Colossus
Subtitle: the turbulent, thrilling saga of the building of Hoover Dam
By: Michael Hiltzik
Edition: 1st Free Press trade pbk. ed.
Publisher: Free Press
Published: 2011
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 496
ISBN-13: 9781416532170
Subjects: History; Dams; Design and construction
Description: The definitive account of the epic construction of the Hoover Dam, one of the the 20th century's most consequential public works.

"As breathtaking today as when it was completed, Hoover Dam ranks among America&#x2019;s most awe-inspiring, if dubious, achievements. This epic story of the dam&#x2014;from conception to design to construction&#x2014;by Pulitzer Prize&#x2013;winning journalist and Los Angeles Times columnist Michael Hiltzik exposes the tremendous hardships and accomplishments of the men on the ground&#x2014;and in the air&#x2014;who built the dam and the demonic drive of Frank Crowe, the boss who pushed them beyond endurance. It is a tale of the tremendous will exerted from start to finish, detailing the canny backroom dealings by Herbert Hoover and Franklin D. Roosevelt, the herculean engineering challenges Crowe faced, and the terrific union strikes by the men who daily fought to beat back the Colorado River. Colossus tells an important part of the story of America&#x2019;s struggle to pull itself out of the Great Depression by harnessing the power of its population and its natural resources."--Back cover.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 409-474) and index.
Table of contents: title: The sinful river; title: The road to Black Canyon; title: The arch.; title: Introduction:; title: September 30, 1935: Roosevelt comes to the river. -- -- Part one.; title: The sinful river --; title: The journey of death --; title: Born of the desert --; title: Rockwood's gamble --; title: The Lord's dam site. -- -- Part two:; title: The road to Black Canyon:; title: Hoover steps in --; title: Battlegrounds --; title: Hurry-up Crowe --; title: The silver spike --; title: The big six --; title: Ragtown --; title: Rush job --; title: The Wobblies' last stand --; title: Ely's kingdom. -- -- Part three.; title: The arch:; title: The jumbos --; title: Turning points --; title: The rising --; title: The pour --; title: Reckonings --; title: The crest --; title: Legacies.