The lake was named after Elwood Mead (January 16, 1858 – January 26, 1936),
who was the commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation from 1924 to 1936
during the planning and construction of the Boulder Canyon Project that created
the dam and lake. Lake Mead was established as the Boulder Dam Recreation Area
in 1936, administrated by the National Park Service. It was then changed to the
Lake Mead National Recreation Area in 1964, this time including Lake Mohave and
the Shivwits Plateau under its jurisdiction. Both lakes and the surrounding
area offer year-round recreation options. The accumulated water from
