The Hoover Dam was an engineering marvel of its time period. This project was one of the largest construction projects ever attempted in the U. S. history. The original purpose of the dam was for irrigation, water supply, flood control, and hydroelectric production. The dam project was interesting to study because of the history involved, the construction phase, and the different benefits to the country.
During the early 1900’s, the U.S. bureau of Reclamation wanted to find a way to help develop the growing region in the southwest. They needed to find a way to provide water and power to the deserts of the Arizona and Nevada border. The plan was to dam the mighty colorado river near Boulder canyon. Due to water rights problems, multiple …show more content…
The cost of the project was so much that six companies had to form a group to work together. “On July 3, 1930, Congress appropriated $10,666,000 for the first phase of the Boulder Canyon Project” ( Lusted 10 ). The total cost of the 60 story arch dam was nearly 50 million dollars. The construction of the dam began during the Great depression of the 1930’s. Many workers needed jobs and came to the desert looking for work. Boulder City, Nevada was created 6 miles from the dam and was the home to the workers. The first step to build the dam was to find a way to divert the river around the dam site. The workers blasted the canyon walls and built tunnels for the river to go through around the building area. The next step was to clear the canyon walls so they could hold the dam. The construction was very dangerous because of the height of the dam and over one hundred workers died from falls. The construction work was dangerous and there were several worker strikes because of the harsh conditions. Innovation was needed to get the large amount of concrete to the dam and to make it harden correctly. The engineers used a system of pouring concrete into individual blocks and then cooling with river water to make them hard. The dam was build block by block over five years. While the dam was being built, the powerplant was also built to produce the hydropower which was suppose to pay for the construction costs over time. Once finished the workers used over 6 million cubic yards of concrete and millions of pounds of steel. The final block of concrete was put into place at 726 feet above the canyon floor in 1935. On September 30, 1935, President Franklin Roosevelt dedicated the dam. There was controversy about the name, some said Boulder dam and some said Hoover dam. It officially became Hoover dam in 1947 when approved by the president of the time, Harry Truman. The construction work changed the way other projects were
During the early 1900’s, the U.S. bureau of Reclamation wanted to find a way to help develop the growing region in the southwest. They needed to find a way to provide water and power to the deserts of the Arizona and Nevada border. The plan was to dam the mighty colorado river near Boulder canyon. Due to water rights problems, multiple …show more content…
The cost of the project was so much that six companies had to form a group to work together. “On July 3, 1930, Congress appropriated $10,666,000 for the first phase of the Boulder Canyon Project” ( Lusted 10 ). The total cost of the 60 story arch dam was nearly 50 million dollars. The construction of the dam began during the Great depression of the 1930’s. Many workers needed jobs and came to the desert looking for work. Boulder City, Nevada was created 6 miles from the dam and was the home to the workers. The first step to build the dam was to find a way to divert the river around the dam site. The workers blasted the canyon walls and built tunnels for the river to go through around the building area. The next step was to clear the canyon walls so they could hold the dam. The construction was very dangerous because of the height of the dam and over one hundred workers died from falls. The construction work was dangerous and there were several worker strikes because of the harsh conditions. Innovation was needed to get the large amount of concrete to the dam and to make it harden correctly. The engineers used a system of pouring concrete into individual blocks and then cooling with river water to make them hard. The dam was build block by block over five years. While the dam was being built, the powerplant was also built to produce the hydropower which was suppose to pay for the construction costs over time. Once finished the workers used over 6 million cubic yards of concrete and millions of pounds of steel. The final block of concrete was put into place at 726 feet above the canyon floor in 1935. On September 30, 1935, President Franklin Roosevelt dedicated the dam. There was controversy about the name, some said Boulder dam and some said Hoover dam. It officially became Hoover dam in 1947 when approved by the president of the time, Harry Truman. The construction work changed the way other projects were