Towns Submerged by Lake Mead: St. Thomas, Overton, and More

The filling of Lake Mead behind Hoover Dam (1935–1938) permanently inundated several communities in the Moapa Valley, Nevada:

Submerged Settlements

• St. Thomas (Mormon settlement, est. 1865): Most famous. Peak population ~500. Abandoned 1938. Ruins periodically reappear during low lake levels (e.g., 2000s, 2022) as ghostly foundations, tree stumps, artifacts.
• Overton (original site): Partially flooded; town relocated to higher ground (current Overton).
• Mormon Mesa (Kaolin): Small farming community.
• Nelson (El Dorado Canyon): Mining camp.
• Boulder City (original construction camp): Not a permanent town, but the massive worker camp for dam building was submerged. Modern Boulder City was built on higher ground as the permanent federal town.

Relocation & Compensation

• Residents received government buyouts (often below market value).
• Buildings dismantled or demolished; trees cut; cemeteries relocated (St. Thomas cemetery moved to Overton).
• Rail line (Union Pacific branch) rerouted.

Archaeological Significance

When lake levels drop, St. Thomas ruins emerge—a rare window into a Mormon pioneer town frozen in 1938. Protected by NPS; removal of artifacts illegal.

Lake Mead's creation erased a cultural landscape to enable Southwest water/electricity security—a trade-off still debated today.