Hoover Dam- To flood or not to flood

One of the most famous landmarks in Nevada is the Hoover Dam.  They started building the dam in 1931 and finished in 1936 two years ahead of schedule.  What fun it was to visit the dam after reading and studying about it in our geography lessons.  Besides just going to the top of the dam and walking across it from Nevada to Arizona we were able to go inside and visit the power plant.  The tour started with an elevator ride down 500 feet. We then walked down the same dark corridors that the workers back in the 30's built.  This took us to an area where we were able to see the tunnels that were built to divert the water from the Colorado River around the area where they intended to build the dam.  After that off to the power plant, then back up to the museum.  All the pictures below were taken by our Hula Girl.  She is quite the photographer.  

Generators on the NV side.  

All of us thought this was a great picture and blog worthy!!  A few facts about the dam:  hourly wages for working at the dam were $.50 to $1.50.  If you really wanted to make some money you could get $4.00 an hour for being a high scaler.  These were the men who would put dynamite into the wall, blast it, then smooth it down.  NO THANKS. 

For those of you not from the great state of Nevada or familiar with the area,  Hoover Dam is in southern Nevada.

View looking at the dam from the visitor center.   A few more facts about the dam:  Height 726.4 ft, Crest length 1244 ft, Crest width, 45 ft, Base width 660 ft.