Hoover Dam

Description:

• During the Great Depression in the 1930s, Hoover Dam was built in Black Canyon--and it was completed ahead of time and under budget. An engineering marvel in the middle of the harshest desert in the United States, Hoover Dam tamed the Colorado River, ending floods downstream and harnessing the river's force to generate electricity. At one time the largest dam in the world, Hoover Dam is still one of the world's largest dams. Paid tours will take you 530 feet down inside the dam to view the massive turbines, turned by 90,000 gallons of water per second. The Visitor Center features interactive displays and a museum. Outside is beautiful Black Canyon and the monumental bronze statues, Winged Figures of the Republic.
  
  On the river side of Hoover Dam, the Mike O'Callaghan/Pete Tillman Memorial Bridge spans Black Canyon. This bypass bridge was built to help alleviate traffic on the dam, but it's a marvel itself. Daring pedestrians can park and walk across the bridge for an incredible view of Hoover Dam.
  
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