The large letter postcard above is from the 1930s and shows various views of Boulder Dam (now known as Hoover Dam).
Below is another late 1930s postcard showing the Figures of the Republic. These are two identical bronze figures, designed by Oskar J. W. Hansen, and installed as the principal decoration at Hoover (Boulder) Dam. They are 30' high and are cast in bronze. One sits on either side of the 125 foot flagstaff facing the gorge of Black Canyon of the Colorado River over the crest of the dam.
The following words are inscribed at the base of the flagpole :
It is fitting that the flag of our country should fly here in honor of those men who, inspired by a vision of lonely lands made fruitful, conceived this great work and of those others whose genius and labor made that vision a reality.
Hoover Dam is the second tallest dam in the United States 726 feet (221 meters). It is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the US states of Arizona and Nevada. It was constructed between 1931 and 1936 during the Great Depression and was dedicated on September 30, 1935, by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Its construction was the result of a massive effort involving thousands of workers, and cost over one hundred lives. The dam was controversially named after President Herbert Hoover.
Hoover Dam impounds Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the United States by volume. The dam is located near Boulder City, Nevada, a municipality originally constructed for workers on the construction project, about 25 mi (40 km) southeast of Las Vegas, Nevada. The dam's generators provide power for public and private utilities in Nevada, Arizona, and California. (source: Wikipedia)
Hoover Dam is a major tourist attraction with nearly a million people touring it each year. The 1950s postcard below is a "Pictorial Post Card" issued by Union Pacific Railroad. The description on the back says "Massive Hoover Dam on the Colorado River, seen on a short side trip from exciting Las Vegas Nevada, when traveling to or from Los Angeles via Union Pacific." I really like the way this postcard gives me a vicarious view of the dam by including a human viewer in the image.
There are two lanes for automobile traffic across the top of the dam, which formerly served as the Colorado River crossing for U.S. Route 93. Security became a concern after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, and a bypass project was expedited. The Hoover Dam Bypass opened in October 2010. Tours of the dam are still offered, but increased security concerns by the government have resulted in most of the interior structure being inaccessible to tourists.
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They should have left the name "Boulder Dam" alone. Sounds more interesting than Hoover Dam. Why dams & highways & airports & stadiums & all have to be named after someone or some commercial thing instead of simply after their location is beyond me. But oh well, that's just my opinion. Nice post. After 9/11 many of the country's dams were closed to traffic. My mother lived in an area easily accessible across a dam. But after 9/11 I had to get to her place in a longer roundabout way. I wasn't too happy about it, but I understood the reason.
ReplyDeleteThat is a fine postcard of the dam; it gives us an appreciation of its size and grandeur.
ReplyDeleteWonderful reminder of achievements of man to control nature, at least for a while in the scheme of things. I think of the interiors of those caves in comparison. Great post cards!
ReplyDeleteAs a tourist attraction that’s pretty impressive!
ReplyDeleteI love the Art Deco Figures of the Republic in the second post card. Wow! it's fun and kinda crazy how great minds seem to have similar ideas. I made a Boulder Dam Post a few days back myself. La Nightingale, I think Boulder sounds better than Hoover as well; but what cha donna do. Anyway, I would like to share the post for Sepia Saturday also. You'll get a couple extra views here. http://luvlinens.blogspot.com/2013/12/boulder-dam.html
ReplyDeleteIt is very impressive, as is this place, indeed in each and every way!
ReplyDeleteThe Figures of the Republic remind me of the hood ornaments on vintage classic automobiles, or maybe even Egyptian temple sculpture. Not a typical monument design for a public works project. I recently read a book that included a lot of history on Herbert Hoover. He was notorious for getting his name and image attached to all kinds of government projects that he had little to do with.
ReplyDeleteI have always wanted to visit the Hoover Dam, maybe next time I visit your country I will get to go there. A very Happy New Year from Alan.
ReplyDeleteI am going to have to put the Hoover Dam on my list of To Sees --- and I don't live That far away, just never made slight detour it would have taken. Now I am jazzed by the great postcards and post. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteNice postcards!
ReplyDeleteI have seen a dam like that before in our place way back 2005. It's really fascinating how big it is and you look like tiny people if you were there.
ReplyDeleteLove the graphics of the postcard that provide many views of the dam.
ReplyDeleteThere is such a distinctive 1930's feel to the photographs, due to the design elements. An icon of its time. .
DeleteReminds me of The Highway Man with Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash and the group where a man falls into the damn when it's being built and they build him right into it. Another place I should try and visit if I ever go west again.
ReplyDeleteFor some weird reason when I first looked at the top postcard I kept reading Bounder Dam and thought it a very odd choice of name. I love the Figures of the Republic. It's all very...very....is it neo-classical???
ReplyDelete