Hoover Dam Tours
Hoover Dam (sometimes cited as Boulder Dam) is a concrete gravity-arch dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between Arizona and Nevada. The dam, located 30 miles (46 kilometers) southeast of Las Vegas, is named after Herbert Hoover, who played an instrumental role in its construction, first as Secretary of Commerce and then later as President of the United States. Hoover Dam was built by Six Companies, Inc., under Frank Crowe. Construction began in 1931 and was completed in 1935; two years ahead of schedule and under budget.
The primary purpose of building Hoover Dam was to control the erratic and unpredictable flooding and drought conditions of the Imperial Valley in California by regulating the flow of water using Lake Mead as a reservoir. Hydroelectricity was only a secondary objective but has paid off the dam's $175 million price tag 20 times over.
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