
The Government's Plan
Clip: Season 11 | 1m 6s
Building the 700 foot high dam was only one piece of the puzzle.
Building the 700 foot high dam was only one piece of the puzzle. Workers would also build two power plants, dig four tunnels into rock yard canyon, divert the flow of the river, pour 4 1/2 million cubic yards of concrete, and build a city in the desert to house 5,000 families.
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Corporate sponsorship for American Experience is provided by Liberty Mutual Insurance and Carlisle Companies. Major funding by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

The Government's Plan
Clip: Season 11 | 1m 6s
Building the 700 foot high dam was only one piece of the puzzle. Workers would also build two power plants, dig four tunnels into rock yard canyon, divert the flow of the river, pour 4 1/2 million cubic yards of concrete, and build a city in the desert to house 5,000 families.
Problems with Closed Captions? Closed Captioning Feedback
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When is a photo an act of resistance?
For families that just decades earlier were torn apart by chattel slavery, being photographed together was proof of their resilience.Providing Support for PBS.org
Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipWorkers moved the Colorado River from the bed it had known for 12 million years. (44s)
Hoover Dam: Moving the Concrete
On June 6, 1933, workers poured the first bucket of concrete that would build the dam. (2m 59s)
The High Scalers of Hoover Dam
During the dam's construction, the job of the high scaler was by far the most dangerous. (2m 33s)
Building the 700 foot high dam was only one piece of the puzzle. (1m 6s)
The most dangerous phase of Hoover Dam's construction was building the diversion tunnels. (2m 47s)
Providing Support for PBS.org
Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipCorporate sponsorship for American Experience is provided by Liberty Mutual Insurance and Carlisle Companies. Major funding by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.