Hoover Dam

The best part of our trip to Las Vegas was the Hoover Dam. I was surprised to be so impressed. The dam is 726 feet high and 1244 feet wide at the top. It was built 1931 - 1935.

I was glad to get to drive across it. In a few years a bridge to bypass it will be complete and traffic will no longer be allowed on the dam itself.

The bypass is being built to save wear on the dam and for security reasons. Homeland Security now conducts vehicle inspections on the Arizona and Nevada sides before they cross over the dam.

Hoover Dam blocks the Colorado River to form Lake Meade.

It controls water flow for states throughout the Southwest.

It generates power for millions in this desert clime.

Lake Meade creates a wonderful recreation area. It draws thousands of new people to the Southwest. In the last 5 years, Meade has dropped 20 feet. How long can the limited water source support unbridled growth?

This sculpture, "The High Scaler" commemorates the thousands of men who worked on the project in the depths of the Depression, often for as little as 50 cents an hour.

Also honored are the many who died during the construction.