Look for the drills (they look a little like machine guns). Describe the setting in these images. (Bureau of Reclamation; Ben Glaha, photographer). The short answer: no, yes, further than you think, a half-day, yes. The engineering might of Hoover dam undoubtably reshaped Americas story, harnessing a raucous river to help carve huge cities and vast fields of crops into unforgiving terrain. And this picture is true on different scales in regard to the thousands of projects undertaken by the Federal Government, by the States and by the counties and municipalities in recent years. Access control Brent Gunderson, regional security manager of the lower Colorado river region, worked at the Hoover Dam for four years and managed the police force. Dams play a vital role in the nation's overall infrastructure. LESSON NO. These are scenarios that arent necessarily where we expect to be in our models, said Bernardo, whose work helps deliver a reliable level of water to thirsty western states. Hoover Dam is located approximately 30 miles southeast of Las Vegas, on the Nevada-Arizona border. That is why I have the right once more to congratulate you who have built Boulder Dam and on behalf of the Nation to say to you, "Well done." All these dimensions are superlative. Take a canyonAny canyon several blocks deep, with a good sized river running through it, will do. One of the definitions of the word "reclamation" is "the recovery of a wasteland or of flooded land so it can be cultivated." 4. Where does it end? The wellspring of Lake Mead created by the dams blocking of the Colorado River has plummeted to a historic low as states in the west face hefty cuts in their water supplies. Over the next 20 years, Congress spent over $10 million trying to protect Imperial Valley farmers from floods. Based on the size of the people in the image, how big do you think these shovels were? Standard D - The student identifies and uses processes important to reconstructing and reinterpreting the past, such as using a variety of sources, providing, validating, and weighing evidence for claims, checking credibility of sources, and searching for causality. Why do you think Six Companies developed this process? Ask them to compare and contrast these difficulties with the ones the builders of Hoover Dam faced. Then ask them to imagine what it might have been like to have that job at Hoover Dam. Private businesses may have built some of the dams, power plants, or other such facilities, but they do not fit the definition of "public works" given here. Download the official NPS app before your next visit. The New Deal was famous for using public works projects to put Americans back to work. It provides water and hydroelectric power to millions of households in Nevada, Arizona and California, while controlling the . Hoover Dam is one of its Wonders of the World. The website also includes an educators' guide, with hands-on activities. #4 - Las Vegas, NV - stay in the heart of it all for the casinos, shows and nightlife, then, take a tour of the Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon for memories that last a . Boulder Dam is a splendid symbol of that principle. 6 It was the highest dam in the world when it was completed in 1935. This image shows three views of the dam. Hoover Dam was the first man-made structure to exceed the masonry mass of the Great Pyramid of Giza. 5. In addition to directions and information about touring the dam, it includes links to The Story of Hoover Dam, a series of essays on construction of the dam, a database of hundreds of historic images, and a packet of educational materials. 5 in Reading 2. Parking is $10 and there are no real alternatives. The Hoover dam website has a list of additional jobs. Reclamation engineers designed the dam and created the hundreds of detailed plans and specifications that the contractors would follow. Reading 2 is abridged from Reg Manning's Cartoon Guide of the Boulder Dam Country (Locust Valley, NY: J.J. Augustin, 1938), pages 10-17. This website includes links to a number of documents, including a short history of Reclamation, a longer, book-length history of the years before 1945, and a study of large Federal dams, including Hoover. No go. We inspect all "closed" vehicles, large trucks, buses and RVs 100 percent of the time. The following activities will help students build on what they have learned. It is awesome! What benefits would a new dam provide? On May 8, 1933, Ickes decided that the dam in Black Canyon would revert to being called Boulder Dam. 3 This will provoke a second, harsher, round of cuts. There are many canyons on the river, some almost as dramatic as the Grand Canyon, located just upstream from Hoover Dam's reservoir. Ickes defended his decision by stating, "The men who pioneered this project knew it by this. The builders soon constructed an observation platform on the canyon rim to keep the tourists away from the construction site. Concrete has a nasty habit of cracking. The Art Deco concrete structure, located about an hour outside Las Vegas in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, straddling the Nevada-Arizona border, was the largest hydroelectric generating station, and the world's largest concrete structure when completed in 1936. Why do you think the construction company was willing to spend the money to build the lookout? In 1938, a New York publisher put out an illustrated cartoon guide for tourists visiting Hoover Dam, then known as Boulder Dam. But the wellspring of Lake Mead, created by the dams blocking of the Colorado River and with the capacity to