation
Excavation for the powerhouse was carried out simultaneously with the excavation for the dam foundation and abutments. The excavation of this U-shaped structure located at the downstream toe of the dam was completed in late 1933 with the first concrete placed in November 1933. Filling of Lake Mead began February 1, 1935, even before the last of the concrete was poured that …
Environmental impact
The changes in water flow and use caused by Hoover Dam's construction and operation have had a large impact on the Colorado River Delta. The construction of the dam has been implicated in causing the decline of this estuarine ecosystem. For six years after the construction of the dam, while Lake Mead filled, virtually no water reached the mouth of the river. The delta's estuary, whi…
Naming controversy
During the years of lobbying leading up to the passage of legislation authorizing the dam in 1928, the press generally referred to the dam as "Boulder Dam" or as "Boulder Canyon Dam", even though the proposed site had shifted to Black Canyon. The Boulder Canyon Project Act of 1928 (BCPA) never mentioned a proposed name or title for the dam. The BCPA merely allows the government to "construct, operate, and maintain a dam and incidental works in the main stream …
Recognition
Hoover Dam was recognized as a National Civil Engineering Landmark in 1984. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1985, cited for its engineering innovations.
See also
• Ralph Luther Criswell, lobbyist on behalf of the dam
• Glen Canyon Dam
• Hoover Dam Police
• List of dams in the Colorado River system