HOOVER DAM is one of the great engineering marvels of the world and a must-see side trip if you are visiting Las Vegas. Hoover Dam is on the Colorado river, about 30 miles from Las Vegas, and forms the 247 square-mile Lake Mead, a glittering jewel in the desert. Trivia: How far away are Hoover Dam and Boulder Dam from each other? Answer: Zero, Boulder Dam was the "working" name for the project. It's final name was Hoover Dam, after the President who was in office at the time! Hoover Dam was under construction from 1932 to 1935. We had just spent two nights in Zion National Park, zipped back through Vegas and went on over through Boulder City and on to Hoover Dam. Click on the pictures below for larger images. |
The scenic overlook on the way to Lake Mead. The lake began to form in 1934,
and was finally first filled to capacity in 1941. |
A good view of the dam from my private helicopter. (Not really, it's a postcard.
Actually, it's hard to stand back far enough on the ground to get a good
picture of this massive structure!) |
The upper picture is the top of the dam, looking from the Nevada side toward Arizona.
What are all those cars doing on top of the dam? Actually, the
top of the dam is part of U.S. highway 93, and consequently carries a lot of traffic.
There is talk of building a separate bridge just downriver from the
dam. That would be a major effort, as you can see from the view downriver
in the next picture. This is some really rough country! |
Back in Vegas! |
The twin intake towers that drain water from Lake Mead into the massive turbine generators
inside the dam. |
This plaque honors those who died during construction of the dam (about 100 people).
Contrary to legend, no one is buried within the tons of concrete that
make up Hoover Dam! |