hold enough water to cover the entire state of Connecticut 10ft deep, has now plummeted to an historic low. . This website, provided by the National Archives and Records Administration, features a 1981 film that combines three short films dating from earlier periods. Sitting on the border between Nevada and Arizona, Hoover Dam is over 700 feet tall and its base is as thick as two football fields. The amount of water in the lake, when full, could cover the whole state of Connecticut ten feet deep. How does that compare with the 16.5 million acre feet that the Colorado River Compact used as the basis for calculating the amount of water available for allocation to the states? There is a fee for parking. By this time, they were among the most knowledgeable and experienced dam builders in the world, but even they had never done anything this big. Although not shown in the illustration, all of the features shown in the cut-away are duplicated on the other side of the dam. The amount of water now available across the US west is well below that of any time in modern civilization, said Park Williams, a hydroclimatologist at Columbia University. Hoover Dam Official Website The new legislation created a federal program to bring water to the desert lands of the West by constructing dams and reservoirs to store water for irrigation, as well as canals to deliver that water to farms. Date of experience: April 2017 Ask kbelle71 about Hoover Dam Bypass 2 Thank kbelle71 Explain your answer. 3. Constructed by the Bureau of Reclamation to meet the requirements of the 1944 Treaty with Mexico, Davis Dam was originally created to regulate the amount of water to be delivered downstream and eventually to Mexico. . Tickets can also be purchased on-line. 4) One illustration showing three views of Hoover Dam; and Why do you think they used a measure like that, rather than something like gallons? Building Big Congress passed the Reclamation Act in 1902, during the Progressive Era administration of President Theodore Roosevelt. It supplies water to irrigation projects in California and Arizona. Do you agree, based on what you know so far? Initially the agency built some relatively small dams on the rivers tributaries. Primarily employees and contractors, who must meet specific security restrictions. Most had to travel many miles, at the end through a hostile desert, to reach this location on the border between Nevada and Arizona. Six Companies thought that building them was the most critical part of the project. Look at the upper right hand corner of the image. Herbert Hoover, at that time the secretary of commerce for Republican President Calvin Coolidge, led the discussions. Why do you think the dam had to be so thick at the bottom? Engineers, digging for bedrock on which to build, had to excavate so far beneath the bed of the Colorado River that 73 percent of Parker Dam's 320-foot . Approximately $5.5 million per year is allocated to all security, including law enforcement. The heat has been otherworldly, with Phoenix recently enduring a record six straight days above 115F (46.1C). The tour began at the Hoover Dam Police Department in the Security Command Center, where the security staff monitors the various security, access control, and communications systems on a 24/7 basis. The driver crossing the bridge does not see the engineering involved. Bernardo said a similar shutdown of the Hoover dam would require more than 100ft in further water level retreat, which is not anticipated, although he finds himself constantly hoping for the rains that would ease the tightening shortages. What were some of the concerns people had about its construction? Trace the course of the Colorado River. 2) To identify some of the work involved in the design and construction of the dam. Concrete was delivered to each block in buckets, eight cubic yards at a time. Located in Pyramid Canyon about 70 miles downstream from Hoover Dam, this zoned earth-fill dam consists of concrete . Why do you think Reclamations engineers were excited about building the big dam? Ask them to consider all kinds of jobs. Corporal Joe Ward . Divide the class into seven small groups. Why? Signed: And the catastrophic consequences of the extreme weather this brings. Visitors who are found to have firearms, explosives, or fireworks may be cited by Law Enforcement and instructed to leave Hoover Dam property. How are they different? The men filled the holes they had drilled with dynamite and then the jumbos drove away. Which job would have been the most dangerous? LESSON NO. However, it took six more years before Congress passed the Boulder Canyon Project Act. Our choices were based on those which were obvious, from the list of the ancient world wonders, massive, man-made, and enduring. This completes our engineering course. How do these dates relate to the growth statistics the students have collected? What sort of problems did the river create? Refer to Reading 2 if necessary. Standard C - The student describes the various forms institutions take and the interactions of people with institutions. 