Hoover Dam

I can feel the hot desert sun on my concrete skin and the deep, steady rumble of water moving within me. I stand between the dark, rocky walls of Black Canyon, holding back a vast, sparkling blue lake that stretches out behind me for miles. I am a giant, curved wall, taller than a 60-story building, and I was made with enough concrete to build a road all the way from California to New York. For many years, I have watched the sun rise and set over this canyon, a silent guardian of the river. I am the Hoover Dam.

Before I existed, the river I hold back, the mighty Colorado River, was powerful and wild. It was a lifeline for the desert, but it was also unpredictable. Some years, heavy snows in the mountains would melt and send a raging flood down the canyon, washing away farms and homes. Other years were so dry that the river would shrink, leaving people in the growing cities and farms of the American Southwest without enough water to drink or grow food. People needed a reliable source of water and electricity to live and thrive in this harsh landscape. So, they came up with a very big idea. On December 21st, 1928, the United States government passed a law called the Boulder Canyon Project Act. This was the grand plan to tame the wild river and put its incredible power to good use by building me.

My construction began on April 20th, 1931. This was during a difficult time in America called the Great Depression, when many people didn't have jobs. Building me was a huge challenge that gave thousands of families hope and a way to earn a living. The work was incredibly hard. Imagine building something so enormous in a remote desert canyon where summer temperatures could be dangerously hot. Brilliant engineers drew up the plans, but it was the brave workers who made me real. They worked day and night, pouring my concrete block by massive block. But before they could even start on me, they had to do something amazing. They carved four giant tunnels, each as wide as a four-lane highway, right through the solid rock of the canyon walls. These tunnels were needed to divert the entire Colorado River around the worksite so they could build my foundation on the dry riverbed. On September 30th, 1935, even before I was completely finished, President Franklin D. Roosevelt came to visit. He stood before my towering face and dedicated me, calling me a great achievement of the American people.

By March 1st, 1936, I was finally complete and ready to begin my life's work. I have two very important jobs. My first job is to hold back the Colorado River, and in doing so, I created the beautiful Lake Mead. This massive lake is a reservoir, a place where water is stored. It provides a steady supply of water for millions of people in the states of Nevada, Arizona, and California, helping turn desert lands into productive farms and bustling cities. My second job is to make electricity. The water from Lake Mead flows through giant pipes deep inside me. The force of the water spins enormous machines called turbines, and these turbines generate clean hydroelectric power. This electricity travels through wires for hundreds of miles, lighting up homes and powering communities. Though many people called me the Boulder Dam at first, my official name became the Hoover Dam on April 30th, 1947. I am a helper, providing two of the most important things people need: water and energy.

Today, I am proud to be a National Historic Landmark. Every year, millions of people from all over the world come to visit me. They walk across my top, look down at my dizzying height, and learn about the incredible effort it took to build me. I am proud that I am still doing my jobs every single day, just as I was designed to do so many years ago. I stand as a reminder for the future. I show that when people work together with big ideas, courage, and a lot of determination, they can solve huge problems. They can build amazing things that help others and last for many, many generations to come.