THE HOOVER DAM

Duration: 33 min

Year Published: 1949

Creator: Department of the Army (Department of Defense)

Format: 16mm

Color: B&W

Sound: Optical sound

Description: Explains the need for control of the Colorado River. Pictures the construction of the Hoover Dam and indicates its value for irrigation and electric power.

Complete Record: This film "Hoover Dam" (1949) details the historical struggle and engineering triumph involved in building the Hoover Dam and its hydroelectric power plant. By taming the Colorado River, the American Southwest is transformed, as farmers and local economies benefit. Screenplay by Irwin Gielgud, animation by Tom Palmer Productions, narrated by Sidney N Berry, produced by Simmel Meservey, inc. Directed by Edward C Simmel, cinematography by Jules Bucher. 00:00 The start of this reel is a cartoon of unknown origin, about construction. 2:31 Hoover Dam stands as a massive barrier across a narrow canyon where the Colorado River once cut through solid rock. 2:38 Behind the dam, the river has transformed into the quiet waters of Lake Mead, though it still follows its original channel downstream toward the sea. 2:57 The Colorado River Basin is characterized by vast deserts and a lack of steady water supply, with heartiest plants like cactus and Joshua trees surviving on the sunbaked earth. 3:36 Vital highlands to the north shed their waters into the Colorado River system, providing essential resources for the Southwest. 3:46 During the late 19th century, homesteaders established hundreds of farms, but their progress was constantly threatened by alternating periods of drought and devastating floods. 4:50 The Colorado River journeys 1,700 miles south before emptying into the Gulf of California. 5:16 Early farmers attempted to manage the water with makeshift rock and brush dams, but these were insufficient against heavy spring floods that ruined homes and crops. 6:15 In low-water years, severe droughts turned soil to powder, causing wind erosion and leading to the abandonment of desolate farms. 6:43 Local leaders proposed building a dam 8:40 Farmers sought funding for the project, but local bankers deemed it too expensive 9:45 State governments were unable to help, and pivot to a federal project 11:09 Engineers suggested adding a hydroelectric plant to the dam so the sale of power could pay for the construction. 12:03 Congress approved the construction which began at Black Canyon, involving massive excavation with steam shovels 14:03 Four huge tunnels bored through canyon walls to divert the river 14:27 Concrete poured at a rate of 50,000 cubic feet an hour 15:29 Engineering challenges met with onsite innovation, such as using X-ray tests to ensure structural integrity. 16:12 Six of the nation’s top firms finished the dam in five years—two years ahead of schedule. 17:06 Lake Mead now stores water that once caused floods 17:31 At Imperial Dam, water is diverted to Arizona and California after a desilting process that removes sand and dirt in huge settling basins. 18:08 The 80-mile All-American Canal allows farmers to grow crops year-round 19:42 Reclaimed land in the Imperial Valley produces abundant fruits and vegetables 21:13 Generating hydroelectric power for over 7 million people. 21:44 The generators produce three times the energy of Russia's Dnieper Dam, with power sales paying back one-third of the dam’s cost in under 13 years. 22:18 Water from Lake Mead plunges at 60 mph to drive turbines far below the surface, converting natural energy into electricity. 22:53 Power lines carry the current across the land to cities like Yuma, Arizona, where the population has increased 400% since the dam's completion. 24:12 Cheap energy invigorated Nevada’s mining industry, allowing idle zinc and lead mines to reopen and providing steady jobs and safer working conditions for miners. 25:47 In Los Angeles, cheap power from the dam fueled massive industrial growth 27:04 Assembly plants using power from the dam. 29:03 The Southwest's increased productivity created a national exchange of goods, stimulating business and factory production across the entire United States. 30:16 The project resulted in the control of a once-vagrant river and the creation of a prosperous, electrified society in the wasteland.

Metadata Source:3434 U.S. Government Films