The Wonderful and Horrible History of The Hoover Dam

The Hoover Dam was built between 1931 and 1936 in the Black Canyon area in Nevada and Arizona. The engineering feat was achieved by the hard work of more than 5000 workers who risked their lives to build the dam to supply water and electricity to the rapidly growing western settlements of the U.S.

At the time of its completion, it was among the tallest dams in the world. It remains the largest concrete framework dam in the United States of America as a popular tourist attraction for people from all over the world. The dam receives over a million visitors annually while it continues to be an important water source for both Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

It also provides energy to more than 7 million people in the states of Arizona, California, and Nevada. The construction of Hoover Dam caused the deaths of 112 workers, a devastating toll that equals to almost two fatalities a month.

The first death at the dam was a surveyor who drowned on site while searching for the perfect spot for the dam, fifteen years later, this man’s son fell from an intake tower while he was working at the dam as an electrician.

This featured video from Concerning Reality presents the history of the dam from the political decision-making process in Congress to the completion of this engineering feat.

Via: Concerning Reality