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Hoover Dam: An American Adventure
In the spring of 1931, in a rugged desert canyon on the Arizona-Nevada border, an army of workmen began one of the most difficult and daring building projects ever undertaken—the construction of Hoover Dam. Through the worst years of the Great Depression as many as five thousand laborers toiled twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, to erect the huge structure that would harness the Colorado River and transform the American West.
Construction of the giant dam was a triumph of human ingenuity, yet the full story of this monumental endeavor has never been told. Now, in an engrossing, fast-paced narrative, Joseph E. Stevens recounts the gripping saga of Hoover Dam. Drawing on a wealth of material, including manuscript collections, government documents, contemporary newspaper and magazine accounts, and personal interviews and correspondence with men and women who were involved with the construction, he brings the Hoover Dam adventure to life.
Described here in dramatic detail are the deadly hazards the work crews faced as they hacked and blasted the dam’s foundation out of solid rock; the bitter political battles and violent labor unrest that threatened to shut the job down; the deprivation and grinding hardship endured by the workers’ families; the dam builders’ gambling, drinking, and whoring sprees in nearby Las Vegas; and the stirring triumphs and searing moments of terror as the massive concrete wedge rose inexorably from the canyon floor.
Here, too, is an unforgettable cast of characters: Henry Kaiser, Warren Bechtel, and Harry Morrison, the ambitious, headstrong construction executives who gambled fortune and fame on the Hoover Dam contract; Frank Crowe, the brilliant, obsessed field engineer who relentlessly drove the work force to finish the dam two and a half years ahead of schedule; Sims Ely, the irascible, teetotaling eccentric who ruled Boulder City, the straightlaced company town created for the dam workers by the federal government; and many more men and women whose courage and sacrifice, greed and frailty, made the dam’s construction a great human, as well as technological, adventure.
Hoover Dam is a compelling, irresistible account of an extraordinary American epic.
Construction of the giant dam was a triumph of human ingenuity, yet the full story of this monumental endeavor has never been told. Now, in an engrossing, fast-paced narrative, Joseph E. Stevens recounts the gripping saga of Hoover Dam. Drawing on a wealth of material, including manuscript collections, government documents, contemporary newspaper and magazine accounts, and personal interviews and correspondence with men and women who were involved with the construction, he brings the Hoover Dam adventure to life.
Described here in dramatic detail are the deadly hazards the work crews faced as they hacked and blasted the dam’s foundation out of solid rock; the bitter political battles and violent labor unrest that threatened to shut the job down; the deprivation and grinding hardship endured by the workers’ families; the dam builders’ gambling, drinking, and whoring sprees in nearby Las Vegas; and the stirring triumphs and searing moments of terror as the massive concrete wedge rose inexorably from the canyon floor.
Here, too, is an unforgettable cast of characters: Henry Kaiser, Warren Bechtel, and Harry Morrison, the ambitious, headstrong construction executives who gambled fortune and fame on the Hoover Dam contract; Frank Crowe, the brilliant, obsessed field engineer who relentlessly drove the work force to finish the dam two and a half years ahead of schedule; Sims Ely, the irascible, teetotaling eccentric who ruled Boulder City, the straightlaced company town created for the dam workers by the federal government; and many more men and women whose courage and sacrifice, greed and frailty, made the dam’s construction a great human, as well as technological, adventure.
Hoover Dam is a compelling, irresistible account of an extraordinary American epic.
340 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1988
23 people are currently reading
190 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
April 13, 2015
Mostly this book was about the idea of a great american idea in the 1930s to build a colossus dam and to help the people get back to work because of the great depression.Then in america today it is a national symbol of achievement of the idea of working hard and giving it your all "the american way". I would consider the theme of the idea of do not give up if anything is too hard or rough because these people had to learn idea of working hard to get what you need to survive in them conditions in America at that time. The author points out that these people worked mostly close 24/7 to build this dam and to earn money and to be an operated dam that makes electricity. The people that have made the tunnels to make the water go though had to worry about many things sickness of breathing in gases that tractors gave off, smoke ventilation. They had a yellow bird in the cage and if it dies that means that they should leave the tunnels because carbon monoxide poisoning.When the job was done they had lung and repository problems they worked enormous amount of time to finish the Hoover dam.
