They called it the Red Bull. Desert silt gave the Colorado River its distinctive color, but it was its power and unpredictability that made its fiercesome reputation. Speeding down from the high Rockies, the Colorado could flood without warning, wiping out any farmer foolish enough to settle near its banks.

But what if the Red Bull could be tamed? Farmlands irrigated by the Colorado's waters could bloom in the desert. Cities electrified by the Colorado's power could grow and prosper. Hoover Dam grew from this dream, and with it much of the American west.

Built during the Great Depression, Hoover Dam was set in an unforgiving landscape whose climate defied habitation, much less backbreaking physical labor. Yet during those hard times and in that desolate place, there rose an extraordinary feat of modern engineering and one of America's most enduring landmarks.

From the dust jacket