 This
photo overlooks what used to be the far northern part of the
Overton Arm in Lake Mead. Although the Overton Arm extends for
quite a distance from the middle of Lake Mead and does not appear
to be in any danger of drying up, it has receded several miles in
this area.
The shallow waters of the north end of Lake Mead covered silt
deposits from the Muddy River. As the water receded, intrusion
plants such as Tamarisk quickly took over the freshly uncovered
ground. This results in what is often extremely dense ground
cover.
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 In
the top photo, we are looking north-northeast toward Mormon Mesa
from St. Thomas Point. The green fields below used to be covered
completely with water. On the very far left side of the image,
just above the middle, is a thin break in the green foliage
where the Muddy River struggles through it's mud to run throw this
place again.
The second photo, below, looks back across from the other side of
Overton Arm toward the ghost town, St.
Thomas and current
terminus of the Muddy River. To the left is Overton
Beach.
Prior to the flooding of Lake Mead, before Hoover
Dam was built, the area
that we see in these photos was covered with different plants than
what we now see.
I am not aware of any specific information on what type plant
inhabited this area, however, the plant cover that we are
currently witnessing in the Overton Arm is not based on indigenous
plants.
What we are seeing today is not what it looked like naturally.
There would probably have been a lot of mesquite growing in this
area instead.
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