Hoover Dam
Located in the middle of America’s Southwest desert, seven hundred feet high, weighing 6,6 million tons and creating a huge lake, stands Hoover dam, which is impressive creation. Ironically it is fitted in the most dry place on earth, in Nevada’s desert nearby Las vegas. Building the Hoover dam was the largest government project ever attempted. Hoover dam had to provide: fluid control, irrigation, drinking water and electricity. Without controlling the river Colorado into Hoover dam there would not be any possibility to build up cities like Las vegas. Hoover dam is one of the primary attractions for the visitors Las vegas from the whole world. More than one million tourists per year come here to see the spectacular piece of human work. The river Colorado is the same river, which carves the worldwide famous natural sight the Grand Canyon. The watercourse is 14 hundred miles long and it flows through seven states: Wyoiming, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, California, Arizona and New Mexico. The river ends into the Gulf of California. Robet Walsh from Bureau of Reclamation says, that the early settlers who were trying to build up their own economy were ruined in the spring, because of the flood, which had been caused by melting tons of snow in Rocky Mountains and in the summer when the farmers really need the water they could not get enough to irrigating. So they had to take the control over the devastating river and the first idea about dam was born. In the beginning of 20th century private company constructed a canal system to deliver water into Imperial Valley in Southern California and it was a major success The harvest was enormous and thousands of people moved into Imperial Valley with dreams but it soon changed into nightmare. After several years of prosperity appeared unpredictable huge flood which ruined everything. The problem was, that the canal system had not been very well engineering work. It destroyed everything. After this disaster the US Bureau of Reclamation set the study about the proper dam in motion, but from the site of Arizona was a disagreement. They believed, that Nevada want to steal them all the water, so in 1922, president of United States, Herbert Hoover developed a Colorado river contract between the seven states.
When the plans are done, a lot of people moved to Las vegas because of the job opportunity, because at that time had been despaired employment situation and the building would employ thousands of labors. Several months earlier there had not been anything and thanks to Hoover dam project there arised literally new town, Boulder City, with all requirements like electricity and sewerage, Churches, Police department etc. Finally won the government contract six companies with the lowest bid and the development started. The labors had no machines and they had to work 24 hour, 7 days a week to keep the progress in schedule. This unbelievable hectic pace took its taxes. 112 people lost their lives. Ironically the first and last killed men were father and his son. To make live more pleasant, the workers between shifts drove to Las vegas, to get some entertainment, gambling and alcohol, which was in Boulder City prohibited. “The Boulder City was a peaceful heaven, offering no criminality and full belly. “ Says one of the residents. The cafeteria produced 6000 meals a day. But in Boulder City could not live everybody. The minority of black people, who worked on Hoover dam must not stay in the town. Until 1933, when the rules changed and black workers could live there. Along the time the dam was growing and the rough construction was done, everybody realized, that it is not only great, efficient, multipurpose dam, but also beautiful architecture masterpiece. By the summer 1935 the men of Boulder Canyon accomplished something amazing two years ahead the schedule and under budged. It took 6 years to Lake Mead have reached maximum capacity. Lake Mead is the largest man-made reservoir in the country.