"We are here to celebrate the completion of the greatest dam in the world... All these dimensions are superlative. They represent and embody the accumulated engineering knowledge and experience of centuries; and when we behold them it is fitting that we pay tribute to the genius of their designers. We recognize also the energy, resourcefulness, and zeal of the builders, who, under the greatest physical obstacles, have pushed this work forward to completion two years in advance of the contract requirements. But especially, we express our gratitude to the thousands of workers who gave brain and brawn to this great work of construction, - Franklin D. Roosevelt "Most immediately and obviously, the great dam in the West meant profound change in the lives of those who built it, from engineers to bureaucrats to the army of construction workers and their families who found themselves caught up in a task of a magnitude none could have imagined. "And the West was changed changed immeasurably... The dam did truly make the desert bloom, and more. Orange groves would thrive, marquis lights would blaze, toasters turn on, and Hoover vacuum cleaners spring into action in far off Los Angeles, all because of the Great Hoover Dam. - David McCullough On September 30, 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt was helped from a private railroad car and driven to the dam site, along with his wife Eleanor Roosevelt, aides, Secret Service men, and Walker Young. "Gee, this is magnificent," the president exclaimed, as he was seated.76 The completed Hoover Dam stands 725.4 feet high and measures 1,244 feet across at the top and 660 feet at the base. Able to store two years "average" flow of the Colorado River, it has a power generating capacity of 2.8 million kilowatts.