Name/Title
Hoover Dam Construction Inspection Reports 1932- 1936Entry/Object ID
MS.132Scope and Content
Collection compiled in 1994 by Joan Northrup, former employee of Bureau of Reclamation Lower Colorado Dams Office, Hoover Dam. Her summary of the collection follows:
“This information was gathered randomly from the construction reports (1931-1946) of Hoover Dam. Inspector reports were made daily by each shift ( day, swing, and graveyard) and these were apparently written by (1) foreman, (2) person in office, or (3) inspector. Most reports were handwritten with a minority being typewritten. Many were extremely brief – others being quite detailed even giving the men’s names, badge numbers, job titles and wages. Men were often only indicated by badge numbers. Concrete reports were mainly concerned with slump, amount poured, waste, delays and elevation at which work took place. They reflected many of the same problems we face today – personnel problems, supply delays, broken equipment, equipment modifications, etc.
I have never seen a list of employees reflecting on the men who constructed the dam . . . and as a guide, I was asked at various times if there were records so they could verify if relatives worked on this project. I wish I would have had time to record each name and date (including job & location) as I saw them . . . I did not. Maybe some of this information can serve as a sample of what can be found in our historical records.
Did you know there was extensive work on the lower portal road and channel modifications in 1945 and 1946?
(signed) Joan”Collection
Manuscript CollectionsArchive Items Details
Notes
MS 132
Primary Collection
container List
Hoover Dam Construction Inspection Reports 1932- 1936
[acc. No. 004.048.17]
[ 3 boxes]
Box 1 of 3
Joan Northrup’s stack of 3x5 index cards containing information on employees whose last names begin with “H” through “O”.
Folder: USBR Dam Inspection Report WKR Listing
Unless otherwise indicated, the following folders contain photocopies of Inspector's Reports
Folder: Penstock 3-4-33 to 7-15-35
Folder: Penstock 3-4-33 to 7-15-35
Folder: Unlabelled – Stoney Gates 11-3-32 to 11-24-32
Folder: “Az Spillway 2-13-34 to 4-23-34” crossed out – contains Stoney Gates 11-13-32 to 3-14-33
Folder: NV Spillway 5-19-32 to 7-27-33
Folder: Unlabelled – Core drilling 11-7-34 to 11-21-34
Folder: Unlabelled – Core drilling 11-7-34 to 11-19-34
Folder: Unlabelled – Power House unit N.8 Oilroom floor 3-7-35 to 3-24-35
Folder: Unlabeled – Power House unit N.8 Oilroom floor 3-7-35 to 3-23-35
Folder: Pouring concrete – 7-1-34 to 7-31-34
Folder: Unlabelled – Power House Electrical 3-3-35 to 3-24-35
Folder: “Grouting” (crossed out on label) contains Power House Electrical 3-3-35 to 3-24-35
Folder: Unlabeled – Power House (assorted) 2-1-35 to 2-26-35
Folder: “Grouting” (crossed out on label) contains Power House (assorted) 2-1-35 to 2-26-35
Folder: Unlabelled – Power House (assorted) 4-1-35- to 8-30-35
Folder: “Az Spillway” (crossed out on label) contains Power House 4-1-35 to 8-24-35
Folder: Concrete Tunnels and Power House 1-1-35 to 3-31-35
Folder: Concrete 3-7-35 to 3-24-35
Folder: Pouring Concrete 3-16-32 to 10-28-32
Folder: Cableway (sic) 1-28-33 to 6-30-33
Folder: Grouting Penstock Tunnel No. 6. 3-2-24 (sic) to 4-28-34
Folder: Concrete Work SLOT 12-30-33 to 5-21-35
Folder: Concrete Work No. 1 Tunnel 9-12-32 to 11-23-32
Folder: Lower Portal Structures 3-14-32 to 6-25-33
Folder: Outlets 4-29-37 to 8-30-38
Folder: Gates 10-13-32 to 2-28-36
Folder: Gates 5-1-35 to 12-31-35
Folder: Intake Towers 4-1-34 to 12-31-35
Folder: Needle Valve 8-5-36 to 4-28-37
Folder: Tunnel and river channel improvements 5-1-45 to 11=6-46
Folder: Outlets 8-31-38 to 12-29-39
Folder: Gates 3-2-36 to 12-18-36
Folder: Gates 3-1-34 to 12-31-34
Folder: Concrete work various locations 4-1-35 to 3-23-36
Folder: Pouring Concrete 9-17-32 to 4-17-35
Folder: Powerhouse Electrical 9-1-34 to 1-13-36
Folder: AZ Spillway 7-28-33 to 9-5-36 (folder contains one original report written in pencil)
Folder: AZ Spillway 7-28-33 to 9-5-36
Folder: Unlabelled – contains assorted reports 1932 to 1939
Box 2 of 3
One folder contains official file copies of law enforcement correspondence at the Bureau of Reclamation’s Lower Colorado Dams Project (Hoover Dam) and Parker-Davis Project. Subject matter includes information related to crimes committed and arrests made at these facilities from 1973-1980.
Box 3 of 3
Two copies of the bid request for construction of Hoover Dam. Front cover reads as follows:
“Specifications No. 519
United States Department of the Interior
Ray Lyman Wilbur, Secretary
Bureau of Reclamation
Elwood Mead, Commissioner
Specifications, Schedule, and Drawings
Hoover Dam, Power Plant and Appurtenant Works
Boulder Canyon Project
Arizona - California - Nevada
Bids will be received at the office of the Bureau of Reclamation, Denver, Colorado, until 10 o’clock a.m., March 4, 1931”
* * *Create Date
August 19, 2026Update Date
August 19, 2026