June 1, 2023
I visited Hoover Dam twice, years ago. It is a marvel of engineering for sure. Stevens has written a good story about the evolution of the dam, from its conception through completion. His style focuses on the individuals involved in building the dam, more than the engineering that went into it. To be fair, some of those details are described as well.
If you are interested in the human side of the story, this is the book for you. If you are interested in the details of building the dam involving all the challenges, you may want to read Hoover Dam and the Making of the American Century, by Michael Hiltzik. He also covers the human side of the story, perhaps less so than Stevens. I have read a few books by Hiltzik, which I have never been disappointed in any of his works.
To me, reading both books is by far the best option.
If you are interested in the human side of the story, this is the book for you. If you are interested in the details of building the dam involving all the challenges, you may want to read Hoover Dam and the Making of the American Century, by Michael Hiltzik. He also covers the human side of the story, perhaps less so than Stevens. I have read a few books by Hiltzik, which I have never been disappointed in any of his works.
To me, reading both books is by far the best option.
January 14, 2019
I was very interested to learn about the Hoover Dam, this outstanding engineering work named amongst the Top 10th Construction Achievements of the 20th century. When I visited it, I was amazed by its spectacular size and wondered how did they do it? This book explains how it was constructed under budget and ahead the schedule in the middle of the recession. Good book, very informative.
September 11, 2020
I grew up in Las Vegas and often went to the Dam. I didn't understand the big deal. This book was able to explain the amazing challenges at every turn when constructing this modern marvel of engineering. Superbly written, entertaining and engaging.
August 21, 2023
Very cool! A lot of interesting stuff in here!
November 2, 2023
Well done! Fascinating history of the dam from many different angles.
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December 1, 2025I do l
November 14, 2008
The Hoover Dam, an extraordinary engineering achievement of the thirties, was originally called the Boulder Dam because it was to span Boulder Canyon. This is ironic because the dam actually spans Black Canyon. The early assumption was that Boulder Canyon would be the better site, but early
geological surveys revealed better foundation rock at the Black Canyon location ' by that time the decision had been made, the name Boulder had stuck to the project. That is, until Governor Wilbur of Nevada arbitrarily named it the Hoover Dam at the ceremonies that marked the beginning of the work - to a storm of protest. The name would switch back and forth between Boulder and Hoover until it officially became the Hoover Dam in 1947.
The political machinations to get the enabling legislation were as much a feat as the engineering. Arizona claimed the whole project was unconstitutional and filed suits in, federal court to stop the project. They worried probably accurately - that California wanted to steal all the water of the Colorado for itself. Harry Chandler, owner of the Los Angeles Times, fought the project for a more selfish reason:
he owned hundreds of thousands of acres in a Mexican valley that might lose its source of water should it all be diverted by the dam to other locations. The sheer size of the project was staggering. It would be the largest dam on earth: 726 feet high and 650 feet wide at the base, a graceful but solid convex arch presenting its gravity mass to the enormous pressure of the water it held back. At the top, it was 45 feet wide and became a highway connecting Nevada and Arizona. In order to build the dam, water was detoured around the site through four massive fifty-foot high, concrete-lined tunnels through the mountain rock. More than a thousand feet long, the tunnels were engineering marvels in themselves. A 26-mile railroad was built to bring supplies to the site and town that had to be built to house the workers.
The contract for the dam was awarded just as the full impact of the 1929 stock market crash began to have effect. Unemployed men, desperate for work, flocked to 'Ragtown," located on the outskirts of Las Vegas, hoping to get a position working on the dam. Those who were hired faced miserable working conditions in spite of efforts by the contractor, Six Companies, to make conditions bearable. During July the average low temperature was 950, and in the bypass tunnels temperatures of 1400 were not uncommon. Heat exhaustion began killing people. Conditions improved somewhat following a report by company physiologists that the men were dying of dehydration. Thereafter, unlimited
water was supplied with meals and carried to the men by water boys. The exhaustion produced by the extreme heat made the men lethargic and careless. Accidents became commonplace.
The work was dangerous enough without inattentiveness.
Agitation by IWW recruiters brought about one short strike, but the plentiful supply of workers coupled with the shortage of jobs gave the company the upper hand. It did prod the supervisors to develop additional ways to reduce suffering. No one could control the weather, and the
summer of 1931 was particularly brutal. Temperatures averaged 12 degrees above normal all summer. Conditions did improve following completion of Boulder City, a federally financed city to house the workers.