2. A heat dome that settled over the usually mild Pacific north-west pushed temperatures to reach a record 108F (42.2C) in Seattle and caused power lines to melt and roads to buckle in Portland. At the checkpoints U-Haul-type vehicles are allowed after a search is conducted, while semi-trailer trucks, buses carrying luggage, and enclosed-box trucks are prohibited from crossing the road atop the dam (That traffic is diverted south to a Colorado River bridge at Laughlin, Nevada). The Bureau of Reclamation (the government agency originally tasked with reclaiming this arid place for a new utopia of farmland and a booming western population), expects this historic low to spiral further, dropping to about 1,048ft by the end of 2022, a shallowness unprecedented since Lake Mead started filling up in the 1930s following Hoover dams completion. In a whole class discussion, compare and contrast the ancient and modern wonders. Before you can safely anchor a dam on em, it will be necessary to scale off this unstable face. Standard F - The student describes the role of institutions in furthering both continuity and change. 5) To describe the impact Hoover Dam had on the Southwest and the nation and to explore some of its long-term implications. What role might the federal government be able to play in making decisions like this? Most of the states were afraid California was going to get more than its fair share of the water. By this time, too, developers in Los Angeles and other rapidly growing cities in Southern California had added their powerful support for the project. Why or why not? Don't know why this is even listed. The Hoover Dam wasn't built just to be a tourist attraction, naturally. 1) To list five factors that led to the construction of Hoover Dam. By this time, however, Reclamation's objective was changing and expanding. Questions for Reading 2 2. Why do you think both Reclamation and Six Companies thought the diversion tunnels were so important? It once was the Earth's tallest dam. Times have also changed at the world's most famous hydroelectric power plant. 1. 4. Do you agree? LESSON NO. The guide included the instructions excerpted below: They saw the dam as a potential source of water and hydroelectric power for homes, businesses, and factories. In 1922, the seven states of the Colorado River Basin met to decide how to divide the waters of the river. The discussion took a turn when we reminded ourselves that these wonders belonged to the ancient world. I think the biggest concern with airports instead of ships or busses or trains is that you can't really e. According to Webster's Dictionary, "public works" are construction projects, such as water treatment plants, power plants, flood control systems, and highways and transportation networks that are built by the government for the public. But the dam also had an entirely unexpected result, one that began while it was still under construction. It happened outside of the Arizona generator powerhouse at an electric transformer. Check the Hoover Dam website for more detailed information, including seasonal hours of operation. We are here to celebrate the completion of the greatest dam in the world, rising 726 feet above the bedrock of the river and altering the geography of a whole region; we are here to see the creation of the largest artificial lake in the world115 miles long, holding enough water, for example, to cover the State of Connecticut to a depth of ten feet; and we are here to see nearing completion a power house which will contain the largest generators yet installed in this country. Why were congressional representatives from the state of California the leading supporters of a big dam on the Colorado? If cracks were to appear in your dam it might cause severe criticism from people living below the damor from their heirs. Each block was five feet high. 5 Why or why not? instructions on The rivers and streams shown on this map all flow into the Colorado River. What might be the advantages of each type of ownership? 2. HOW TO BUILD A DAM LIKE BOULDER The cut-away view on the right side shows features that would not be visible from the surface. Intake towers and power house.Build four intake towers on the upstream side of the dam, being sure that the top of em is above the high water line. The jumbos backed up to the working faces in the tunnels so that men using all the drills could work at the same time and higher on the wall without the need for scaffolds. Guiding us was Peter Gregson, regional security officer for Reclamation's Lower Colorado Region. Reclamation engineers prepared hundreds of drawings for the construction companyall much more detailed than this simplified illustration. Hoover Dam, located where the Colorado River forms the boundary between the states of Nevada and Arizona, is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and is designated as a National Historic Landmark. When the contracts were signed, almost two thirds of the electricity went to Southern California. Why do you think Six Companies was so anxious to get this part of the project done quickly? Once we got on the other side the traffic was stopped trying to get down in there. By 1933, the date of this photo, Six Companies had built a lookout on the top of the canyon for tourists coming to the site. Drill holes connecting them with two of the tunnels constructed in Lesson 4. The dam had to be big. The Greatest Dam in the World: Building Hoover Dam relates to the following Social Studies Standards: Standard B - The student identifies and uses key concepts such as chronology, causality, change, conflict, and complexity to explain, analyze, and show connections among patterns of historical change and continuity. During an average summer, more than 100 engineers and electricians would work on the Hoover Dam. This map shows only Reclamation's dams in the basin. Copyright 2004 IDG Communications, Inc. Spillways.During your spare time you can erect a spillway on each side of the canyon, on the lake side of the dam. 2) One reading about the construction of Hoover Dam; Only a huge dam could stand up to the pressure of so much water. The company listings and photos are matched at the checkpoint. The huge dam on the Colorado captured the imagination of journalists, authors, and filmmakers. The bridge was completed in 2010 and there are many descriptions about the building of the bridge so its good for any kids with an architecture and/or civil engineering interest. You can then pump a very thin cement soup into cracks and spaces that have opened up. Firearms, Explosives and Fireworks are Prohibited at Hoover Dam per 43 CFR 423.30. At flood time, if the lake rises high enough to reach the spillways, it can be turned out through these original tunnels. 