Big Dams and Other Dreams

In this freewheeling saga of American industrial might, civil engineer Donald E. Wolf tells hove a giant combine of firms, Six Companies, built the great Hoover, Bonneville, and Grand Coulee Dams and laid the foundations for the Golden Gate and San Francisco Bay Bridges. Then, as the Second World War threatened, the Six Companies executives -- in new, ever-changing combinations -- undertook ever more spectacular projects. Together they were to play a major role in developing the modern American West, through the wide variety of their enterprises at home and overseas.

Who were the men of Six Companies? The Bechtels designed and built much of the postwar infrastructure on a half-dozen continents, while constructing the world's largest engineering firm. Henry J. Kaiser created an industrial empire of steel, aluminum, chemicals, cement, automobiles, and health care. Marriner Eccles, who succeeded the Wattis brothers as the head of Utah Construction Company, also served as Franklin Roosevelt's chair of the Federal Reserve Board. Harry Morrison was head of the Morrison Knudsen Company, which dominated international construction in the mid-twentieth century. Charles Swigert and Philip Hart of Pacific Bridge, Felix Kahn of McDonald and Kahn, and the indomitable Charlie Shea all were original Six Companies partners, and each made invaluable contributions to American industry through massive construction projects.

In twelve colorful, thoroughly researched chapters, Wolf tells how the interests of these strong men coincided, what they accomplished, and what has become of the empires they created. Utilizing a wide range of primary and secondary sources -including personal interviews -- andwriting with grace and skill, the author weaves personal, political, and industrial history into an exceptionally readable account that will appeal both to twentieth-century historians and to general readers, particularly those with backgrounds in engineering, business, or construction.