Qualla: Boulder City and Hoover Dam

Boulder City and Hoover Dam: Introduction

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Rojer Wisner, CC BY 2.0. In 1931, in the depths of the Depression, the federal government began building the largest dam in the world. They needed somewhere to house the workers, somewhere away from the chaos of Las Vegas. Boulder City was built from scratch as a model community - planned streets, company housing, and one revolutionary rule: no gambling. It remains the only city in Nevada where gambling is illegal. The dam these workers built - Hoover Dam - was completed in 1936, two years ahead of schedule, creating Lake Mead and providing power and water that would transform the American Southwest. Boulder City endures as a quiet anomaly, a small town of 16,000 preserving its origins while Las Vegas sprawls 25 miles away.

Image: Rojer Wisner | CC BY 2.0

Boulder City and Hoover Dam: The Dam

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Noah Wulf, CC BY-SA 4.0. Hoover Dam is 726 feet tall and 660 feet thick at its base - one of the largest concrete structures ever built. Construction employed over 21,000 workers during the Depression years 1931-1936. The work was brutal: summer temperatures in the canyon exceeded 120°F; 96 workers offic...

Image: Noah Wulf | CC BY-SA 4.0

Boulder City and Hoover Dam: The City

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Noah Wulf, CC BY-SA 4.0. Boulder City was planned by the Bureau of Reclamation as housing for dam workers. Designer Saco DeBoer created a model town: tree-lined streets, public parks, schools, and hospitals. Houses were assigned based on job classification - executives got larger homes on higher ground. ...

Image: Noah Wulf | CC BY-SA 4.0

Boulder City and Hoover Dam: The Legacy

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Noah Wulf, CC BY-SA 4.0. Hoover Dam transformed the American Southwest. The electricity it generates - 2,080 megawatts at peak - powered the growth of Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Southern California. Lake Mead provided irrigation water and municipal supply to millions. The dam made cities possible in the des...

Image: Noah Wulf | CC BY-SA 4.0

Boulder City and Hoover Dam: Boulder City Today

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Americasroof (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0. Boulder City retains its small-town character while Las Vegas metro surrounds it. The gambling prohibition, maintained through decades of pressure and ballot initiatives, keeps the casinos away; the town remains a quiet alternative to Strip excess. Historic downtown preserves 193...

Image: Americasroof (talk) | CC BY-SA 3.0

Boulder City and Hoover Dam: Visiting Boulder City and Hoover Dam

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit DylanMoz49, CC BY-SA 4.0. Boulder City is located 25 miles southeast of Las Vegas via US-93. Hoover Dam is 8 miles beyond Boulder City. Dam tours include the Hoover Dam Powerplant Tour (30 minutes) and the Hoover Dam Tour (1 hour, including power plant). Tours require security screening; reservations reco...

Image: DylanMoz49 | CC BY-SA 4.0