The completed dam in 1927. In the face of a drier future, that iconic piece of Americana is on its way out in Southern California. Unfortunately for him, a collage of private ranching interests owned much of the land Los Angeles would have needed to purchase. here. One of the buildings, an 1865 cottage is thought to be the oldest remaining stone building in Malibu. Call 1-800-DIAL-DWP (1-800-342-5397). It was the most amazing pool and house I had ever seen as a young child. Though the exact number of deaths is unknown, estimates range from 450 to 600 casualties. comm. If you're enjoying this article, you'll love my daily morning newsletter, How To LA. View details, map and photos of this single family property with 3 bedrooms and 2 total baths. He didn't. 2017). "(Charles Deem) sold some of the property between the two ranches to Gladys." LW2081 - St. Francis Dam Under Construction, 1924-1926. Francisquito Conservation Camp, CC#4, under the administrative supervision of Sierra Conservation Center (SCC) was opened in October 1981. He retreated inside the house to grab the family's other daughters, but the flood washed the house away before they could escape. engineering failures due to ethics Affordable auto transport rates Menu what happened to skittles crazy cores. As for the dam, the only vague indicator of what once transpired in the sleepy canyon is a commemorative plaque at the rebuilt Powerhouse #2. You can walk down to the dam site down this "Old" San Francisquito Canyon Road, which is now closed to traffic. A few hours later at about midnight, the Harnischfegers were among the first to die when a wall of water roared down on the canyon. Original A tractor removes loose metal parts from the bridge after California Highway Patrol cleared two big rig trucks stuck on the bridge about three miles into San Francisquito Canyon Road on Thursday . After the fire, the former restaurant building was vandalized by drug users. The diverted portion of Old San Francisquito Canyon Road rejoins with the section that's open to traffic a couple of miles down from the dam site, and just a few feet from Power Plant #2. 1994 - Charles Outland: Man-Made Disaster: The Story of St. Francis Dam, VIDEO: ARCHIVAL FOOTAGE / FILM CLIPS Onlookers watch the swollen Santa Clara River sweep debris towards the Pacific Ocean. 1 & 2 (Complete), FILM: Fox News Footage: St. Francis Dam Victims, Red Cross Workers, Temp. AL1951 - Los Angeles Aqueduct, Opening Ceremonies, November 5, 1913 (8 Views). Video broadcast Tuesday Feb. 1, 2021 on the NBC4 News. All of those amenities were in serious disrepair when Knauber's family moved in. Residents and workers near the dam, including damkeeper Tony Harnischfeger, noticed problems from the start. AP2329 - St. Francis Dam Under Construction ~1924. St. Francis dam construction began in 1924 at alocation that is upstream from what is now the Six Flags Magic Mountain theme park in Valencia. www.ladwp.com/CustomerService, To report a power outage The March 12, 1928, collapse of the St. Francis Dam north of Los Angeles is, in terms of loss of life, the second-greatest disaster in California history. California Historical Landmark No. All rights reserved. Booklet: The Romance of Water & Power by Don J. Kinsey, LADWP Propaganda 1926, Rev. The property was originally homesteaded by Ben Hickin [cq], who on July 15, 1912, was granted a patent to 47.56 acres of land straddling San Francisquito Canyon Road (see plat below). 23:03 - 23:10 because thousands of people rushed with their tin cups to drink the water. Imagine life over a century ago in this state. AL1301 - ARCHIVE FOOTAGE: Construction & Opening of L.A. Aqueduct, Mulholland, Etc., 1913. AL2021 - St. Francis Dam Disaster, Flood Victims Crossing River, March 1928. 2017 - Alan Pollack, Dianne Erskine-Hellrigel: St. Francis Dam Lecture The Hunick family probably lived farther downriver during the 1928 flood, because Bert Hunick lost a sister and uncle in the dam failure Jefferson Hunick, 82, and Ellen (Hunick) Crosno, 55, daughter of Charles Hunick. Old ruins are one of the best ways to take a peek into the past. The dam was prone to the concrete cracking, and Mulholland examined the dam on numerous occasions, but assured everyone that this was normal . Travelers backed up in the snow along San Francisquito Canyon road in Green Valley Saturday, February 25, 2023. . 7/22/2015: Knight Bill Would Protect 70,000 Acres; Establish St. Francis Dam Monument (SCVNews) Upstairs, two bedrooms, a large master bedroom with a fireplace and a smaller bedroom and a bathroom. LW2054 - William Mulholland, Civil Engineer & St. Francis Dam Builder, LW2206 - William Mulholland, Civil Engineer & St. Francis Dam Builder. 