Hoover Dam

The Hoover Dam was proposed in 1918 in order to manage flooding in the lower Colorado River basin, provide water to irrigate farm fields in California, and generate hydroelectric power. The Bureau of Reclamation's plan was approved by President Herbert Hoover shortly before the stock market crash of 1929. As the depression deepened, people flocked to the dam site looking for jobs. Upwards of 1,500 lived in Ragtown, a shanty village of cardboard and tin huts. Construction began in 1931 and was scheduled to take four years to complete. Department of Interior Harold Ickes allocated an additional $38 million of Public Works Administration funds to hasten completion of the dam and to inject more federal dollars faster into the local economy. The dam was completed two years ahead of schedule in 1936. The arched concrete structure is designed to hold back the enormous weight of the water. Today the dam produces sufficient electricity to power western Arizona, southern Nevada and southern California. The impounded water created Lake Mead, the first national recreational area