Life Downstream

The Hoover Dam is a remarkable piece of civil infrastructure in a remarkable location. If the dam itself does not cast a spell of inspiration upon you, the geography will. The dam is a testament to the power of man and the geography a testament to the power of nature.

My dad and I were at a tradeshow in Las Vegas focused on selling the most advanced technology for large-scale sound and video systems in large venues like stadiums, arenas, public facilities, and churches. Each day of the tradeshow was filled with wow moments, a result of the remarkable developments made in the industry. But as duties at the tradeshow wound down, a yearning to spice up the mundane, and surprisingly dangerous, typical route from Las Vegas to Los Angeles developed.

After a few glances in our well-worn road atlas, I proposed we follow US Route 93 south to Boulder City, across the Hoover Dam, south into Kingman, AZ and then following Route 66 to Needles, CA before following I-40 into Barstow. We were going to journey through part of the history of how the west was really won and how it transformed into what we know today.

The sprawl of Las Vegas almost reaches Boulder City. It seems to last forever because in the large valleys of the high desert there is no need to build up, so instead they've built out. Although it was clear when we entered Boulder City that we knew we were no longer in Las Vegas. Nothing old is allowed to stay in Las Vegas (except in a few museums, like the awesome Neon Museum), but that is not the case in Boulder City.

Like the company coal towns in West Virginia and Kentucky, Boulder City was a company town, although the company was the US Government. Realizing the magnitude of the Boulder Dam (later renamed Hoover Dam) project, it was decided to establish a semi-permanent town rather than simply a camp. The town boomed during the construction of the dam and many of the period buildings still stand.

As we approached the dam we were impressed to find it was also the road across the Colorado River. In the years since this visit, much has changed. Another civil engineering marvel, a continuous concrete arch bridge, now carries travelers on US Route 93 over the Colorado River. Now, if you want to see the dam, you have to exit 2 miles north of the dam and take the old road though a security checkpoint. While security concerns and congestion are great reasons to build a bypass, the route has lost some charm as folks are no longer required to engage with this incredible feat of engineering.