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In the dusty deserts of Nevada, an ambitious engineering feat took shape over 80 years ago. Controlling one of the most powerful rivers in the North American continent, the Hoover Dam was the largest in the world when it was completed in 1936. Powering electrical grids and supplying water for three U.S. states, the construction of this dam had an immediate impact, even creating one city while destroying another.
Now the largest water reservoir in the United States, Lake Mead was created not by nature but due to the Hoover Dam’s 4.3 million cubic yards of concrete (enough to build a two-lane highway from San Francisco to New York City). Before becoming the water-filled recreational area it is today, it was an arid valley home to the town of St. Thomas. While its population never rose above 500 people, the small town was a stopping point on a highway to Los Angeles and had first been established in 1865. As Lake Mead began to take shape in 1935, residents were forced to relocate and were reimbursed by the government, though some townsfolk were more hesitant to leave their homes than others. Hugh Lord was the last person to leave St. Thomas in 1938, paddling away from his house in a small boat as waters began to seep into his front door.
The construction of the dam, originally called “Boulder Dam,” was an undertaking requiring a massive amount of manpower. How would construction companies make sure workers have an easy commute? Build a city right next to the project, of course! Boulder City was intentionally planned and designed by the government to house over 5,000 workers. Featuring all the essential “starter-kit” civic structures, it even included an air-conditioned movie theater and a grand hotel for out-of-town guests. The American government would not relinquish control of the city until 1959, when the area would elect its first mayor Robert N. Broadbent (the town pharmacist).
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Today, both urban centers can be visited while rambling around the impressive Hoover Dam (though one’s in better shape than the other). The ruins of St. Thomas, once submerged underwater, have now come back to the surface due to lowering levels of Lake Mead, giving curious hikers a view into a unique ghost town. Boulder City’s population has doubled since its creation and includes more than just a two-screen theater. The Hoover Dam can be attributed to many things, but over 11,000 people, it’s central to an American “Tale of Two Cities.”