1928. After a year or so of planning and engineering, the L.A. Bureau of Water Works and Supply began pouring concrete for dam in August of 1924. At its height, nearly 1000 people had moved to this colony established by Job Harriman, who dreamed of cooperative living "without war or interest on money or rent or land or profiteering." . Of course, rapidly expanding Los Angeles was becoming thirstier and thirstier. An estimated 37.5 square of farmland was swept away. The Day the Dam Burst by Wesley S. Griswold, Popular Science, March 1964. At its height, nearly 1000 people had moved to this colony established by Job Harriman, who dreamed of cooperative living without war or interest on money or rent or land or profiteering. Life was difficult here and the colony virtually crumbled in 1918. Mulholland's chief assistant declared there was no threat from the leak following the inspection. SR2701 - Baby Book of Richard Bruitt Smith, b. Lynda Deem Burke said. Mulholland's first choice was to build the reservoir in Big Tujunga Canyon. Upstairs, two bedrooms, a large master bedroom with a fireplace and a smaller bedroom and a bathroom. There was also a basement, which is where I slept.". 1 Employee Time Book for 1928. AL2022 - St. Francis Dam Disaster, Rescue Party, March 1928. Unlike the privately held land in Big Tujunga, the land in San Francisquito Canyon was federally owned, and therefore easy to flood with a reservoir of water. Video: Man-Made Disaster: The Story of St. Francis Dam Narrated by Frank Rock, SCVTV 2009. : Rep. Knight Bill Honors Dam Victims, Protects Sacred Sites 1913 - Construction & Opening of L.A. Aqueduct, VIDEO: ST. FRANCIS DAM SURVIVOR / WITNESS STORIES A state commission later determined that the dam was poorly built in a geologically unstable site. The two main buildings the restaurant and the house had been abandoned by the time they were destroyed in the June 2002 Copper fire . FILM: St. Francis Dam Under Construction in "The Temptress" MGM 1926. Who Designed the Ill-Fated St. Francis Dam? A large camping area was available beyond the wall. ID2101 - Lyman & Lillian Curtis, St. Francis Dam Victims, 1921. Beds. The mine only operated for two years and, along with the mine itself, the kilns were abandoned. HB2801 - Gold Badge Awarded to Officer Thornton Edwards, 1928. 1 and No. Photo credit: Wikipedia/Kbh3rd. HS2809 - St. Francis Dam Shortly Before Its Collapse. Sold - 29236 San Francisquito Canyon Rd, Saugus, CA - $735,000. As of 2017, the property is on the defaulted tax roll. Powered by JettyManage My Subscriptions, DWP-NC MOU and Advocacy Committee Meetings. SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (KABC) -- Three men died and two people were injured in a fiery crash in Santa Clarita, officials say. LW2983 - Souvenir Water (Bottle) from Opening of L.A. Aqueduct (11-5-1913), Multiple Views. 18 Pages. (Matt Tinoco/LAist) A five minute drive past Power Plant #2 is a gravelly turnoff from where you may park. Scott, Harrison Irving, Ridge Route: The Road That United California. To email Customer Service : MF2601 - Walking Across Top of St. Francis Dam, 1926-1928. Today, Power Plant One is one of many facilities used to power the City of Los Angeles a city with a peak demand of over 6,300 MW. It wasn't until 1:20 a.m. that the first official warning sounded, while the deluge of water, dirt and debris oozed downhill to the Pacific Ocean at around 18 mph. The exhibition areas located both indoors and outdoors, feature historic photos, equipment and information. Do you know of other interesting ruins in the state? AL3024 - St. Francis Dam Under Construction, 1924-1926. 2 were invited there several times when I was growing up at No. L.A. Board of Water & Power Commissioners Annual Report, 6-30-1929. 7 Views. 117-58 (07/01/2021) 2018 - Santa Paula Candlelight Vigil for Dam Victims "Phil (Phillips) did build the ranch to be a resort," Knauber said. JB2804 - Louise Gipe, Switchboard Operator, Disaster Heroine, 1928. St. Francis Dam Disaster. WF2800 - St. Francis Dam Disaster, 6 Contemporary Photo Postcards Including Generators, 1928. 2005 - Harry Carey Jr. & Cappy Carey Though the bond campaign almost didn't make it, Mulholland managed to persuade investors to buy $1.5 million of municipal bonds. The ranch property is shaded yellow; the green lines are property lines. 1) St. Francis Dam: Forgotten, With Purpose, 2) Reopening the Books on the St. Francis Dam Disaster, 3) St. Francis Dam Construction Records Missing, 4) Dam Disaster Whitewash Preserves Mulholland Legend. The narrow and twisty canyon road up to the dam site is sporadically used, barring the occasional ranching resident or intrepid cyclist. Every Saturday night they would keep the opera house open all night and . Between 1924 and 1926, the canyon was the site of the construction of the St. Francis Dam.The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power began filling a reservoir in the San Francisquito Canyon in 1926. 