Mar. 6, 2006 - Hoover Dam

Timeline May: Major John Wesley Powell makes the first recorded trip through the Grand Canyon and down the length of the Colorado River. The one-armed Civil War veteran followed this expedition with a second trip down the Colorado in 1871, when he conducted geological studies that greatly expanded understanding of the topography of the region. April: President Theodore Roosevelt signs the Reclamation Act. Reclamation Service engineers begin their long series of investigations and reports on control and possible uses of the Colorado River. March: Torrential rains begin and lead to the Colorado River breaking into the Imperial Valley, creating an inland sea across a hundred and fifty square miles. It was two years, at a cost of more than $3 million, before the river is contained within its original channel. Blaine Hamann, former Bureau of Reclamation employee, recalls, "The river was an enemy, and only in short periods of time could you look at it as a useful river. Most of the time it was something that would kill you or ruin your farm." April: Congress passes the Kinkaid Act authorizing the Secretary of Interior to investigate problems of Imperial Valley. February: Arthur P. Davis is the chief author of the Fall-Davis report entitled "Problems of Imperial Valley and Vicinity." Prepared under the Kinkaid Act and submitted to Congress, the report recommended construction of a high dam on the Colorado River at or near Boulder Canyon. The report also suggested that the government could recoup the cost of construction by selling the electric power generated by the dam to the cities in rapidly-expanding Southern California. November: Representatives of the seven Colorado River Basin States sign the Colorado River Compact in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Later in the year, the first of the Swing-Johnson bills to authorize a high dam and canal is introduced in Congress. December: The Colorado River Board of California reports favorably on a feasibility study concerning the Boulder Canyon Dam Project. The Boulder Canyon Project Act, introduced by Senator Hiram Johnson and Representative Phil Swing, both of California, passes in the House and Senate, and is signed by President Calvin Coolidge. June: Herbert Hoover takes charge of negotiations as six of seven basin states approve the Colorado River Compact. The basin states include Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. Arizona, unhappy with the proposed plan for water distribution, is the one state that held out against the Compact. The resulting agreement leads to passage of the Boulder Canyon Project Act. 1931 March: The Bureau of Reclamation opens bids for the construction of Boulder (Hoover) Dam and Power Plant. The contract is awarded to Six Companies, a construction and engineering firm made up of some of the West's most successful builders and designers of dams, bridges, roads, and tunnels, on March 11. The winning bid was $48,890,995. November: The Colorado River is diverted around the dam site. June: First concrete is poured at Hoover Dam site. February: The Hoover Dam starts impounding water in Lake Mead. May: The last concrete is poured at the dam site. September: President Franklin D. Roosevelt attends and speaks at the dedication of Boulder (Hoover) Dam. March: House Resolution 140, officially declaring that the dam at Boulder Canyon be named Hoover Dam, for former President Herbert Hoover, is introduced to Congress. It is passed two days later, moves on to be approved in the Senate. April: President Harry S. Truman signs resolution officially declaring that the dam at Boulder Canyon be named Hoover Dam.             Highway 93 at the Nevada-Arizona border. Click here for maps and driving instructions, and where to go after you get here. OPERATING HOURS: Parking Garage: Open 8:00 a.m. -- Close 5:45 p.m. Visitor Center: Open 9:00 a.m. -- Close 5:00 p.m. Tickets sold until 4:15 p.m. The Hoover Dam Visitor Center is open every day of the year except for Thanksgiving and Christmas. All times are for the Pacific Time Zone. Note: To see it all, we recommend visitors arrive by 4:00 p.m. Pedestrians are prohibited from the top of the dam during hours of darkness. ADMISSION FEES: Parking fee: $7.00. (cash only) Discovery Tour (for a description of the tour click here) Adults (Ages 17-61) $11.00 Seniors (62+) $9.00 Juniors (Ages 7-16) $6.00 U.S. Military and Dependents (Adults & Seniors) $9.00 Children (Ages 0-6) Free Note: Golden Eagle or Golden Age Passports/discounts are NOT accepted for admission to the Hoover Dam Visitor Center or tour. They can be used for admission to parks and facilities that receive benefits from the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act; Hoover Dam is entirely self-funded and does not receive these benefits. TRAFFIC ADVISORY: Semi-trucks (18-wheelers) are prohibited from crossing the dam. Trucks and other prohibited vehicles must use the detour through Laughlin, Nevada on highway 95. Most passenger vehicles are allowed to cross the dam. Stopping on top of the dam in any vehicle is prohibited. Pedestrians are not allowed on the top of the dam during hours of darkness. For a list of prohibited vehicles and conditions see our guideline "Crossing Hoover Dam: A Guide for Motorists" (Acrobat .pdf file - 269 KB). VISITATION: The busiest season is in the summer from Memorial Day until Labor Day. Another busy time is during Spring Break. The slowest months are January and February. The least crowded time of day for tours is from 9:00 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. until 4:45 pm. ACCESSIBILITY: The Hoover Dam Tour Center and the Hoover Dam Discovery Tour are wheelchair accessible. CLIMATE: Hoover Dam is located in a desert climate. It is HOT in the summer. During summer months it is recommended that you wear light clothing and a hat, use sun screen and sun glasses, and carry water bottles on the tour. (Food, chewing gum, canned drinks and drinks in cups are NOT allowed on tour or in the buildings.) FOR MORE INFORMATION: For reservation information about Hoover Dam tours during operating hours contact us at: Tel: (702) 494-2517 Fax: (702) 494-2587 From 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Pacific time, call the toll free number at (866) 730-9097. The fax number is the same toll free number. You can also send an e-mail with your name and phone number to Hoover Dam Reservations at hooverdam@vegas.com. Note: this e-mail address is for reservation comments and questions only. PETS ARE NOT ALLOWED ANYWHERE ON SITE.