A picture shows Hoover Dam overflowing in 1983, when it reached its highest water level. Bob Riha Jr/Getty Glennon said there are videos still circulating of the workers creating Hoover Dam.

In July 1983, Lake Mead was nearing full capacity. As a result, in a rare move, the Hoover Dam opened its spillways, creating a show that visitors will never forget.

The dam was built along the Colorado River during the Great Depression and provided not only flood control, crop irrigation, and hydroelectric power for the southwestern states, but also jobs for ...