9 Wildly Interesting Facts About the Hoover Dam
That's a lot of concrete.
Although it might pale in comparison to some of the natural wonders of the world, the Hoover Dam is definitely a wonder of the engineering world. Finished in 1935, and now a designated US Historical Landmark, the Dam sits along the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between Nevada and Arizona. If you’re looking at this engineering feat by the numbers, it’s taller than a 60-story building and weighs about the same as 18 Empire State Buildings: 6.6 million tons.
The Hoover Dam was created with a goal in mind—taming the wild waters of the Colorado River to disperse the flow (and the possible hydroelectric power) throughout the developing American Southwest. Lake Mead was thus created, and those waters were used for flood control, hydroelectric power, irrigation, and even domestic water supply. The grandiose size of the dam itself is carried over to this body of water, which is one of the largest artificial lakes in the world at 115 miles, so big that you can’t see the far shore.
Prepare to be impressed further by this concrete arch with these little-known, fascinating facts about the Hoover Dam and its construction.
1. There’s no dead body under the Hoover Dam
You might have heard the tale that there’s a body buried underneath all of that concrete, but that story is just an urban myth. In 1933, dam worker W.A. Jameson was fatally buried when concrete collapsed on him at work. His body was recovered about 16 hours later, according to Hoover Dam’s Public Affairs Specialist Connie Castle.
2. It was briefly a military base
According to dam officials, from 1941 until the end of World War II, the US military had a post at the Hoover Dam. The dam’s power plant was used to produce military equipment and supplies.
3. The amount of concrete used could encircle the Earth
More than six million tons of concrete were used to construct the dam. That’s enough concrete to make a four-foot-wide walkway around the equator, according to officials. If the Earth ever needs a stylish belt, we know where to find the materials.
4. You can cross the river in a cableway
The Hoover Dam is home to the oldest continuously operating cableway in the world. This 150-ton cableway spans over the Colorado River and was used during the construction of the dam but remains in use to this day.
5. It’s a little bit like Legos
According to the US Bureau of Reclamation, the dam was made of interlocking concrete blocks—basically giant legos. The smallest blocks were about 25 feet by 25 feet square, and the largest blocks were about 25 feet by 60 feet. Each block was 5 feet high. So 25’ by 25’ by 5’ at the smallest or 25’ by 60’ by 5’ at the largest for anyone who got a little confused.
Groups of men known as "puddlers" would stamp and vibrate these concrete blocks into place. This process also means it would be impossible for the aforementioned body-in-the-dam urban myth to be true.
6. You might notice some interesting statues
When visiting the Hoover Dam you’ll find a couple metal obelisk flag pole winged creature-looking statues on the Nevada side of the dam. But what are they exactly? Sculptor Oskar J.W. Hansen is behind much of the work, according to the Bureau of Reclamation. He called the Dam "a monument to collective genius exerting itself in community efforts around a common need or ideal."
He called the specific Nevada-winged sculptures Winged Figures of the Republic. To him, they express "the immutable calm of intellectual resolution, and the enormous power of trained physical strength, equally enthroned in placid triumph of scientific accomplishment."
7. Let’s look at the hourly
Construction of the Hoover Dam took a village. But how much was that village paid? Check out the table below of the wages per hour for different laborers from the 1930s. A mechanic working 40 hours a week on the dam would make around $11,000 a year. A mucker would make around $8,000. Keep in mind the average annual salary at the time was around $4,887.
8. “High-scalers”
Prior to the dam’s construction, in order to clear away loose rock from the surrounding canyon walls, special laborers would rappel down the canyon walls on rope. Some of these men had backgrounds in sailing or even acrobatics, according to the US Bureau of Reclamation.
It was highly dangerous and difficult work as these scalers had to carry tools and water bags down the side of the canyon with them before drilling holes into the rock and placing dynamite inside.
The crude predecessor of the hard hat was made for these men using cloth hats covered in coal tar at first. Some men who had loose rock fall on them broke their jaws while wearing these “hard-boiled hats.”
9. A famous high-scale feat
There is one particularly famous case of high-scaler bravery, according to the US Bureau of Reclamation website. Burl R. Rutledge, a Bureau of Reclamation engineer, fell from the canyon rim. Oliver Cowan, a high-scaler, heard the man fall from 25 feet below. Without hesitating, Cowan swung himself out and caught Rutledge's leg midair. Arnold Parks, another high scaler, swung over and pinned Rutledge to the canyon wall until a line could be dropped and secured around the terrified engineer and he could be pulled back to safety unharmed.
Now there’s a feat that Cirque Du Soleil could jump on.