Completing the dam was an immense and treacherous task, but the project was finished in 1935, just over four years after it began. The dam was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1985. The National Park Service has been on site since the 1930s as a partner with the Bureau of Reclamation. An aerial view taken on July 16, 1935, shows the crest of Hoover Dam and the highway leading across it, which provided an easy route between Las Vegas, Nevada, and Kingman, Arizona. Intake towers rise on the other side of the dam, with Lake Mead visible beyond.