The city was run with fascistic control by Sims Ely, who had been hired by the Bureau of Reclamation to make sure nothing happened that would embarrass the administration. They
were frightened that the "anything goes" atmosphere of nearby Las Vegas would lead to all sorts of immoral behavior. Ely had total control over the police, all government actions, including judicial functions. He couldn't stop all the bootlegging without a small army, but he made the penalties for drunkenness so severe that one would have to think twice before drinking.Anyone caught intoxicated was immediately fired. To reinforce his edicts, he periodically issued press releases reminding the workers about the depression and the difficulty of finding a job
should they lose their place on the dam. He also had a fetish about neatness, and if he found trash on someone's yard the offender was certain to receive a summons and a lecture. Occasionally, he acted as a one-man divorce court. If he suspected marital problems he would assign child custody and dissolve marriages. Under the reign of his ranger deputy (who, incidentally, had started his own gambling operation in Boulder), evictions ran as high as three per day, an astonishing figure given that fully one-third of the workforce had been evicted in one
year. Complaining was held to a minimum - the job applicant list held 22,000 thousand names.
The dam was designed to last thousands of years. When viewed at night, all lighted up, it does convey the extraordinary testament to the many men who provided the fantastic effort to complete the domination of the river.
geological surveys revealed better foundation rock at the Black Canyon location ' by that time the decision had been made, the name Boulder had stuck to the project. That is, until Governor Wilbur of Nevada arbitrarily named it the Hoover Dam at the ceremonies that marked the beginning of the work - to a storm of protest. The name would switch back and forth between Boulder and Hoover until it officially became the Hoover Dam in 1947.
The political machinations to get the enabling legislation were as much a feat as the engineering. Arizona claimed the whole project was unconstitutional and filed suits in, federal court to stop the project. They worried probably accurately - that California wanted to steal all the water of the Colorado for itself. Harry Chandler, owner of the Los Angeles Times, fought the project for a more selfish reason:
he owned hundreds of thousands of acres in a Mexican valley that might lose its source of water should it all be diverted by the dam to other locations. The sheer size of the project was staggering. It would be the largest dam on earth: 726 feet high and 650 feet wide at the base, a graceful but solid convex arch presenting its gravity mass to the enormous pressure of the water it held back. At the top, it was 45 feet wide and became a highway connecting Nevada and Arizona. In order to build the dam, water was detoured around the site through four massive fifty-foot high, concrete-lined tunnels through the mountain rock. More than a thousand feet long, the tunnels were engineering marvels in themselves. A 26-mile railroad was built to bring supplies to the site and town that had to be built to house the workers.
The contract for the dam was awarded just as the full impact of the 1929 stock market crash began to have effect. Unemployed men, desperate for work, flocked to 'Ragtown," located on the outskirts of Las Vegas, hoping to get a position working on the dam. Those who were hired faced miserable working conditions in spite of efforts by the contractor, Six Companies, to make conditions bearable. During July the average low temperature was 950, and in the bypass tunnels temperatures of 1400 were not uncommon. Heat exhaustion began killing people. Conditions improved somewhat following a report by company physiologists that the men were dying of dehydration. Thereafter, unlimited
water was supplied with meals and carried to the men by water boys. The exhaustion produced by the extreme heat made the men lethargic and careless. Accidents became commonplace.
The work was dangerous enough without inattentiveness.
Agitation by IWW recruiters brought about one short strike, but the plentiful supply of workers coupled with the shortage of jobs gave the company the upper hand. It did prod the supervisors to develop additional ways to reduce suffering. No one could control the weather, and the
summer of 1931 was particularly brutal. Temperatures averaged 12 degrees above normal all summer. Conditions did improve following completion of Boulder City, a federally financed city to house the workers.
The city was run with fascistic control by Sims Ely, who had been hired by the Bureau of Reclamation to make sure nothing happened that would embarrass the administration. They
were frightened that the "anything goes" atmosphere of nearby Las Vegas would lead to all sorts of immoral behavior. Ely had total control over the police, all government actions, including judicial functions. He couldn't stop all the bootlegging without a small army, but he made the penalties for drunkenness so severe that one would have to think twice before drinking.Anyone caught intoxicated was immediately fired. To reinforce his edicts, he periodically issued press releases reminding the workers about the depression and the difficulty of finding a job
should they lose their place on the dam. He also had a fetish about neatness, and if he found trash on someone's yard the offender was certain to receive a summons and a lecture. Occasionally, he acted as a one-man divorce court. If he suspected marital problems he would assign child custody and dissolve marriages. Under the reign of his ranger deputy (who, incidentally, had started his own gambling operation in Boulder), evictions ran as high as three per day, an astonishing figure given that fully one-third of the workforce had been evicted in one
year. Complaining was held to a minimum - the job applicant list held 22,000 thousand names.
