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SFJ Las Vegas Wedding & Travel
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Last update
11/03/06
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Hoover Dam & Lake Mead
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Just 35 miles away of Las Vegas you will find
Hoover Dam - An Engineering Wonder
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For millions of years, the Colorado River flowed along 11,400 - mile course from Colorado`s Rocky Mountains to the Gulf
of California, carrying water through
the arid lands of the American West.
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In the 1800s and early
1900s, the river often flooded low-lying farmland and communities in the spring and early summer as it surged with water from melting snow. In late summer and early fall, it often dried to a trickle, too low to divert. To protect the low-lying lands from flooding, and to assure a stable, year around water supply, the river, who serves seven states, needed to be controlled.
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Construction of Hoover Dam
began in 1931, and the last concrete was poured in 1935. Even with the remote location and some of the harshest working conditions, the government`s contractor completed the project two years ahead of schedule and well under budget. President Franklin D. Roosevelt de- dicated the dam on September 30, 1935.
The powerplant wings were completed in 1936, and the first generator began operation in October that
year. The 17th and final generator went into com- mercial operation in 1961.
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Hoover Dam is named for Herbert Hoover, the 31st President of the United States, and
was without precedent the greatest dam of its day, and it still is a world-renowned structure.
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The crest length of the dam is 1,244 feet,
crest width 45 feet,
base width 660 feet and
height 726.4 feet.
The Boulder Canyon Project Act authorized Hoover Dam for: “flood
control; improvement of navigation and regulation of the Colorado River; storage and delivery of Colorado River waters for reclamation of public lands and other beneficial uses exclusively within the United States; and hydroelectric power production.”
The water storage and river control provided by Hoover and downstream projects enable residents of the Southwest to use the waters of the lower river for many purposes:
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Irrigation
of more than one million acres of some of America`s richest crop lands and nearly half a million acres in Mexico. These lands grow a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, cotton
and hay throughout the year.
Meeting the domestic water needs of more than 18 million people in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix and other southwestern cities, towns in Arizona, Nevada, and
California.
Generation of 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.
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More
than half a century has passed since Hoover Dam rose from the bed of the Colorado River, but there appears to be no end to man`s fascination with this awesome inspiring achievement. Although more modern dams are taller or generate more power, Hoover Dam continues to lure millions of visitors from across the nation and around the world.
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The Hoover Dam is
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a National Historic Landmark, National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark,
and one of America`s Seven Modern Civil Engineering Wonders.
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It`s Hoover Dam, in fact that creates
Lake Mead
Lake Mead, the largest man-made body of water in the United States, has more than 550 miles of
shoreline, a surface area of 157,900 acres, a capacity of 28,500,000 acre-feet, a maximum depth of 500 feet and when the lake is full, a length of 110 miles.
Enjoy the sun, the blue sky, colorful rockfarmations, sandy beaches, and the ever-changing clear blue water of Lake Mead.
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The lake is the major recreational attraction offering boating, swimming, water skiing, jet skiing
and fishing - and it is the center of a 1.5-million acre recreational area.
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Year around, an authentic
300-passenger paddle-wheeler skims across the lake`s glassy blue surface. Don`t forget your camera because each time of day brings
its special light and color to the surroundings.
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S.F.J. Las Vegas Inc.
3650 Willow Bend Ct., Las Vegas, NV 89121
Call (702) 458 - 1255 Fax (702) 458 - 6685
Email webmaster@sfj-lasvegas-wedding.com
Copyright 1998-2006 © S.F.J. Las Vegas Inc.
Star Trek™ & © 2002 Paramount Picktures
All rights reserved.
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