American Experience: Hoover Dam

Airs Monday, November 9 at 10 p.m. on KPBS TV

The Hoover Dam, known as the Boulder Dam when completed in 1936, was the world’s largest concrete structure and the world’s largest producer of hydroelectricity. Pictured: black and white photo of a dam crew.

Credit: Bechtel Corporation

Above: The Hoover Dam, known as the Boulder Dam when completed in 1936, was the world’s largest concrete structure and the world’s largest producer of hydroelectricity. Pictured: black and white photo of a dam crew.

Friday, November 6, 2009

Rising more than 700 feet above the raging waters of the Colorado River, it was called one of the greatest engineering works in history. Hoover Dam, built during the Great Depression, drew men desperate for work to a remote and rugged canyon near Las Vegas. There they struggled against heat, choking dust and perilous heights to build a colossus of concrete that brought electricity and water to millions and transformed the American Southwest. Peter Coyote narrates.

Watch the full program online and view the photo gallery.

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