Elwood Mead Memorial at Hoover Dam (1936)
Public DisplayA bronze memorial plaque at Hoover Dam honoring Dr. Elwood Mead, first Commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation, who died January 26, 1936. Lake Mead bears his name.
Details
- Date
- 1936
- Medium
- Bronze memorial plaque
- Location
- Hoover Dam, Nevada
- Status
- Public Display
- Period
- 1930s
The Man Behind Lake Mead
Dr. Elwood Mead (1858–1936) served as the first Commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation from 1924 until his death on January 26, 1936. He oversaw the planning and early construction of Hoover Dam but didn’t live to see it finished. Lake Mead—the largest reservoir in the United States when full—was named in his honor.
A bronze memorial plaque at the dam commemorates Mead’s role. The plaque is part of Oskar Hansen’s sculptural program at Hoover Dam. Mead served as Wyoming’s first state engineer and later worked on irrigation projects in Australia and Palestine before leading the Bureau.
Why Mead Was Honored
The Mead plaque is a straightforward biographical tribute. What makes it notable within Hansen’s program is its plainness. The rest of Monument Plaza operates on astronomical and symbolic scales. The Mead plaque names one specific person. It’s the most human-scaled element in the program.
Visiting the Elwood Mead Memorial
The plaque is at Hoover Dam, accessible during standard dam visits, in the plaza area near the Winged Figures and workers memorial. The bronze remains intact and legible.