Following The Sun: Hoover Dam

Building of the Hoover Dam was started in 1933 with the intention of controlling the Colorado River. It took just over five years to complete the massive project, which was two years ahead of schedule. The project began with the blasting of four diversion tunnels in the canyon walls, so that water could be channeled around the construction site. The diversion tunnels took almost as much time to construct as the dam itself.

Construction of the dam included four intake towers, the power plant, and the dam itself. Cement for the dam was mixed onsite and hoisted across the canyon on one of five 20-ton cableways.

The dam is 726 feet tall, contains 6.6 million tons of concrete, and 45 million pounds of reinforced steel. It created a reservoir that is capable of irrigating 2 million acres, as well as supplying water to all of Las Vegas. It generates enough electricity to power 1.3 million homes.

Officially, 112 deaths were associated with the construction of the dam. The first was a surveyor. J.G. Tierney, who drowned on December 20, 1922. His son, Patrick Tierney died thirteen years to the day later. He was the last person to die. 96 deaths occurred on site during construction. 42 workers were recorded as having died of pneumonia, but were thought to have actually died of carbon monoxide poisoning. If they didn't die on site, pneumonia was listed as the cause of death to avoid paying insurance benefits.