It took thousands of workers to build the dam and keep it running
The Hoover Dam Produces Electricity
October 9, 1936
During the Great Depression, many Americans did not have jobs. The construction of the dam created work for thousands of people who came from all over the country. When the Hoover dam was built in Nevada, the federal government created an entire town so the workers and their families had a place to stay. It was called Boulder City. Still, workers faced very hard conditions such as safety hazards and worked in temperatures that could be hotter than 120 degrees!
CREDIT: Van Vechten, Carl, photographer. "Portrait of Orson Welles." March 1, 1937. Creative Americans: Portraits by Carl Van Vechten, 1932-1964, Library of Congress. AUDIO CREDIT:
