Confessions of an RVer: HOOVER DAM

Hoover Dam is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between Nevada and Arizona. It was constructed between 1931 and 1936 during the Great Depression and was dedicated on September 30, 1935, by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Originally known as Boulder Dam from 1933, it was officially renamed Hoover Dam by a joint resolution of Congress in 1947. Its construction was the result of a massive effort involving thousands of workers, and cost over one hundred lives. The dam was named after President Herbert Hoover. Hoover was the Secretary of the Interior and the head of planning when the dam was being built.

Since about 1900, the Black Canyon and nearby Boulder Canyon had been investigated for their potential to support a dam that would control floods, provide irrigation water and produce hydroelectric power. In 1928, Congress authorized the project. The winning bid to build the dam was submitted by a consortium called Six Companies, Inc., which began construction on the dam in early 1931. Such a large concrete structure had never been built before, and some of the techniques were unproven. The torrid summer weather and lack of facilities near the site also presented difficulties. Nevertheless, Six Companies turned over the dam to the federal government on March 1, 1936, more than two years ahead of schedule.

Hoover Dam impounds Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the United States by volume (when it is full). The dam is located near Boulder City, Nevada, a municipality originally constructed for workers on the construction project, about 30 miles southeast of Las Vegas, Nevada. The dam's generators provide power for public and private utilities in Nevada, Arizona, and California. Hoover Dam is a major tourist attraction; nearly a million people tour the dam each year.

Hoover Dam opened for tours in 1937 after its completion, but following Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, it was closed to the public when the United States entered World War II, during which only authorized traffic, in convoys, was permitted. After the war, it reopened September 2, 1945, and by 1953, annual attendance had risen to 448,081. The dam closed on November 25, 1963 and March 31, 1969, days of mourning in remembrance of Presidents Kennedy and Eisenhower. In 1995, a new visitors' center was built, and the following year, visits exceeded one million for the first time. The dam closed again to the public on September 11, 2001; modified tours were resumed in December and a new "Discovery Tour" was added the following year.Today, nearly a million people per year take the tours of the dam offered by the Bureau of Reclamation. Increased security concerns by the government have led to most of the interior structure being inaccessible to tourists.

We got there around 10:30 and bought tickets for the 1:00 tour. As we entered, we were asked to pull over to a lane where security officers were standing. We have a pick-up truck with a cover on the back and Mr. W had to open the cover. You also have to go through a security check much like the airport as you enter the building. Security is tight. It was spring break for the area and there were kids everywhere. We did the "Dam Tour" which was $30 pp, but we figured this was probably the only time we would be visiting Hoover Dam so we might as well do the tour. You can do just the Power Plant tour and actually reserve your time and buy your tickets ahead of time. But, the Dam Tour cannot be reserved ahead of time.

They allow about 20 people on each tour and as you ride the elevator to the middle of the dam, you are packed in on top of each other. Don't go if you are claustrophobic or if you have a problem being up close and personal with a bunch of strangers.

Our tour guide was a young man, but he had studied up on the dam and was very knowledgeable and informative. It takes about an hour to do the complete tour.

The Visitor's Center

Part of the Power Plant

The generators on the Nevada side

The tunnel built for tourists

The grates in the center had to be concreted in because back in the 30s, women dressed up to tour the dam. Their high heels kept getting caught in the grates.