While certainly being a true feat of engineering, the true cost of the Hoover Dam was steep as officialy 96 workers were killed during its construction.
The Reason for Building the Hoover Dam
Construction on Hoover Dam, located south of Las Vegas, Nevada began in 1930.
- The dam faced difficulty due to its blocking of the Colorado River which impacted several states.
- Each state had their own interests and those came into conflict often.
- President Hoover was able to negotiate these differences and saw the dam as an opportunity to provide jobs to the area.
- The dam would also pay back its construction cost through the sale of the electrical power it generated.
Hoover Dam's Construction
Hoover Dam's construction was completed in 1935 and its generators finally went on in 1937, it total it cost $49 million, but the cost of human lives was much greater.
- During construction, workers died due to a variety of causes.
- Officially, 96 workers died due to so called industrial fatalities which included falling rocks, heavy equipment accidents, and drowning.
- Some of these accidents were truly terrible. In one instnace, an explosion went off prematurely and killing at least two workers.
- This number of deaths doesn't include deaths from heat exhaustion or other illness that may have occurred during its construction.
While the death toll is high, there is a common misconception that bodies are buried in the concrete. This thought is terrifying, it is certainly not true. Most, if not all of the bodies would have found their ways to their family. While the dam was a great achievement, the true cost of the Hoover Dam was much greater than just its price.