Most people think about Las Vegas when they hear “Nevada”, but Nevada is much more than gambling and nights that turn into mornings. There are tons of outdoor activities to partake in, including visiting the Hoover Dam! The Hoover Dam is definitely worth learning about, so keep reading to learn its history, how it works, and what it is used for.
Back in March, my husband Matt and I took a long weekend trip to Las Vegas. As this was our 5th or 6th trip to Vegas, we decided to venture out a bit this time. My favorite experience was a day trip with Pink Jeep Tour to the Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam. We covered both in one long day. I already wrote about the Grand Canyon, and you can read all about it here. I loved the Grand Canyon, it is breathtakingly beautiful. But for Matt, his favorite part of the day was the time spent learning about the Hoover Dam.
On our stop at the Hoover Dam, we first drove around to see the actual dam from the outside, then we went into the dam to see how it works. It was really fascinating to actually see it. Here’s a bit of history on the Hoover Dam. In the early 1900s, farmers recognized the need for more water to the budding Southwest, and built canals to deliver the water. After a bit of time passed, the Colorado River busted through those canals, and the work to control the river was no longer in the farmers’ hands! The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation recognized the need to keep the Colorado River back a bit, and also to generate water and hydroelectric power for the Southwest. (At that time, the Southwest was developing pretty quickly, and they knew more energy sources were needed as well.) Construction workers went to work right away, but were met with many challenges trying to build this dam on the border of Arizona and Nevada. Some of the tunnels were filled with carbon monoxide, and the laborers had to hang from 800-feet high to clear out canyon walls. The work seemed impossible at times, but they were determined to complete this dam that was the largest in the WORLD at that time! Fast forward a few years, and despite the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation switching presidents, and working through the Great Depression, this concrete arch-gravity dam was built bordering Nevada and Arizona to provide a way for the Colorado River to flow to Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, California and Nevada!
When I think of a dam, I think of how the beaver puts up all the wood to hold up a place in the water. The Hoover Dam is so much more than that! The technical name is the concrete arch-gravity retaining wall. There are 2 penstocks on either side of the Colorado River. Water flows through them to get to the turbines. The force of the water on the turbine makes a rotor turn. (The rotor is a bunch of magnets together.) This creates a magnetic field, and produces electricity. This amazing process was discovered by Michael Faraday in 1831.
The Hoover Dam is not only used to control some of the flow of the Colorado River, but also to bring power to SEVEN Southwest states!
If you are on a summer road trip, be sure to add the Hoover Dam to your itinerary. The landscape is beautiful, and it’s a great history lesson for all ages.
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I didn’t know that the Hoover Dam was along the way to the Grand Canyon! That is good to know because we’re planning out our trip now. I have never been to either, but I would love to experience both in my lifetime soon.