Who knew a Dam could be so interesting!
Once known as Boulder Dam… this enormous arch-gravity dam that holds the mighty Colorado River, borders the states of Nevada and Arizona. The construction started in 1931, during the Great Depression era and was named after Herbert Hoover, who played an active role in its construction. The dam was completed in 1936, which at the time was the world’s largest hydroelectric power and the largest concrete structure in the world. Estimated at about 8 to 10 million visitors each year, including visitors to Hoover Dam, the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, which is the fifth busiest national park recreation area.
With our rental car and GPS, we head out to see Hoover Dam. The GPS calculated that it would take about 38 minutes drive from our hotel in Vegas. About halfway, Lake Mead was in our sight. Once we got even closer, the road starting to go up, wind around the mountainous area. After about ten minutes, we finally arrived at the entrance to find a checkpoint. Apparently after the September 11th attacks, the government put a measure in protecting the dam. I could see why there would be an interest on this place. It provides power to millions of people in three states: Arizona, Nevada and California.
I have read and seen many documentaries about the history of the dam and what an enormous project it was to tackle. Also considering the time frame of when it was built, when new technology was not available. I can see why it was such a great feat. A popular story holds that the first person to die in the construction of Hoover Dam was J. G. Tierney, a surveyor who drowned while looking for an ideal spot for the dam. Coincidentally, his son, Patrick W. Tierney, was the last man to die working on the dam, 13 years to the day later.
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these two spectacular photos are from Wikipedia... check
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoover_Dam for more fascinating info...
aerial view of Hoover Dam and Lake Mead
driving towards a 1,060-foot concrete bridge that will provide for traffic relief accessible by foot since the Hoover Dam was built. The bridge called Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge is 890 feet above the Colorado River and is considered to be the largest concrete arch in North America. It connects Nevada to Arizona.