The dam was designed to last thousands of years. When viewed at night, all lighted up, it does convey the extraordinary testament to the many men who provided the fantastic effort to complete the domination of the river.
November 29, 2012
I had recently visited the Hoover Dam and when I was there I realized I wanted to know more about this amazing feat of engineering. Now there aren't too many books out there, and based on some reviews on Goodreads I decided to give this one a go!. I am really glad I did. It is an excellent portrayal of how the dam was built. It doesn't have a particular viewpoint that it goes from but really just covers all of the aspects of the dam, from its inception, building and its overall completion as well as the sheer impact that the dam had overall on the United States. The only reason that I did not give it five stars is that occasionally I would have preferred the narrative to be a bit more linear. I understand that the nature of the building of the dam was not linear and there was a lot going on at once, but it is not always clear as to what is happening when and it sometimes stifles the narrative. However, overall I was really impressed by the tale of the building of Hoover Dam and its history and its a shame that in today's age we will never seem something like the type of construction again.
November 17, 2014
I enjoyed reading this book and learned a great deal (e.g., this project is where Bechtel got its start, and Kaiser Permanente could be said to have been born here too). Almost more interesting than the construction details was the information on the living conditions at the site. Men flocked to Black Canyon before construction started, hoping for work, and ended up living in camps in the most squalid conditions, some with their families in tow! Reading about the eventual improvements in living conditions, along with the occasional organized-labor conflicts (IWW and UMW), and the incredibly authoritarian governance of the whole area (it was one big Federal camp, essentially), was very interesting. If you've been to Hoover Dam, or plan to go, this book will add greatly to your appreciation of what you're seeing. (I do wish it contained more photos, though.)
June 29, 2015
This is one of my all-time favorite books. I read it aloud to my twelve and six year old daughters during a home-school unit on Wonders of the World. We only read up to 7 pages a day so it took some time. But I, especially, was enthralled by the characters of this true story. I wish I could rub shoulders with them today. These are the kinds of people who make America and the world great. I hope we still have people creating legacies today that can be written about tomorrow. When I drive to Boulder City or ride my bike across the Hoover Dam, now I do it in awe of those who made those places possible and sacrificed to bring me the life of luxury I enjoy today. This is a well written book of a real adventure and I am so grateful Stevens chronicled it for my benefit. Thank you.
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February 7, 2016Inspired by our recent visit to the dam, I found this read very interesting and informative. The author did a great job of putting the matters of fact into a readable and compelling story. The dam is a feat and accomplishment that causes great wonder for me. How did The Six Companies ever reach a quote for the project?! It was a never before attempted construction job. And of such magnitude! This is a story full of genius, suspense and some horrors. How incredible are men to be able to harness such furious power to our benefit for growth and innovation?! If you visit the dam, pick up this story. Your pictures from the visit will have greater depth.
January 11, 2010
The best book ever. Telling people how this mega structure was built and who are the people behind this project.
Ruzzel Walsh
hoover dam tours
Ruzzel Walsh
hoover dam tours
March 7, 2012
Bought this for my husband for Christmas 2-3 years ago. Then I read it. It was fascinating and a fairly easy read for someone who is not an engineer. It could never be done today, due to the over-regulation here in the US.
March 21, 2016
I visited Hoover Dam a couple summers ago. This book does a good job describing the history and politics behind the building of this dam and its influence on the region after its completion. I'm glad I read it.
February 2, 2013
An engaging and fascinating narration of Hoover Dam's construction. I couldn't put it down.
July 9, 2013
Read this 10 years ago, so I don't remember many details, but I really enjoyed the book. It was well-written, interesting and I learned a lot.
December 1, 2015
Detailed narrative of the building of Hoover Dam with, including the technical as well as the political and personal stories. Well written, but dry at times.
December 3, 2021
Fascinating! Never considered the why and how of building what was then biggest dam in the world. Stevens covers that as well as a social history of Boulder City. Highly recommend
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews