Why was the Hoover Dam Built?

The Hoover Dam, which was once known as the Boulder Dam, was built during the Great Depression. The Hoover Dam which is located on the border of Arizona and Nevada was constructed between 1931 and 1936. Have you ever wondered why during a depression that one would spend the time and finicial resources to build the Hoover Dam? Ã’šÃ‚ The Hoover Dam was originally built in efforts to control flooding and to be able to provide irrigation water. It was also thought that the building of such an extensive dam could also produce hydroelectric power.

The Hoover Dam was the first of its kind and that goes without saying that they builders of the dam could run into some problems when it came to building the dam. It took thousands of workers to build the dam, and the sad news is that more than a hundred of these workers lost their life in the process.

The flooding from the Colorado River was the biggest concern when it came to building the dam. Many people may say this was the sole purpose of why the Hoover Dam was actually built, as the Colorado River was flooding out of control and making its way to the Gulf of California. Ã’šÃ‚ Another reason that the money was spent in order to build this dam was the potential to have water it irrigate they dry regions of Arizona, Nevada and California. Ã’šÃ‚ The possibility of also having hydroelectric energy was a major reason as well to have the Hoover Dam built.

One of the things that was not intended by building the Hoover Dam, was the byproduct known today as Lake Mead. This has become a major tourist attraction as well as the Hoover Dam itself. At least know when you go to join the millions that visit the dam each year, you will understand why the Hoover Dam was built.