Building a monumental feat like Hoover Dam is no easy task, but these 12 photos make it look like pure magic. Capturing the grit, determination, and sheer engineering brilliance of the dam’s construction, these images show workers at their finest—scaling cliffs, toiling under extreme conditions, and creating one of the world’s most iconic structures.
1. History in the Making
2. High-Flying Workers
“Apache Indians employed as high-scalers on the construction of Hoover Dam,” the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration wrote of this 1932 snap.
3. Rock On
4. Engineering Success
5. Drilling Down
Workers building the Hoover Dam stand 500 feet above the Colorado River as they drill into the Black Canyon’s layers of rock, 1932.
6. Hard at Work
7. Work in Progress
8. Drilling Jumbo
“Drilling jumbo used in upper 36 feet of 41-foot diameter upper penstock header. This view shows the drilling face.”
9. Pouring One Out
10. The Inlet Portal
11. Big Equipment Energy
“Erecting movable tower for 20-ton cableway to operate over Hoover Damsite. Note inclined rail on canyon side of structure which is designed to carry thrust.”
12. Working Hard
Workers pose for a photo on a “Jumbo Rig,” which aided in drilling the structure’s tunnels.