In Black Canyon lies the monumental structure known as Hoover Dam. Also known as Boulder Dam, Hoover Dam was built from 1931 to 1936. Frank Crowe was the general manager of the building. The dam was built to irrigate the arid desert in the southwestern United States. The Hoover Dam site is visited by millions of people each year and will continue to provide power to many cities. In 1922, a commission was formed between Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. The federal representative on the commission was Herbert Hoover. The group wanted to find a way to use Colorado River water for each state's use. The commission wrote and signed the Colorado River Compact on November 24, 1922. The Colorado River Compact divided the river basin into upper and lower halves. Within each region, water would be directed to each state. The solution to using water from the Colorado River was to build a dam. The huge dam was to be built to provide water for irrigation, flood control and hydroelectric power. After several unsuccessful attempts to pass the agreement, President Calvin Coolidge signed the bill approving the Boulder Canyon project. After that, the details began to be worked out. Initially, the BoulderCanyon project was supposed to be built in Boulder Canyon. Later, the damned site was moved downstream, eight miles, to Black Canyon. The reason it was moved is because Boulder Canyon did not have canyon walls strong enough to support such a large structure. Black Canyon was also chosen because it had control of the river. Then, in 1930, “the United States government announced to the public that they would build the largest dam in the world. The company would employ seven thousand people” (Mann 15). During this...... middle of paper...... Harold was unable to change the name. In conclusion, Hoover Dam is an important source of energy in the Southwest. The dam is also needed to prevent flooding. Millions of people visit the national landmark every year. Herbert Hoover is proud of the dam. As he once said, “This morning I came, I saw, and I was won over, as would be anyone seeing this great feat of humanity for the first time” (Dunar 311). Herbert Hoover showed his respect to all the workers who worked on the great wonder of the world. Works Cited Dunar, Andrew J., and Dennis McBride. Building Hoover Dam: An Oral History of the Great Depression. Reno, Nevada: University of Nevada Press, 1993. Mann, Elizabeth. Hoover Dam. New York: Mikaya Press, 2001. “Hoover Dam.” United States Department of the Interior. May 1, 2009. (December 14. 2009).