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The Waterways
THE RIVER
aka "Rio Porciuncula"
The Los Angeles River
- 1769 - Spain's Gaspar de Portola "Discovers" River
- 1781 - Pueblo Rights Granted by King of Spain to City of Los Angeles for Exclusive Use of River and Groundwater
- Main Water Source for Los Angeles Until 1913.
- 1868 - Rights Leased from City of Los Angeles by Privately Owned Water Company for 30 Years.
THE DITCH
aka "The Mother Ditch"
The Zanja Madre
- Man-Made Trench Delivering River Water to Property Owners
- 90 Miles in Length, Plus Four Main Branch Lines and dozens of smaller tributaries
- Controlled and Maintained by Privately Owned Los Angeles Water Company.
THE WATERWAY
aka "Mulholland's Folly"
The Aqueduct
- Completed in 1913
- 233 Miles
- Intake Just North of Owens Lake
- Terminus at Cascades in Newhall
The Water Men
THE POLITICIAN ENGINEER
Fred Eaton
aka "Father of the Aqueduct"
- Sixth Anglo child born in Los Angeles
- Supervisor, Los Angeles Water Co.
- Chief Engineer for the City of Los Angeles
- Los Angeles Mayor (1898-1900)
- Conceived the Owens River Aqueduct
- Rancher in Owens Valley
THE HYDROGRAPHER
J.B. Lippincott
- Track Engineer, Santa Fe Railway
- Hydrographer, Sate of California
- Supervising Engineer, U.S. Reclamation Service
- Assistant Chief Engineer, Owens River Aqueduct
THE SELF-TAUGHT ENGINEER
William Mulholland
aka "The Chief"
- Ditch Tender
- Irish Immigrant
- Deputy Zanjero
- Supervisor, Los Angeles Water Co.
- Superintendent and Chief Engineer, Los Angeles Burea of Water Supply
- Chief Engineer, Owens River Aqueduct
THE BUSINESSMAN
William Perry
- Los Angeles Businesman
- Owner, First Furniture Store in Los Angeles
- President, Los Angeles City Water Company
The Syndicate
THE NEWS BARON
Gen. Harrison Grey Otis
- Colonel, Union Army
- Founding Publisher, LA Times
- Brigadier General, Spanish-American War
- Anti-Labor Capitalist
- Co-Founder, Chamber of Commerce
- Real Estate Speculator
THE SON-IN-LAW PUBLISHER
Harry Chandler
- Owner, Newspaper Routes
- 2nd Publisher, Los Angeles Times
- Real Estate Speculator
- Founder, L.A. Colesium
- Founder, Ambassador Hotel
- Founder, CalTech
- Co-Founder, Douglas Aircraft
- Father of Hollywood(land) Real Estate Sign
THE ELECTRIC RAIL MAN
Moses Sherman
- Founder, Los Angeles Pacific Railroad
- Los Angeles Water Commissioner
- Real Estate Speculator
- Co-creator, Venice California
THE RAILROAD TYCOON
E.H. Harriman
- Chairman, Union Pacific Railroad
- President, Southern Pacific Railroad
- Real Estate Speculator
THE FATHER OF THE RED CAR
Henry Huntington
- Founder, Pacific Electric Railway ("The Red Car")
- Founder, Huntington Park
- Founder, Huntington Hotel
- Real Estate Speculator
The Movie Cowboys
ACADEMY AWARD NOMINEE
Harry Carey
- Born in New York
- Playwright
- Cowboy
- Stage and Film Actor
- Oscar Nominee, "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington"
- Owner, Harry Carey's Trading Post
- Saugus Resident
Harry Carey Poster
SILENT PICTURE STAR
William S. Hart
- Born in New York
- Silent Film Actor
- Playwright
- Director
- Producer
- Author
- Saugus Resident
William S. Hart Poster
The Dam
ST. FRANCIS DAM 1926-28
DAM STATS
- Construction Started: 1924
- Reservoir Capacity: 12.5 billion gallons
- Height: 205 feet
- Concrete Used:
AFTER COLLAPSE 1928
FLOOD STATS
- Date of Collapse: March 12, 1928
- Length of Floodpath: 57 miles
- Lives Lost: Est. 400-600
EXPLORING ST. FRANCIS DAM RUINS
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AFTERMATH
- 400-600 People Killed.
- Flood Waters Traveled 57 Miles to Pacific Ocean.
- Initial Height of Floodwaters: 140 feet
- Towns damaged: Saugus, Fillmore, Santa Paula, Ventura
