Among the many man-made technological marvels in the world, the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River deserves a special mention. It is located on the border between Arizona and Nevada and is its importance could be gauged from the fact that it is the main source of electrical power, irrigation and flood control of the entire South-West United States. But more than that, it is a very popular tourist destination in the United States that draws scored of tourists each year.

The dam was named after President Herbert Hoover, to recognize and honor his unstinted support and zeal in making the project a reality. The 31st President of the United States was however, zealous about the project even before he was President. As Secretary of Commerce, he conceived a plan to tame the Colorado River that would provide people of the states of Arizona, Southern California, Nevada cheap electricity and irrigation. To facilitate this, the Boulder Canyon Project Act was passed in the year 1928.

The construction of Hoover Dam that was the largest dam in the entire world at the time, started in September of 1930 and was completed in a mere five years. The engineers developed a way to quickly cool and harden the concrete in order to expedite the project, which would have otherwise taken at least ten years to complete. The dam only cost $49,000,000 to build and the entire Boulder Canyon Project, which encompasses Hoover Dam, Imperial Dam, and the American Canal cost a total of $165,000,000.

There are a great many legends involving the workers on the dam. Approximately 16,000 workers—both men and women—had their hand in building the structure. Although some deaths did occur, contrary of popular belief, no one is buried inside the walls of the dam.

For the lover of statistics, the dam's measurements are mind boggling, keeping in mind that it was made in the early 1930s. It has more masonry than the Great Pyramids of Egypt, the workers using 4,360,000 cubic yards of pure concrete in its construction. It is the 18th highest dam in the world, 726.4 feet tall 1,244 feet wide and weighs an estimated 6.6 million tons!

Before the construction of the dam, the Colorado River often breeched its banks and flooded nearby towns and fields. It was to this purpose that the Hoover Dam and Boulder Canyon project was conceived. With the completion of this project, the destructive nature of this river gave way to a constructive one and its power was harnessed for the good of the residents of Southern California, Nevada, and Arizona. The 17 generators of the Dam could produce about 2000 megawatts of electricity.

In the process of producing power and irrigation measures for the Southwest, Hoover Dam also created a fantastic body of water, Lake Mead. Lake Mead is a fantastic destination that spreads over a whopping 146,000 acres and attracts flocks of visitors each year. The warm Nevada sunshine on the lake that is situated a few miles from Sin City itself, Las Vegas is an additional attraction.

If you are interested in visiting Hoover Dam, be sure to check out the visitor’s center and take a behind the scenes tour. Completed in the mid-1990s, the visitor’s center is interactive and full of information about the building and purpose of the dam. If you plan on going on a walking tour, be sure to bring your walking shoes, as you will walk across the very top of the dam itself.