Author Description

Throughout human history, mankind has built monuments to its ingenuity and skill. In Egypt it was the Pyramids. Rome, built the Colosseum. The Greeks built the Acropolis. The great cathedrals of Europe raised the skills of their builders to unequalled heights, creating awe-inspiring structures. In the Americas, the cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde and the high mountain city of Machu Picchu speak to the skill and ingenuity of their builders. In the modern era, it's buildings that reach near half a mile into the sky, bridges that stretch enormous distances in a single span, and machines that extend mankind's reach far into space. One monument that must surely be counted among the great achievements of mankind is Hoover Dam. Hoover Dam and Lake Mead are located in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River about 35 miles southeast of Las Vegas, Nevada. Located on the Arizona-Nevada State line, the dam and reservoir are in the counties of Mohave, in Arizona, and Clark, in Nevada. The Colorado River Basin is an area of over 242,000 square miles that includes parts of California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming. The basin also includes some 2,000 square miles in Mexico. The Colorado River itself originates in the high mountains of Colorado and flows 1,400 miles to the Gulf of California. Along the way, it gathers the waters of several major rivers including the Gunnison River in Colorado, the Green and San Juan Rivers in Utah, the Little Colorado and Gila Rivers in Arizona, and the Virgin River in Nevada. In all, some 15,000,000 acre feet (af) of water annually flows down the Colorado River on its journey to the Gulf of California. Hoover Dam * Location * Historic Setting * Authorization * Construction History * Investigations * Design * Construction * Boulder City and Pre-Construction Activities * Hoover Dam * Post Construction History * Settlement of Project Lands * Uses of Project Water * Conclusion * About Wm. Joe Simonds * Bibliography * Archival an