The Town Hoover Dam Drowned — Then Lake Mead Gave It Back

A staircase rises from the Nevada desert and ends in open air. Beneath it lies the lost town of St. Thomas, Nevada – a real American community that Hoover Dam buried under Lake Mead. This documentary shows how St. Thomas was founded, how families built farms, stores, a school and a church along the Muddy and Virgin Rivers, and how federal plans for Hoover Dam forced them to leave before the rising reservoir drowned their town. Using historical records, archival photographs, maps and realistic reconstructions, we explore the history of St. Thomas Nevada, the human cost behind America’s great engineering project, and how drought later revealed the flooded town’s streets, foundations and concrete stairs after more than 60 years. If you’re searching for Lake Mead history, Hoover Dam history, lost towns, abandoned communities, or forgotten places in Nevada, this film traces the story of the lost town beneath Lake Mead and the evidence the water could not erase.