Humans
have occupied the Lake Mead area for thousands
of years. The first known arrival is dated
to at least ten thousand years ago. Archaeological
records of America’s aboriginal
peoples claim that a people known only
as “The Basket Makers” lived
in the area, and were probably forerunners
of the Pueblo Indians who became farmers
and traders. It is possible that people
have been in the area a lot longer than
that, but their lifestyle was nomadic
and they left no evidence for scientists
to nail down with as high a degree of
accuracy.
Europeans arrived in the Lake Mead area
in 1826, when Jedediah Smith passed through
on his first Southwest Expedition in search
of beaver. Lake Mead was named in honor
of Dr. Elwood Mead. Dr. Mead was the Commissioner
of Reclamation from 1924 to 1936, and
it was his design that created specifications
for a giant project that would dam the
Colorado River, impound the world's (at
that time) largest artificial lake (i.e.
Lake Mead itself) and provide flood control,
irrigation supply, and power generation
for the surrounding states.
The
lake that became known as Lake Mead became
115 miles (185 km) long, from 1 to 8 miles
(1.6-12.9 km) wide, and 589 feet (180
m) at its maximum depth. With this Lake
mead became one of the largest-capacity
reservoirs in the United States. Dr. Mead’s
project was first known as the Boulder
Dam, and later name was changed to the
Hoover Dam.
Today Lake Mead is a popular resting spot
for those on their way to see the mighty
Hoover Dam. It is also the home of the
Lake Mead National Recreation Area. The
Recreation Area caters to boaters, swimmers,
sunbathers, and fishermen while its desert
rewards hikers, wildlife photographers,
and roadside sightseers. Three of America's
four desert ecosystems… the Mojave,
the Great Basin, and the Sonoran Desert…
meet in the Lake Mead National Recreation
Area.
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