Hoover Dam - 29th December 2013

The Hoover Dam, once known as Boulder Dam, is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the US states of Arizona and Nevada. It was constructed between 1931 and 1936 during the Great Depression and was dedicated on September 30, 1935, by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Its construction was the result of a massive effort involving thousands of workers, and cost over one hundred lives. The dam was controversially named after President Herbert Hoover.

Hoover Dam has Lake Mead on the upper side, the largest reservoir in the United States by volume. The dam is located near Boulder City, Nevada, a city originally constructed for workers on the construction project, about 25 mi (40 km) southeast of Las Vegas, Nevada. During construction the the city imposed a ban on Gambling and Alcohol, so all construction workers would travel to Las Vegas for this form of entertainment. This situation was the foundation of the Las Vegas we know today. Boulder city still has a ban on gambling, however they did remove the ban on alcohol. The dam generates enough electricity for public and private utilities in Nevada, Arizona, and California.

Sunset over Boulder City