A striking memorial and moving tribute to the men who died while working on Hoover Dam. The words "They Died to Make the Desert Bloom" do not understate the human sacrifice in service of this engineering achievement. This beautiful bronze-relief memorial is stunning in its Art Deco style, simple in its tribute, and soaring in its scope.
Hundreds of thousands of tourists pass here every year. How many stop to appreciate the symbolism and power of this memorial? The day Blasterz were there, not many. We hope this waymark will focus more attention on this amazing piece of Art Deco memorial sculpture, and, if only for a moment, recall the sacrifices of the men who died to make Hoover Dam a reality.
Be sure and look carefully at this memorial -- it is easy to miss the most emotionally powerful part of this sculpture: The subtle downturned face of a drowned dead man sinking to the bottom of the lake, near the foot of the live figure bringing forth the agricultural and hydroelectric power potential of the dam.
Blasterz LOVE the little details here: the representation of the Hoover Dam's sculptural intake towers on each side and in the center of the relief, the lightning bolts representing the electric power to be made here. The fruits, grains, and vegetables rendered symbolically as boundless bounty in a dark time of severe economic depression and starvation for so many Americans. The canyon walls at the top of the work, whose solid rock made this dam possible. The waves of the mighty Colorado River and the future Lake Mead. There are so many layers of artistic expression and symbolism here, so subtly incorporated in a unique and moving work.
The memorial is made up of a central bronze panel and two side panels. The central panel features a curved inscription "They Died to Make the Desert Bloom."
From the SIRIS database:
"A horizontal, low-relief sculptural panel depicting a naked male figure standing in waist-high waves before a representation of Hoover Dam with his arms bent upward at the elbows and his palms held up in a gesture of offering. The figure's head is in profile; the body faces forward; the legs and buttocks, visible through six levels of stylized waves, are in profile. Above the figure is a sculptural panel of a thundercloud, lightning bolts and one of the dam's elevator towers, flanked on either side by shafts of wheat and fruits. In the lower proper right corner, faced downward with eyes closed, is a human face in 3/4 profile in the lowest level of waves."
Two panels flanking the bronze relief sculpture read as follows:
Left panel:
"The United States of America will continue to remember that many who toiled here found their final rest while engaged in the building of this dam."
Right panel:
"The United States of America will continue to remember he services of all who labored to clothe with substance the plans of those who first visioned the building of this dam."
This memorial sculpture is catalogued in the Smithsonian Art Inventory. More about this sculpture can be found at its listing here: (
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More about the human toll of Hoover Dam can be found here: (
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"The "official" number of fatalities involved in building Hoover Dam is 96. These were men who died at the dam site (classified as "industrial fatalities") from such causes as drowning, blasting, falling rocks or slides, falls from the canyon walls, being struck by heavy equipment, truck accidents, etc. Industrial fatalities do not include deaths from heat, pneumonia, heart trouble, etc.
The record regarding the number of fatalities that occurred at Hoover Dam during its construction is just not that clear. However, the following information comes from the Hoover Dam Project History, volumes 1 through 5, 1931 to 1935, and provides the best information Reclamation has available on this subject."