Of all the things made by man, one of the first to be seen from space was Hoover Dam. Hoover Dam was built during the Great Depression under the auspices of the Bureau of Reclamation, whose guiding philosophy was to “reclaim” land and water from nature for man’s use. Hoover Dam tamed the wild waters of the Colorado River, providing power and water to millions of people in the American Southwest.

This lecture describes the events leading up to the creation of the dam: the exploration of the Colorado River after the American Civil War, the first attempts to tame it, the dam’s magnificent design and the men who built it. By the end of the lecture, the listener will understand why mankind’s brightest promise lies in the American ingenuity that made Hoover Dam possible—and cities like Las Vegas thrive.