Boulder City Magazine is a monthly publication full of information about Boulder City and Southern Nevada. Boulder City Magazine features the Boulder City Home Guide, a real estate guide to Boulder City and Southern Nevada.

Boulder City History
by Laura Hutton, Museum Coordinator
Boulder City Hoover Dam Museum

Dogs of the Dam

After traveling across plains, mountains, and deserts to stake their home in Southern Nevada, who would have thought those first families of what would become Boulder City were animal lovers! One of the first dogs that appear in the construction history is Baldy, owned by Harry Armisted, a river man who took Walker Young, Bureau of Reclamation Engineer, in his boat to survey Black Canyon for placement of the Dam. One of the most famous dogs is the Hoover Dam Mascot who accompanied workers to and from the construction site daily, communicated effectively his wants (candy) and needs (food), and was a true companion for those men. It has been said that the day of his death was a day of silence and mourning for the entire town.

Boulder City dogs were not only companions, but were workers as well. Dogs passed on messages, protected children from dangers of the desert, and were general guards of the Reservation. As one story goes, a dog named Boulder was bitten by a rattle snake and hid underneath his family’s house for several days. At some point, it was well enough to sneak out of his hiding place into the house where he promptly ate the family’s sour cream. Upon miraculous recovery, the family swears that the cream is what saved Boulder.

More recent generations have been advocating for their pooches. Boulder City’s Veterans Memorial Park hosts a monument to war and service dogs, which was placed in 2004 by the Veterans of Foreign Wars. The See Spot Run group raised money through several events, including an annual Celebrity Dog Walk, for the creation of a community dog park, which is located at Veterans Memorial Park. The park features a large dog run, a small dog run and an event area. Tucked away in the far reaches of Boulder City territory, many residents have laid their pets to rest at an unofficial cemetery.

During his days on the project, the Hoover Dam Mascot had a slogan developed for him around town that we should still heed today:
I Love Candy But It Makes Me Sick.
It Is Also Bad For My Coat.
Please Don’t Feed Me Any More.
Your Friend, The Hoover Dam Mascot




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