Photo courtesy of: United States Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation - Lower Colorado Region

Standing 725 feet high, Hoover Dam is the second highest dam in the United States behind the Ororville Dam in California at 754 feet.

Named Hoover Dam, for former President Herbert Hoover, construction on the dam began back in 1933 with the last bit of concrete being poured in June of 1935.

One of the highlights of Hoover Dam is the artwork collection by Norwegian-born, naturalized American Oskar J.W. Hansen. According to Hansen, much of the sculpture represented for him, "a monument to collective genius exerting itself in community efforts around a common need or ideal."

Located in a desert climate, Hoover Dam gets extremely hot during the summer. It is recommended that you wear light clothing and a hat, use sun screen and sun glasses, and carry water bottles. (Food, chewing gum, canned drinks and drinks in cups are NOT allowed on tour or in the buildings.)

The dam is located 30 miles southeast of Las Vegas on U.S. Highway 93 at the Nevada-Arizona border.