Lomography

The Hoover Dam
written by xbalboax on August 16th, 2009 , 13 submissions , 6 comments (4 votes)

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There is so much to write about the Hoover Dam. Here is a brief history on the Hoover Dam. The Hoover Dam was constructed by the Bureau of Reclamation in the depths of the Great Depression in the 1930s, Hoover Dam was the largest federal project of its time. Building the dam was hot, dirty and often dangerous work, but more than 20,000 men were happy to be working on the Hoover Dam, the biggest dam project in the world when it was completed.

Decades after proposals were made to build a dam to control flooding and provide water for farms in Southern California and the Southwest, then-Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover served on a commission charged with finding an equitable way to divide the waters of the Colorado River among the seven basin states. The result of this commission’s deliberations – the Colorado River Compact of 1922 – finally cleared the way for the dam to be built. President Calvin Coolidge authorized the Boulder Canyon Project in 1928. The next year, as the new president, Hoover took an active part in settling engineering problems that moved the dam from Boulder Canyon to Black Canyon. The dam, referred to as Boulder Dam in the 1930s, was officially named Hoover Dam, a name that was restored by a resolution signed by President Truman in 1947.

If you are ever in the Nevada or Arizona area, the Hoover Dam is a must. Try to avoid the months of July and August, when temperatures can reach 120F during the day! There is also a part in the middle of the Dam where the Nevada/Arizona borders meet, so you can be in Nevada and Arizona at the same time. You can even been in two different time zones as well. There are 2 clocks, one reading the time in Nevada and one reading the time in Arizona.

Currently they are building a bridge that will connected Nevada to Arizona 900-feet above the Colorado River! You can see the progress at http://www.hooverdambypass.org/

The best part is there is no photo restrictions so shoot away. You will have to go through security and your bags will be x-ray so make sure to request a hand inspection of all your film. The security guards are real nice and willing to hand inspect your film so don’t worry. Just make sure your cameras are not loaded before going, but if they are make sure they are 400 ISO or lower.