The United States government is VERY proud of the Hoover Dam! 
We learned this immediately on our tour of the Depression-era monstrosity ($11 each), during an introductory video with an over-the-top-patriotic score, and voiceover that hailed the dam as an example of American perseverance and a source of inspiration for the hope we can all have for our blindingly bright future!!! (phew)
The film explained how the dam came to be, but I was surprised that it never mentioned the massive structure’s massive environmental impact, or the 112 lives lost during construction.
A google search shows that much of the opposition to the project came from states downriver, who thought California was trying to steal their water.
But there’s not much information (that I can find easily) about whether any environmentalists were crying foul too. I find this difficult to grasp, given the simple fact that a dam this big, built to “tame” a river this wild, must have had massive implications on one of the nation’s largest watersheds.
Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t looking for a reason to hate the Hoover Dam… I was just disappointed by this omission as I have been many times on this trip, when I saw missed opportunities for federal managers to show and share humility gained in hindsight.
Nonetheless, this IS indeed an impressive structure, an engineering marvel, and I did enjoy our visit very much.
Click here for more dam FAQs and the rest of the dam story.
Here are some of the dam stats that stayed with me:
1.) The Hoover Dam was the largest power plant in the world from 1939-1949. TODAY it produces only enough energy for 1.3 million people, a miniscule fraction of the demand from the western power grid.
2.) The dam was built using 3 1/4 million cubic yards of concrete, enough to build a 2-lane highway from New York to San Francisco!!
These days, the dam doesn’t cost taxpayers a dime, as the sale of the power it generates pays for its operation.
Next stop: some grand canyons
