was written consisting of 119 bid items. The contract was very unique due to the fact that the government would provide any permanent materials used in the dam and all remaining materials and costs would be left to the contractor to take care of. Remaining materials and costs included any temporary structures, equipment, labor and supplies needed to construct the dam. Specific dates were also laid out in which certain tasks must be completed by or else liquidated damages of up to $3,000 a day would be assigned.
             Because of the shear size of the project and major risks involved in constructing such a massive dam, the Bureau of Reclamation requested that contractors submit a $2,000,000 bid bond and another $5,000,000 performance bond. Such demanding requirements eliminated and discouraged many contractors who were looking to bid the job.
             Several bids were still submitted, however, and on March 11, 1931, the labor contract was awarded to Six Companies, Inc. Six Companies, known as the "Big Six" on the job site, was based out of San Francisco and was composed of the Utah Construction Co.; the Pacific Bridge Co.; Henry J. Kaiser and W.A. Bechtel Co.; MacDonald & Kahn Co., Ltd.; Morrison-Knudsen Co.; and J.F. Shea Co. All members of the company were major western contracting firms and after merging, they elected W.H. Wattis of Utah Construction as president (U.S. Dept. of Interior, 1971). The final bid was $48,890,995.50 and was the largest labor contract had by the United States Government up to that time.
             The site chosen for Hoover Dam was 30 miles away from the nearest city of Las Vegas, Nevada. Since there were no other cities any closer, it was very difficult to get the workers and supplies to the project site. Previously, engineers and inspectors who had been testing the rock as a building foundation simply camped near Black Canyon. The area was too small and far too hot to house all of the workers and their...