Hoover Dam is located in the Black Canyon of the famous Colorado River, about 30 miles southeast of Las Vegas

Why talk about Hoover Dam in the “Vegas Legends” category? Because Hoover Dam plays a very important part in the city’s history, and is a famous landmark for turists.  

The dam is named after Herbert Hoover, who, as Secretary of Commerce, played an instrumental role in the building of Hoover Dam. Hoover Dam was originally named Boulder Dam. That’s because the initial site was at Boulder Canyon. An engineering reassessment moved the location from Boulder Canyon to its present location, Black Canyon. The Herbert Hoover administration changed the name from Boulder Dam to Hoover Dam in 1930 as a political move. In 1933, the Franklin Roosevelt administration changed it back to Boulder Dam, and under Harry Truman, the permanent name of Hoover Dam was restored.  

The Great Depression led to massive migration of the unemployed to Las Vegas in hopes of landing jobs building Hoover Dam. Men came from around the country, many bringing families and life’s possessions hoping for employment.

Hoover Dam provides generation of low-cost hydroelectric power for use in Nevada, Arizona, and California. Hoover Dam alone generates more than 4 billion kilowatt-hours a year - enough to serve 1.3 million people. From 1939 to 1949, Hoover Powerplant was the world’s largest hydroelectric installation; today, it is still one of the country’s largest. (from http://www.usbr.gov/lc/hooverdam/faqs/powerfaq.html)

An interesting (spooky) fact: there were 112 deaths associated with the construction of the dam, and the first person to die in the construction was J. G. Tierney, a surveyor who drowned while looking for an ideal spot for the dam. His son, Patrick W. Tierney, was the last man to die working on the dam, on the same day, exactly 13 years later.

Without the dam and its water supply, Las Vegas metropolitan area would never have seen its population grow to nearly two million by the year 2000.  The United States government’s construction of Hoover Dam was one of the most important developments in Las Vegas history, dramatically affecting its population to the present.

 (http://www.onlinenevada.org/hoover_dam_s_impact_on_las_vegas)

http://www.arizona-leisure.com/hoover-dam-building.html

http://www.destination360.com/north-america/us/nevada/hoover-dam.php

 Vegas, of course, wasn’t always the glamorous city it is today. At first nothing more than a swamp, then  a fort, a tent town, a mining town, and then…the boom happend.

Mormon settlers from Salt Lake City traveled to Las Vegas to protect the Los Angeles-Salt Lake City mail route and in 1855 began building a fort.  Mormon pioneers abandoned the settlement in 1858, partly because of Indian raids.

 In 1864, Nevada is admitted into the union as the 36th state. This day is recognized annually as a state holiday.

The discovery of precious metals and other minerals lead to the beggining of the mining industry.

By 1890 railroad developers had determined the water-rich Las Vegas Valley would be a prime location for a stop facility and town.

Work on the first railroad grade into Las Vegas began the summer of 1904. The tent town called Las Vegas sprouted saloons, stores and boarding houses.

Las Vegas is founded as a city on May 15, 1905, when 110 acres of land situated between Stewart Avenue on the north, Garces Avenue to the south, Main Street to the west, and 5th Street (Las Vegas Boulevard) to the east, were auctioned off.

 The Nevada Legislature created Clark County on July 1, 1909. The new county was named after William Clark, who brought the railroad to southern Nevada. Prior to the formation of Clark County, southern Nevada was part of Lincoln County.

Las Vegas was incorporated on March 16, 1911. The population was 800. Clark County had a population of 3,321.

http://www.lasvegasnevada.gov/FactsStatistics/history.htm

http://www.lvol.com/lvoleg/hist/lvhist.html

Did you ever ask yourself what does “Las Vegas” mean and where is the name coming from?

“Las Vegas” means “The Meadows” in Spanish.

Why Spanish? Well, first of all, a mexican was the one who discovered Las Vegas Valley. Rafael Rivera was part of a caravan that was moving  along the Spanish Trail to Los Angeles, in 1829. The caravan camped close to the present Las Vegas Valley, and Rafael left the camp to explore the dessert; he discovered Las Vegas Springs two weeks later, becoming the first non-Indian to set foot in the Valley.

Why The Meadows? Well, because The Valley has always been a sort of oasis. Prehistoric Southern Nevada was a marsh of abundant water and vegetation. With the passing of time, the rivers dissapeared beneath the surface, only to sporadically surface and create an oasis in the dessert.

And how about the famous sign “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas”? In 1959, a headliner named Betty Willis designed the “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Nevada” sign - a luminous diamond, each letter of “Welcome” encircled by silver dollars.

Last but not least…. Why is it fabulous? Well, we’ll let you answer this one…

http://www.lvol.com/lvoleg/hist/lvhist.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/13/garden/13VEGA.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5090&en=496be654cf88fdc1&ex=1263272400&partner=rssuserland