hoover dam
The construction of Hoover Dam is considered to be one of America's finestengineering achievements. However the dam that rose from the floor of Black Canyonwas not only a structural accomplishment, it was a proposition firmly rooted inpracticalities. The necessity of such a dam had been obvious for more than twodecades. The Colorado River's cycles of drought and flood in the American southwestincapacitated the growth of the agricultural industry. It was felt that a dam that couldcontrol the river would also provide hydroelectric power, eventually rendering the damself-financing. The growth of Las Vegas and Southern California as major metropolitancenters also depended, to a large extent, on the availability of water and power. Almostfrom the beginning of its construction, the dam possessed an epic quality thatstimulated the national imagination. It was apparent that the meaning of the dam itselfwas beyond even that of a structure that equaled the vast landscape it inhabited. Thedam, and the people who built it , began controlling nature in a new and powerful way. Although construction actually began on the Hoover Dam in 1931, site testingfor the project had begun early in the 1920's. In 1927
Beforethe building had even begun, the offices had received over 2,400 job application andmore than 12,000 letters of inquiry from job seekers. " They had to climb down the canyon walls tied to ropes. Once the stores were opened, Ely fixed prices so that no conspiring for high pricescould occur between the owners. Interestingly, Ely's bulldog "sheriff", Bud Bodell, ran the local gambling ring in the mess hall with Ely's knowledge, although gambling was explicitly illegal in Boulder City. Given the existing conditions, the majority was in favor of a more Levittown approach: build quickly, sensibly, and rectangular, and leave the landscaping for others to worry about. Ely also acted as town magistrate, granting divorces, jailing troublemakers, awarding custody of children, and apparently attempting to instill a formal dress codein the town's citizens. Once the canyon walls had been cleared and the river floor dredged down tobedrock, only then could the pouring of the concrete begin. What was different was the form of government. Hoover Dam Virtual Visitor Center, www. They scaledthe walls with a forty-four pound jack hammer chipping away at the rock and thenplacing dynamite around boulders too large to demolish by hand. Unfortunately, DeBoer's ideas of making the town into alush desert oasis were considered ridiculous. Farmers received a dependable supply of water in Nevada,California and Arizona. As its physical image rose from the desert in the1930's it offered a alternative narrative to the that of the Great Depression.
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Acceptance Essays