5. Dam infrastructure can be affected by natural hazards, man-made threats, as well as an imbalance between resources invested and a dam's age. Everyones going to have to do more with less, and thats really going to be challenging for people, she said. In 2010, in the United States there were 38,364 reported suicide deaths. 5. Across the San Jacinto Mountains southwest of Boulder Dam, the cities of Southern California are constructing an aqueduct to cost $220,000,000, which they have raised, for the purpose of carrying the regulated waters of the Colorado River to the Pacific Coast 259 miles away. Was it? Standard D - The student describes a range of examples of the various institutions that make up economic systems such as households, business firms, banks, government agencies, labor unions, and corporations. The left side shows what a visitor looking upstream at the dam would actually see. Since 2000, the water level in Lake Mead, which is the reservoir formed by Hoover Dam and holds the title of the largest reservoir in the country, has dropped about 140 feet. It was a hot day and the ice cream is really yummy from the kiosk although a little pricey but so worth it. Surprisingly, there is much to read/learn about the bridge with many placards to read as you walk towards the span. Would Hoover Dam be on their list? How much money has been allotted to secure the dam? Photograph: Ethan Miller/Getty Images, Severe drought threatens Hoover dam reservoir and water for US west. Lake Mead, the reservoir created by the Hoover Dam, is the largest reservoir in America. Oversized vehicles, recreational vehicles, and vehicles with trailers must use the parking lots on the Arizona side of the dam. 9 5. Ask each group to select a job and do some research on it. 3. Do you think he made a good case? Why was this work necessary? Lower several hundred men from the top on ropes and let them drill the cliffs full of holes. And you will need to build some roads and erect a power line. Were getting those years that are at the extreme ends of the bell curve. What would have been the plusses? These businesses can request a permit to cross the dam during daylight hours. Why do you think that was required? The Hoover Dam is a concrete arch-gravity dam located on the Colorado River, on the border between Arizona and Nevada in the United States. Hoover Dam was the first of those on the map. Plate steel for making pipes88 million poundswhen you get into pipe 30 feet in diameter, you have to make your own. Six Companies came up with a number of new and ingenious ways to drill the four diversion tunnels more quickly, and one was the drilling jumbo. Eight of these jumbos were built, each mounted on the back of a 10-ton truck. To people who have not taken our engineering course, it seems pretty tough to dry out a river, but actually its a cinch. 8 Reading 1 is adapted from Joan Middleton, Hoover Dam" (Mohave County, Arizona, and Clark County, Nevada) National Register of Historic Places Registration Form (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, 1981); Joan Middleton and Laura Feller, Hoover Dam" (Mohave County, Arizona, and Clark County, Nevada) National Historic Landmark documentation (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, 1985); William D. Rowley, The Bureau of Reclamation: Origins and Growth to 1945, Vol. Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge. The total capacity at Hoover is now 1,617 megawattsa 20 percent decrease from its designed capacity of 2,080 megawatts. Standard F - The student identifies and explains the roles of formal and informal political actors in influencing and shaping public policy and decision-making. Boulder Dam and the powerhouses together cost a total of $108,000,000. The public feels . Parking is limited there, so you may have to orbit the parking lot a bit for a spot. Barely into summer, hundreds of people have already died from the heat along the west coast. 3) To explain the steps in the construction process and their dangers. Its construction, in the teeth of the Great Depression, was a source of such national pride . Which of those would they select as their "Seven Wonders"? Have students compare the data on the demand for water with the data on the available supply and then hold a whole class discussion brainstorming what problems might arise if the trends the students have identified continue. The dam is used for flood and silt control, hydroelectric . Repeat as necessary. Tickets for tours of the dam and the power plant are available at the Visitor Center. We just continued on. Everything looks small. This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in the United States. The west has gone through periods like this megadrought , with only occasional respite, for the past two decades. While there is no average year on the Colorado River, Bernardo and his colleagues were always able to estimate its flow within a certain range.