1930 : Building of Hoover Dam begins
On this day in 1930, construction of the Hoover Dam begins. Over the
next five years, a total of 21,000 men would work ceaselessly to
produce what would be the largest dam of its time, as well as one of
the largest manmade structures in the world.
Although the dam would take only five years to build, its construction
was nearly 30 years in the making. Arthur Powell Davis, an engineer
from the Bureau of Reclamation, originally had his vision for the
Hoover Dam back in 1902, and his engineering report on the topic
became the guiding document when plans were finally made to begin the
dam in 1922.
Herbert Hoover, the 31st president of the United States and a
committed conservationist, played a crucial role in making Davis'
vision a reality. As secretary of commerce in 1921, Hoover devoted
himself to the erection of a high dam in Boulder Canyon, Colorado. The
dam would provide essential flood control, which would prevent damage
to downstream farming communities that suffered each year when snow
from the Rocky Mountains melted and joined the Colorado River.
Further, the dam would allow the expansion of irrigated farming in the
desert, and would provide a dependable supply of water for Los Angeles
and other southern California communities.
Even with Hoover's exuberant backing and a regional consensus around
the need to build the dam, Congressional approval and individual state
cooperation were slow in coming. For many years, water rights had been
a source of contention among the western states that had claims on the
Colorado River. To address this issue, Hoover negotiated the Colorado
River Compact, which broke the river basin into two regions with the
water divided between them. Hoover then had to introduce and
re-introduce the bill to build the dam several times over the next few
years before the House and Senate finally approved the bill in 1928.
In 1929, Hoover, now president, signed the Colorado River Compact into
law, claiming it was "the most extensive action ever taken by a group
of states under the provisions of the Constitution permitting compacts
between states."
Once preparations were made, the Hoover Dam's construction sprinted
forward: The contractors finished their work two years ahead of
schedule and millions of dollars under budget. Today, the Hoover Dam
is the second highest dam in the country and the 18th highest in the
world. It generates enough energy each year to serve over a million
people, and stands, in Hoover Dam artist Oskar Hansen's words, as "a
monument to collective genius exerting itself in community efforts
around a common need or ideal."
history.com/tdih.do
1797 : The impeachment of Senator Blount
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5157
1941 : U.S. occupies Iceland
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5158
1976 : Female cadets enrolled at West Point
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5159
1981 : O'Connor nominated to Supreme Court
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=6951
2005 : Terrorists attack London transit system at rush hour
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5160
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On this day in 1930, construction of the Hoover Dam begins. Over the
next five years, a total of 21,000 men would work ceaselessly to
produce what would be the largest dam of its time, as well as one of
the largest manmade structures in the world.
Although the dam would take only five years to build, its construction
was nearly 30 years in the making. Arthur Powell Davis, an engineer
from the Bureau of Reclamation, originally had his vision for the
Hoover Dam back in 1902, and his engineering report on the topic
became the guiding document when plans were finally made to begin the
dam in 1922.
Herbert Hoover, the 31st president of the United States and a
committed conservationist, played a crucial role in making Davis'
vision a reality. As secretary of commerce in 1921, Hoover devoted
himself to the erection of a high dam in Boulder Canyon, Colorado. The
dam would provide essential flood control, which would prevent damage
to downstream farming communities that suffered each year when snow
from the Rocky Mountains melted and joined the Colorado River.
Further, the dam would allow the expansion of irrigated farming in the
desert, and would provide a dependable supply of water for Los Angeles
and other southern California communities.
Even with Hoover's exuberant backing and a regional consensus around
the need to build the dam, Congressional approval and individual state
cooperation were slow in coming. For many years, water rights had been
a source of contention among the western states that had claims on the
Colorado River. To address this issue, Hoover negotiated the Colorado
River Compact, which broke the river basin into two regions with the
water divided between them. Hoover then had to introduce and
re-introduce the bill to build the dam several times over the next few
years before the House and Senate finally approved the bill in 1928.
In 1929, Hoover, now president, signed the Colorado River Compact into
law, claiming it was "the most extensive action ever taken by a group
of states under the provisions of the Constitution permitting compacts
between states."
Once preparations were made, the Hoover Dam's construction sprinted
forward: The contractors finished their work two years ahead of
schedule and millions of dollars under budget. Today, the Hoover Dam
is the second highest dam in the country and the 18th highest in the
world. It generates enough energy each year to serve over a million
people, and stands, in Hoover Dam artist Oskar Hansen's words, as "a
monument to collective genius exerting itself in community efforts
around a common need or ideal."
history.com/tdih.do
1797 : The impeachment of Senator Blount
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5157
1941 : U.S. occupies Iceland
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5158
1976 : Female cadets enrolled at West Point
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5159
1981 : O'Connor nominated to Supreme Court
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=6951
2005 : Terrorists attack London transit system at rush hour
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5160
#########################################
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