DOINews: Interior's Bureau of Reclamation Celebrates Hoover Dam's 75th Anniversary

Reclamation Commissioner Michael Connor discusses the importance of Hoover Dam in his remarks to attendees at Reclamation's celebration of dam's 75th Anniversary. Photo of crowd by Alex Stephens, Reclamation. Photo of Connor (inset) by Dave Walsh, Reclamation.

At left, historical impressionist Peter Small speaks before a crowd at Hoover Dam 75th anniversary, recreating President Franklin D. Roosevelt's dedication of the dam on Sept. 30, 1935. At right, period vehicles line the parking lot at Hoover dam. Photos by Alex Stephens, Reclamation.

At left, Assistant Secretary for Water and Science Anne Castle addresses attendees at Hoover Dam's 75th anniversary. At right, she displays a 75th anniversary cupcake. Photos by Dave Walsh, Reclamation.

For 75 years the Bureau of Reclamation has kept Hoover Dam working for America. An engineering wonder, it continues to provide flood control and water to several states; and as a byproduct, generates electricity to 1.3 million people. Photo by Reclamation.

Interior's Bureau of Reclamation recently conducted several events to mark the 75th anniversary of Hoover Dam. Over a four-day weekend from Sept. 30 through Oct. 3, Reclamation used a historical re-enactor to partially recreate President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Sept 30, 1935, dedication of the dam and reduced tour fees. In addition it offered commemorative items for purchase, including a 75th anniversary coin.

Reclamation held the kickoff ceremony near the "Winged Figures of the Republic" statues, just across the street from where Roosevelt gave his dedication speech before thousands in 1935. The ceremony featured key speakers Assistant Secretary for Water and Science Anne Castle and Commissioner of Reclamation Michael Connor. Others attending the ceremony included lower Colorado River water users, Hoover Dam power customers, congressional staff and Colorado River Basin State representatives

One of the world's most innovative and successful engineering projects, Hoover Dam stands as a testimony to our nation's ability to construct monolithic projects in the midst of adverse conditions. Built during the Great Depression to provide flood control and water to several states, the 726-foot-high dam spans the Colorado River across the Arizona/Nevada border near Las Vegas, Nevada

"At the time it was built, Hoover Dam was the largest man-made structure in history," said Bill Schermerhorn, coordinator, Hoover Dam Services, Bureau of Reclamation. "Nobody was certain it would work; and yet here we are 75 years later and the dam is virtually in the same condition as it was then."

Today, Hoover Dam continues to work for America. Its authorized purposes are: first, river regulation, improvement of navigation, and flood control; second, delivery of stored water for irrigation and other domestic uses; and third, power generation. Lake Mead also provides outstanding outdoor, water-based recreation opportunities, and is home to a myriad of wildlife.

"This is the one dam within Reclamation that's truly known around the world," said Ken Rice, area manager for Hoover and the other Reclamation dams along the lower Colorado River. "People here take pride and ownership in it."

By: Colleen Dwyer , public affairs specialist, and Robert Walsh, public affairs Specialist, Reclamation
Oct. 8, 2010

Important Link:

Hoover Dam 7thth anniversary site (includes video, photo gallery and more): http://www.usbr.gov/lc/hooverdam/75thanniversary.html