Towering 726 feet above the Colorado River, the Hoover Dam is an engineering marvel. Its namesake, President Herbert Hoover, described the dam as "the greatest engineering work of its character ever attempted by the hand of man."

First conceived in the 1920s, the U.S. government began planning to dam the Colorado River near Boulder Canyon as a way to control flooding in Imperial Valley but eventually moved the project to Black Canyon because the new site provided greater control of water downriver from the dam. At that time, the proposed dam represented the largest American public works project in the country's history.

Construction began in 1931 during the height of the Great Depression and thousands of workers from all over the world flocked to the site looking for work.

The project offered one of the highest paying construction jobs in the nation. The ambitious construction schedule created demanding deadlines in the hot and rugged environment, but workers tolerated these conditions for steady employment.

Despite complaints, the dangerous conditions and fast-paced construction continued. As a result, 96 workers lost their lives before completion of $49 million dollar project. However, despite the popular myth, the gradual cement-pouring techniques made it impossible to bury a person in concrete.

Race relations also caused tensions during the process as many questioned the seemingly intentional exclusion of minorities from the project and the unfair treatment of those hired.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated the structure as the Boulder Dam in 1935, a full year before its planned completion. A that time, the dam was the largest hydroelectric plant and the largest concrete structure in the world, a distinction held until the completion of the Grand Coulee Dam ten years later.

In 1947, Congress renamed the dam in honor of the 31st president. Then, in 1985, the U.S. government designated the site a National Historic Landmark.

Today, the dam serves multiple functions, providing flood control, hydroelectric power, drinking water, and irrigation control to surrounding regions, as well as welcoming over 7 million visitors per year.

Credits and Sources:

Podcast Written and Narrated by Wes Meis, Public History Student at the University of West Florida.