Research Notetaking - Assignment Example

to more readily irrigate land in Mexican territory- in 1904 the company excavated a more direct opening at a site a few miles south of the California/Mexico border” (Wiltshire, Gilbert and Rogers 2) Jackson relates that the roots of the Hoover Dam project stretch deep into a long-term goal by the private sector to secure the irrigation of the Imperial Valley in the southern section of California. These efforts can be traced back to the 1900’s, when such irrigation aims became central to the existence of the Colorado Development Company.

The successful early efforts resulted in a large tract of the Imperial Valley being nicely irrigated. There were problems however with canal siltation, even when the valley was being successfully irrigated, so that the firm had to redouble its efforts building another canal on top of the original canal that tapped the Colorado River and connected the valley to it (Wiltshire, Gilbert and Rogers 2). “Constructed in the 1930s, the concrete arch-gravity structure was intended to prevent flooding as well as provide much-needed irrigation and hydroelectric power to arid regions of states like California and Arizona.

It was originally known as Boulder Dam, but was renamed in 1947 in honor of Herbert Hoover, who as U.S. secretary of commerce and the 31st U.S. president proved instrumental in getting the dam built. At 726 feet high and 1,244 feet long, Hoover Dam was one of the largest man-made structures in the world at the time of its construction, and one of the worlds largest producers of hydroelectric power” (A&E Television Networks). The History Channel notes that the Hoover Dam was originally named Boulder Dam, but that in 1947 the dam was renamed to honor the late President Edgar Hoover.

Hoover was also US Commerce Secretary, and it was Hoover who was credited with having done a substantial part of the work to erect the iconic structure to the benefit of the people of states like Arizona and California. For those states,