Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 20–Senators Porter, Amodei, Care, Carlton, Coffin, Jacobsen, James, Mathews, McGinness, Neal, O’Connell, O’Donnell, Raggio, Rawson, Rhoads, Schneider, Shaffer, Titus, Townsend, Washington and Wiener
Joint Sponsors: Assemblymen Brown, Anderson, Angle, Arberry, Bache, Beers, Berman, Brower, Buckley, Carpenter, Cegavske, Chowning, Claborn, Collins, de Braga, Dini, Freeman, Gibbons, Giunchigliani, Goldwater, Gustavson, Hettrick, Humke, Koivisto, Lee, Leslie, Manendo, Marvel, McClain, Mortenson, Neighbors, Nolan, Oceguera, Ohrenschall, Parks, Parnell, Perkins, Price, Smith, Tiffany, Von Tobel and Williams
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SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION—Recognizing the 70th anniversary of Boulder City.
Whereas, In 1928, as part of the Boulder Canyon Project Act,
Congress authorized the construction of a dam in Black Canyon, between
Nevada and Arizona, to tame the raging Colorado River; and
Whereas, The dam was named “Hoover Dam” in honor of President
Herbert Hoover and had many purposes, including the storage of water,
control of floods and generation of hydroelectric power; and
Whereas, Hoover Dam would later be selected by the American
Society of Civil Engineers as one of the “Seven Modern Engineering
Wonders of the United States”; and
Whereas, To accomplish the construction of this major project, the
Bureau of Reclamation would create what was to be a temporary city in
the barren desert to accommodate the multitude of workers needed to build
the dam; and
Whereas, Hoover Dam was built during the Great Depression and jobs
were scarce, with unemployment as high as 80 percent in some parts of the
country; and
Whereas, With no guarantee of food, shelter or work, thousands of
jobless people packed up their families and flocked to the area, now
known as “Boulder City,” where jobs were plentiful and housing was
provided, looking for the American dream; and
Whereas, Because the city planners had not expected the workers to
bring their families with them, they had not prepared for the influx of
women and children and had not provided for schools or churches; and
Whereas, With true pioneer spirit, the people of Boulder City picked
up where the city planners had left off, starting schools using chairs and
desks donated by the people in the community and buying books with
money from their own pockets; and
Whereas, Churches were built, businesses were started, and social and
spiritual ties were formed; and
Whereas, At the height of the dam construction, Boulder City had the
largest population in the State of Nevada, with approximately 7,000
people; and
Whereas, Some roads in the area were being graded using mules and
others using state-of-the-art equipment, showing the transition of the
country towards mechanized and technological development; and
Whereas, After the completion of Hoover Dam in 1935, with the
dedication of the dam by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the future
of Boulder City was uncertain, with some considering tearing down the
houses and abandoning the city; and
Whereas, The residents who had raised their families and built a
thriving community in Boulder City were determined to stay in what had
become known as “the city that built Hoover Dam” and successfully
fought to become independent of rule by the Bureau of Reclamation; and
Whereas, The city that started out as a temporary one has flourished
and is ideally situated close to Lake Mead National Recreation Area,
Hoover Dam and Las Vegas; and
Whereas, Listed on the “National Register of Historic Places,”
Boulder City is home to the stately Boulder Dam Hotel which has housed
presidents and movie stars; and
Whereas, Boulder City, once a desert, now provides an oasis of grass
and trees and many recreational opportunities, including a golf course, a
swimming pool, a racquetball complex, tennis courts, athletic fields, parks
and a BMX bicycle track; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate of the State of Nevada, the Assembly
Concurring, That the Nevada Legislature hereby declares the week of
March 11 through March 17, 2001, as “Boulder City Days” in recognition
of the 70th anniversary of its founding; and be it further
Resolved, That the Legislature invites all Nevadans to join in the
celebration of that anniversary; and be it further
Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate prepare and transmit a copy
of this resolution to Robert Ferraro, the Mayor of Boulder City.
20~~~~~01