Bill always wanted to visit Hoover Dam so we did! Construction of Hoover Dam began in 1931 and the last concrete was poured in 1935, Even with the remote location and some of the harshest working conditions, the government's contractor - Six Companies, Inc.-completed the project two years ahead of schedule and well under budget! How often does that happen???
Looking down from the dam itself you can see the power plant to the lower left. The power plant wings were completed in 1936 and the first generator began operation in October of that year. The 17th and final generator went into commercial operation in 1961. Located in Black Canyon near Las Vegas, Nevada, the dam is one of America's Seven Modern Civil Engineering Wonders. You can also see the new bridge they are building over the canyon. The dam serves several purposes: flood control, irrigation of over 1 million acres of crop lands in the US and half a million acres in Mexico, domestic water needs of Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix, Tucson and other southwestern cities and Indian communities, generation of low-cost hydroelectric power for use in Nevada, Arizona, and California, and of course recreation.
Hoover Dam's reservoir, Lake Mead, is America's largest man made reservoir. It can store 28.5 million acre-feet (9.2 trillion gallons) of water, or nearly two years of the river's average annual flow. An acre-foot of water would cover a football field to a depth of one foot. The dam is 726 feet high, 1244 feet long, crest width 45 feet, base width 660 feet, and volume of concrete is 3.25 million cubic yards. The water level is very low as you can see from the white to black line on the rocks. If it falls another 11 feet it will be the lowest in history.
Of course, being only 20 or so miles from Las Vegas, we just had to see the city that never sleeps. This is a view of the famous "strip".
Not being gamblers, we did enjoy seeing the various casinos and shops. This is Treasure Island. I wonder how many hotel rooms there are in Vegas???
Everyone has heard of Siegfried and Roy and their animal act. Here is the tribute to them.
One of the most popular shows in Vegas is the famous Pirate ship battle. I caught this photo as it was "blown up".
We stayed late enough to see the city at night. It is a beautiful sight with all the lights. This is the outside of the "New York, New York" casino.
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