The Hoover Dam

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that when America's leaders began to develop ideas for how best to tap into the natural resources in the vast, sprawling Western lands, they didn't shrink from thinking splendid thoughts on a grand, colossal scale, which resulted in the building of Hoover Dam. The paper details the history of how the mighty Colorado River, "America's most dangerous river," became the conduit for the annual production of 10 billion kilowatt-hours of electrical energy. The author believes that the story of how the Hoover Dam was built is a demonstration of how, today, jobs could be created, positive projects could be constructed, and the future could be made stronger and brighter.

Table of Contents
Thesis
Introduction
Background Colorado River Facts
The Early History of the River
Floods Create Havoc along the Southern Banks of the Colorado
Selecting a Site and Working out Water Rights for the Dam
Legal and Political Problems
The Hoover Dam Project Begins in Earnest
Living Conditions for the Workers
Deaths during Construction of Hoover Dam
The Specific Strategy to Tame the Colorado River
Specific Numbers and Data
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"The building of the dam was not only a much-needed flood control and electrical generating endeavor but also a job-producing project in the midst of the Great Depression. There were 5,218 men working on the dam at the peak of construction, men who desperately needed work in very rough economic times. With a monthly payroll of some $750,000, that worked out to around $145 per month per man. The men ate at a mess hall that fed 1,300 workers at a time. It cost each single man $1.60 per day for food, housing, and transportation to and from the dam site. For married men, the cost for a small, unfurnished house ran between $15 and $50 a month."

More papers on The Hoover Dam:

• Case Study # 65930 : "Civil Engineering: The Hoover Dam Project"
• Essay # 98184 : "Hoover Dam"
• Research Paper # 65833 : "China's Three Gorges Dam Project"

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