We had a dam good time.......but we had to leave Las Vegas to have it.

On Friday we walked over to the Treasure Island casino to pick up the bus to take us to the Hoover Dam. A few words of explanation.

1. The Hoover Dam was originally called Boulder Dam
2. It was started in 1931 and finished in 1935 at a cost of $165 million.
3. It was opened by President Roosevelt on 30th September 1935, the power plants being started a year later.
4. The Hoover Dam is not built in Boulder Canyon but in Black Canyon
5. The dam diverts the flow of the Colorado River and forms Lake Mead in front of the dam.
6. The Dam was built in the 1930's during the Great Depression. It was renamed by Congress in 1947 in honor of President Hoover the original architect of the idea.
7. The purpose of the dam is for flood control, improvement of navigation on the river, storage and delivery of water and the generation of hydro-electric power (4 billion Kw-hours per year).
8. The water from the dam irrigates 1.5 million acres of agricultural land in the south west of USA and Mexico.
9. The original cost of the dam and its continued operation are paid for by the sale of the electricity which is generated at the dam.
10. Some statistics: Height 726 feet, Width at top 1,244 feet, Width at base 660 feet. Construction 3.25 million cubic yards of concrete.

So we boarded the bus and were introduce to our congenial and voluble guide, Jason and the driver Robert. We then went to several other casino/hotels to pick up what ended up almost a full bus load. Some of these were seven Spanish ladies from Miami. A reputation had preceded them as they had been rather demanding of the booking staff. During the whole day they were persistently late for everything and seemed mainly uninteresting in what was being said and shown to them. It is mystery as to why they came in the first place, but whatever.

We drove out of town and through Boulder City, a small town which we would return to later. We stopped briefly at the Mike Callaghan & Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge which spans the Colorado River at the border of Nevada and Arizona. It is also interesting to note that there is a time zone change between the two States so one is one hour different on each side of the bridge.

The bridge viewed from the dam

We descended to the dam and Jason filled us with interesting facts about the construction and history of the dam. It was interesting to see how low Lake Mead was due to the drought which has affected the area for a long time.

Detail from the sculpture at the dam

The whole sculpture and monument 

You can see here the level of the water in Lake Mead compared with its maximum level.

MAC rubbing the feet of the statue for luck ???????

A zodiac shows MAC's birth sign.

We joined the Federal Bureau of Reclamation guide to see the power plant which is many feet below the ground level. We squeezed into an elevator and descended down to the level where we could see the generators.

One of the huge tunnels supplying water to the turbines

The generators and the lower photo is one of the large commutators which has been extracted for repairs.

A view looking down from the top of the dam

The downstream dam face

A diorama of the process of pouring concrete

A statue showing how the workers abseiled down the face of the dam when constructing it. In the back ground is a huge crane used to lower heavy equipment.

The construction of the dam was a monumental achievement but it was not without its human price. Many workers died or were seriously injured during the construction period, many were not compensated for this. Working conditions, especially during the summer time were grueling. A strike did occur against the conditions but it was not very successful immediately, although gradually things did change for the better and unions started to be allowed.

Black workers were largely excluded from the work although some native American workers did work on the dam. Some very innovative methods were used to speed construction, for example the placing of refrigeration pipes in the setting concrete to help the concrete to set and disperse the heat generated in the setting process. The dam was completed both ahead of schedule and under budget. Workers were housed, with their families in so called 'dingbat houses' in Boulder City, which were crudely constructed houses which it was said, "...only a dingbat would live in". Only one of these is left intact.

After we left the dam, we re-joined the bus and visited a small museum situated in the Boulder City Hotel. This museum contained much useful and interesting data and exhibits on the construction of the dam and specially on the social aspects of the workers and their families. 

From the Boulder City Hotel Museum, tools used by workers and a quote from the Project Manager, Frank Crowe.

Information about the dam construction concerning 'dingbat houses and the escapades of the children of the workers

A primitive washing machine which was available for rent.

The reception area of the Boulder City Hotel

Our time there was short and we could probably have spent longer there. As we left, it had started to rain!! In the desert!!

After the museum visit, we went to lunch at a small restaurant close by.

Our last stop, after lunch was at a chocolate making factory where we could gorge ourselves at the gift shop. It also had an M & M's store attached.

Then it was back to Las Vegas and dropping off our fellow travelers at three casinos.