National Archives and Records Administration ARC Identifier 37058 / Local Identifier 115.31 The story of Hoover Dam Department of the Interior. Bureau of Reclamation. (05/18/1981 ). Explains the overwhelming need to control and regulate the raging waters of the Colorado River; the 1928 passage of the Boulder Canyon Project authorizing construction of the Hoover Dam; the ensuing construction of diversion tunnels and then the dam itself; building of support facilities, such as a steel fabrication plant for giant pipe construction; and creation of hydroelectric operations that provided electricity to California, Nevada, and Arizona. Also details how Lake Mead evolved into a successful recreational area as a result of the dam construction.