The Implausible Way Hoover Dam Diverted the Colorado River

How Hoover Dam diverted the Colorado River started with four enormous tunnels blasted through Black Canyon—not with the dam itself. This story follows the Hoover Dam construction, from brutal tunnel excavation and scorching heat to cofferdams, flood threats, and the moment the Colorado River was forced into a new route. It also explains how those temporary diversion tunnels became part of the finished water-control system, and why building Hoover Dam required creating a second river system first.