"Alabam" is one of several statues that have been erected around the former federal company town of Boulder City, Nevada, to honor the Hoover Dam workers and their families. Among them were "high-scalers" who hung suspended from flimsy guide ropes; "powder monkeys," named for the dynamite they planted; cable operators who kept the huge buckets of concrete moving around the clock; and the wives and children who set up camp in the bleak desert wilderness.
The statues are part of what is called "an amazing public arts program," according to Nevada State Museum Director Dennis McBride. The project started a decade ago when town officials set aside $75,000 a year for five years to promote the role of the city and its residents in erecting the dam.
McBride is a historian who has done a lot of research on Boulder City and the dam. He came across the many stories about "Alabam."
A favorite of his was the one when someone saw him fishing inside a latrine with a stick. He explained that he had dropped his jacket into it. When told his jacket would probably be ruined, "Alabam" replied that he didn't care about the jacket, but his lunch was in the pocket.
Now, That's a Good, But Smelly Story. --DaCoot
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