A US landmark: The Hoover Dam
Liz Price
BLACK CANYON, COLORADO
Sunday, November 25, 2007
HOOVER DAM straddles the Black Canyon of the Colorado River in the United States. During its construction, the Hoover Dam, also known as Boulder Dam, was considered to be a monolithic project built in the midst of adverse conditions. It was built during the Depression. The "Great Depression" was a decade of unemployment, low profits, low prices, high poverty and stagnant trade that affected the entire world in the 1930s.
Our spirits were definitely not depressed as we drove there. Leaving glitzy Las Vegas it was a pleasure to see breathtaking views of Lake Mead and the Colorado River. It was quite a dramatic drive as we went through Boulder City and came over a rise, and Lake Mead suddenly appeared spread out in front of us. It was a beautiful sight.
Lake Mead is the largest man-made lake and reservoir in the United States. It is located on the Colorado River about 48km southeast of Las Vegas, in the states of Nevada and Arizona. Formed by water impounded by Hoover Dam, it extends 180km behind the dam.
Over the decades thousands of men and their families came to tame the Colorado River. It took less than five years, in a harsh and barren land, to build the largest dam of its time. Now, years later, Hoover Dam still stands as a world-renowned structure. But the history of the river exploration goes back much further.
In 1540 Alarcon discovered the Colorado River and explored its lower reaches. It was only in 1776 that the upper Colorado and its tributaries were explored. Then in 1857 Lt J C Ives navigated the Colorado River and in his steamboat The Explorer, reached the end of Black Canyon.
The dam is named after President Herbert Hoover, who played an instrumental role in its construction. Construction began in 1932 and was completed in 1935, more than two years ahead of schedule. By 1935 the dam started impounding water in Lake Mead. The first generator began operation in 1936 and others followed over the next few years. With Lake Mead full of water, by 1939 the Hoover power plant was the largest hydroelectric facility in the world. A year later the Colorado River Aqueduct was tested. This conveyed water away from the river to places where it was needed.
It's hard to imagine that Lake Mead is 580 feet deep and 75km long. It supplies most of the water for the city of Las Vegas. Lake Mead is named after Elwood Mead, who oversaw the construction of the dam. There are even several small islands in the lake, depending on the water level. Today it is a popular recreation area, especially for boating, as well as fishing, water skiing and swimming. And of course you can go rafting down the Colorado River.
The river is 2,330km long. There are several dams on its lower course. However, before it reaches the Hoover Dam, it flows through the Grand Canyon which itself if 446km long.
Highway US Route 93 crosses Hoover Dam. When we arrived at the dam we found a massive 5 storey parking structure. Having parked our rental car, we took the lift to the walkway leading to the new visitor center.
We ate ice cream sitting on the wall of the dam, absorbing the fact that this concrete structure was holding back a mighty river. We debated whether to go on a tour of the dam, but decided against it. Having read that it is visited by 2,000 to 3,000 people daily, we were unsure whether we wanted to be herded around in a tour group. However, it does provide a chance to get up close and personal with the dam.
On the tour you can view the power plant generators. The power installation at Hoover Dam was complete by 1961. Large elevators take you 500 feet down into the wall of Black Canyon, then you walk through a 250 feet long tunnel drilled out of rock, and view the 650 feet long Nevada wing of the power plant and its eight huge generators.
The Dam is a National Historic Landmark and has been rated by the American Society of Civil Engineers as one of America's Seven Modern Civil Engineering Wonders. Even without doing the tour we were still very impressed by the sheer scale of the dam, knowing how difficult it must have been to construct 75 years ago. It really is an achievement to be proud of.The Brunei Times
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Source URL:
http://www.bt.com.bn/en/en/travel/2007/11/25/a_us_landmark_the_hoover_dam
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