Hoover Dam

Lying in Black Canyon is the monumental structure known as Hoover Dam. Also known as Boulder Dam, Hoover Dam was built from 1931 to 1936. Frank Crowe was the head director of the building. The dam was built to irrigate the dry desert in the south west United States. The site of Hoover Dam is visited by millions of people annually and will continue to provide energy to many cities.

In 1922, a commission was formed between Arizona, California, Colorado,

Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. The federal representative of the commission was Herbert Hoover. The group wanted to find a way to use the

Colorado River’s water for each state’s use. The commission wrote and signed the Colorado River Compact on November 24, 1922. The Colorado River Compact split the river basin into upper and lower halves. Within each region

the water would be directed into each state. The solution for using the Colorado

River’s water was to build a dam. The huge dam was to be built to provide

water for irrigation, flood control, and hydroelectric power. After several unsuccessful attempts to pass the agreement, President Calvin Coolidge signed the bill approving Boulder Canyon Project.

Next, details were starting to be made for the damn. At first, the Boulder

Canyon Project was planned to be built in Boulder Canyon. Later, the damn site

was moved downstream eight miles to Black Canyon. The reason it was moved was because Boulder Canyon did not have strong enough canyon walls

to hold such a big structure. Black Canyon also was chosen because it had control of the river.

Then, in 1930, “the U.S. government announced to the public they were

going to build the largest damn in the world. The job would employ seven thousand people” (Mann 15).During thi...

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... Harold was not successful in changing the name.

In conclusion, Hoover Dam is an important power supply of the south west. The dam is also needed to prevent floods. Millions of people visit the national landmark annually. Herbert Hoover is proud of the dam. As he once said, “This morning I came, I saw, and I was conquered, as everyone would be who sees for the first time this great feat of mankind” (Dunar 311). Herbert Hoover showed his respect to all of the workers that worked on the great wonder of the world.

Works Cited

Dunar, Andrew J., and Dennis McBride. Building Hoover Dam: An Oral History of the Great Depression. Reno, Nevada: University of Nevada Press, 1993.

Mann, Elizabeth. Hoover Dam. New York: Mikaya Press, 2001.

“Hoover Dam”. U.S. Department of the Interior. 1 May 2009. (14 Dec. 2009).