Built in the depths of the Great Depression, the Hoover Dam rises over 700 feet along the canyon walls of the Colorado River. Originally named the Boulder Dam and officially begun in 1933 after decades of contentious debate over the feasibility of such an ambitious project, the dam opened in 1936 as the largest hydroelectric facility in the world. Responsible for powering cities all throughout the southwestern United States, as well as controlling water for flood mitigation and agricultural use, the engineering and architectural wonder has attracted nearly a million tourists a year and stands as a testament to the capacity of a nation that commits itself to great works that they are possible if the will exists.
New: Hard Copies of Exit Strategy now Available!
— References —
– The History of Large Federal Dams, Billington (2005) – https://www.nwcbooks.com/download/the-history-of-large-federal-dams/
– Colossus: Hoover Dam and the Making of the American Century, Hiltzik (2010)
– 2009 Sayano-Shushenskaya power station accident – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Sayano-Shushenskaya_power_station_accident
– Workers’ Strike at Hoover Dam, American Experience – http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/hoover-workers-strike/
– great depression episodes
– wet works episode
– We Build the Wall – https://webuildthewall.us/
If pessimism is despair, optimism is cowardice and stupidity. -Francis Parker Yockey
