Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Supported by

How A California Dam Was Identified As Boulder Dam On NV's 2016 Calendar

The Don Pedro dam in California was misidentified as Boulder Dam, otherwise known as Hoover Dam, in a state issued calendar.

The Don Pedro dam in California was misidentified as Boulder Dam, otherwise known as Hoover Dam, in a state issued calendar.

Nevada has a proud history entwined with the social fabric of the country.

And for 40 years, the Nevada Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs has celebrated that history with a yearly calendar.

About 10,000 calendars have been printed this year.

But they might think about printing more, because this one could become a collector’s item.

That’s because the cover photo of Boulder Dam is not, in fact, Boulder Dam.

How the black-and-white photo of a dam was misidentified as the Boulder Dam, which many of us call Hoover Dam, took some sleuthing.

The photo was found by Special Collections in the University of Nevada-Reno Library system. Jessica Maddox, a technician in Special Collections, said the mistake was one that won’t happen again.

She said the photo came from an old postcard in their collection of some 200,000 photos. A handwritten note on the back said it was Boulder Dam, circa 1935.

So that’s how it was identified.

Jessica Maddox, UNR Special Collections

Stay Connected
Joe Schoenmann joined Nevada Public Radio in 2014. He works with a talented team of producers at State of Nevada who explore the casino industry, sports, politics, public health and everything in between.