The
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GenreComprehension
Skills and StrategyText Features
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Authors Purpose
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Table of Contents
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by John Manos
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by John Manos
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1 4The Hoover DamCHAPTER 2 6Why the Hoover Dam Was BuiltCHAPTER 3 7Building the DamCHAPTER 4 11The Hoover Dam and Lake Mead TodayNOW TRY THIS 14GLOSSARY 16
3
The Hoover DamThe Hoover Dam stands like a huge wall
on the Colorado River between the states of Nevada and Arizona. A dam is a huge wall built to control the flow of water on a river. It blocks water behind it. Workers on a dam can control how much water gets through the dam.
The Hoover Dam
4 5
If you ever visit the Hoover Dam, youll be surprised by its size. Its one of the biggest dams ever built. The dam is made mostly of concrete. There is enough concrete in the Hoover Dam to make a sidewalk that could wrap around Earth. The base of the dam is so thick that two football fields could fit next to each other inside it!
How Tall is the Hoover Dam?
1500 ft (457m)
500 ft (152m)
0
1300 ft (396m)
1100 ft (335m)
900 ft (274m)
700 ft (213m)
300 ft (91m)
100 ft (30m)
Willis Tower
Hoover Dam
Washington Monument
Statue of Liberty
6
Why the Hoover Dam Was Built
The Hoover Dam blocks the flow of the Colorado River. Before the dam was built, too much rain sometimes made the Colorado River overflow and flood the land. The flooding was significant enough to hurt farms. The soil became too wet for crops to grow.
At other times, there wasnt enough rain for crops to grow. Farmers werent sure how much water they could use without running out. They didnt have control over the level of water in the area.
Many people identified these as big problems. The Hoover Dam was built to solve these problems.
The Colorado River and Hoover Dam
NEVADA
CALIFORNIA
ARIZONA
UTAH
COLORADO
NEW MEXICO
MEXICO
Hoover Dam
Lake Mead Colorado
River
7
Boulder City
Building the DamWork began on the Hoover Dam in 1931.
At that time, many people in the country didnt have jobs. People heard there might be jobs building the dam. Many people traveled from all over to work on the dam.
At first, Hoover Dam workers and their families lived in camps. The people had no water or electricity. But they were happy to have a job. Then a new town called Boulder City was built for the workers. Boulder City had houses with water and electric lights.
Building the dam was hard work. It couldnt be built just anywhere along the Colorado River. It had to be built in a small canyon. A canyon is a narrow valley with high, steep sides. The land around the dam needed to be strong.
A lot of work had to be done before the dam could be built. First, people moved rocks from the canyon. They hung on long ropes to take loose rocks away. It was very dangerous work.
The workers had to get used to very hot weather. Some people from other parts of the country never got used to it. Im sick from the heat, said one of the workers. I have to leave the canyon.
8
People worked 500 feet above the river.
The river was also in the way. In order for the dam to be built, the flow of the river needed to change. Four big tunnels were dug next to the river. The water from the river could flow through the tunnels.
Then rocks and dirt were dumped into the river in two places to make smaller dams. This made the river flow into the tunnels and away from the new dam. If workers hadnt done this, the river might have backed up and flooded the land.
A tunnel during construction
9
10
It was time for the concrete to be poured. The dam rose taller and taller in the canyon. After much work, the dam was finally finished.
The tunnels were closed, and the river began to flow to the new dam. The water filled in to form a very big lake. It was named Lake Mead.
More than 5,000 workers participated in building the Hoover Dam. They worked hard for almost five years. The Hoover Dam changed the area, and the workers had helped. Many of them chose to live nearby with their families. People still live in Boulder City today.
1931Work begins.
June 1933Concrete is first poured.
February 1935Lake Mead starts to form.
May 1935Hoover Dam is finished and dedicated.
The Hoover Dam was completed in about five years.
The Hoover Dam and Lake Mead Today
The Hoover Dam still controls the flow of the Colorado River. Lake Mead holds so much water that farmers are no longer afraid that there wont be enough water for their crops.
At one time people worried that the water in Lake Mead would get too high. They worried that water might go over the top of the Hoover Dam. The dam wouldnt last long if that happened. To fix this problem, special places were built where the extra water could flow. So far, there hasnt been a problem with flooding.
Hoover Dam helped stop floods on the Colorado River.
11
Lake Mead is a source of drinking water and water for peoples homes too. Millions of people get their water from Lake Mead.
The water in Lake Mead is also used to produce electricity. Special pipes carry water into machines that use it to produce electricity. These machines can produce enough electricity for more than one million people!
12
These machines produce electricity.
Lake Mead is the largest man-made lake in the United States. Many people boat and fish on Lake Mead.
People from all over the world will visit the Hoover Dam this year. Theyll take tours of the dam. They may even drive across the highway that goes across the top of the dam!
13
You can drive across the Hoover Dam!
Now Try This
Building a Model DamYou and friends can have fun and learn
more about dams by making a model of a river and a dam. Youll need a pan that can hold water. Youll also need enough sand to cover the bottom of the pan. A small jar of water is the only other thing youll need.
Youll have fun watching a lake form!
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1. Put the sand in the bottom of the pan.
2. Lift up one end of the pan. Hold the pan like this during the rest of the steps.
3. Slowly pour water at the top end of the sand. Let the water flow down the sand.
4. Use wet sand to build a dam.
5. Pour more water into the pan.
6. Watch a lake form!
Heres How To Do It!
16
Glossarycanyon v. a narrow valley with high, steep sides.
concrete n. a mixture of cement, sand or gravel, and water that hardens when it dries.
dam n. a wall built to hold back the water of a creek or river.
identify v. to recognize, tell, or prove who something is or what something is.
participate v. to take part with other people in something.
significant adj. very important.
1. Why did the author write this book?
2. Look at the Table of Contents. How did the author organize the information in this book? Use a chart like the one below to show what each chapter is about.
Chapter Information
1
2
3
4
3. Use the word significant in a sentence.
4. Why do you thin