2002 - Frank Rock: 1928 St. Francis Dam Disaster "St. Francis Dam Disaster" CD Cover | by Frank Black (Black Francis), 2001. Survivors Remember St. Francis Dam Tragedy by Pearl Obispo The Signal, 3-17-2003. AL3034 - St. Francis Dam Under Construction ~1925. FILM: Fillmore After the Flood March 1928. We would love to hear from you. In 1878, he started work for the Los Angeles City Water Company as a deputy zanjero, or water distributor. That section, featured in a front-page photo in the March 14, 1928 Los Angeles Times, was later blasted to pieces. The middle and upper portions of this canyon fall within the Angeles National Forest. Bob Gregory, 62, went missing the same day as Sands. RJ1010 - Joseph and Della Raggio with King Snake at Raggio Ranch, ~1940s. MLS# V1-14072. The ranch also sported horse stables and other outbuildings. LW3695 - Illustrator's Concept of St. Francis Dam Disaster La Domenica del Corriere (Milan, Italy), 3-25-1928. LW3496 - Dam Site & Santa Paula Damage (8) | ex-Ruth Teague. 3D WALKTHROUGH. We believe when reliable local reporting is widely available, the entire community benefits. The Washington times. (Photo via Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection). AP2319 - Perea Property / Raggio Ranch, 1887. Roll No. Driving Directions to the St. Francis Dam Site. But I also didn't plan on arriving lat Back in 2009, during one of my first visits to Palm Springs , I did what tourists do: I rode the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. The man-made flood marks the second-largest loss of life in a single disaster in California. 2001 - Frank Black (Music): St. Francis Dam Disaster, ST. FRANCIS DAM NATIONAL MEMORIAL LEG. Ft. 28619 Apricot Pl, Saugus, CA 91390. 2017) that her father, Charles Deem, inherited the property after Bert and Ora died. AL3029 - St. Francis Dam Failure, Inspecting Ruins of the Dam, March 1928. The photographer is identified as Bob Martin; The Zestimate for this house is $398,003, which has decreased by $35,184 in the last 30 days. 2017 - Film: 'Big Surf' by Brian Smee LP2803 - St. Francis Flood Damage, Santa Paula, Thomas Ward Photos, 2 Views, 4-8-1928. Click here for historic photos of the St. Francis Dam and the aftermath of its collapse. "The children from Powerhouse No. View more homes. The Phillips Ranch was located at GPS coordinates 3434'02.6"N 11828'04.8"W (34.567390, -118.468002) in Baird Canyon, an offshoot of San Francisquito Canyon, 4.4 road miles north of Stator Lane (the LADWP Powerhouse 2 community) on the southeast side of San Francisquito Canyon Road. Ranch and restaurant owner Gladys F. Phillips is the woman seated at the bar in the interior photos (per Lynda Deem Burke; see below). LA3401 - Bouquet Dam & Reservoir Under Construction, 4 Views, 1933-1934. 2017 - Oddity Odysseys: Exploring the St. Francis Dam Ruins Complete Report on Construction of the Los Angeles Aqueduct (Illustrated) City of L.A., 1916. Location: San Francisquito Power Plant No. See all photos from Paolo H. for St. Francis Dam-Ruins of Collapsed Dam Useful 10 6-3-2004. DI2812 - Wrecked Farmhouse in Santa Paula? 1928 - Fox Newsreel: Nighttime Recovery of Bodies Drone Video: St. Francis Dam Disaster Site Danny Sullivan, 3-12-2017. Canyon along San Francisquito Creek in the Sierra Pelona of California, United States, San Francisquito Canyon is home to low-lying shrubs, dry grasses, and towering, Show map of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. 2003 - Witness Ivan Dorsett (Brother of Lillian Curtis) The crash occurred at 4:11 p.m. at San Francisquito Canyon . MLS# SR21049733. In 1968, Gladys Phillips took out classified ads in the L.A. Times to sell a bulldozer, cement mixer and other personal property. 51:14 - 51:18 full to the . LW2986 - People Stand on Footbridge Over Forebay, 1926-1928. Knauber said the restaurant was still equipped with its operational necessities a kitchen, flatware, dishes, glasses, a full wooden bar and stools, tables and a dance floor downstairs, with more dining and banquet rooms upstairs and a hand-operated dumbwaiter to carry food and dishes between floors. Instead, telephone operators called communities in the water's path and motorcycle officers raced ahead to communities in jeopardy, the Los Angeles Times reported. ROSTER of St. Francis Dam Victims Ann Stansell, 2-22-2014, St. Francis: Death & Disability Claims & Claimants (NAMES) 7-15-1929, Transcript of Coroner's Inquest, Vols. It roughly parallels the river's course between San Francisquito Pass and its southern terminus in the northern Santa Clarita Valley. The Los Angeles Aqueduct Chapter 23, McGroarty's History of Los Angeles County, 1923. George W.P. Bodies were discovered years after the collapse, others were washed out to sea. For LADWPs COVID-19 response, visit www.ladwp.com/covid19response. Only the 1906 San Francisco earthquake accounted for more fatalities. St. Francis Dam Disaster: Victims and Heroes by Alan Pollack, 03-2008. San Francisquito Canyon Rd , Santa Clarita, CA 91390 is a vacant lot listed for-sale at $120,000. Kanawyer, 1928. In March 1928, the worst civil engineering failure in California history killed more than 450 people when a wall of water carved a path of staggering destruction from a canyon north of Los Angeles to the coast. 2 were invited there several times when I was growing up at No. 919 is about a half-mile south of the site of the dam, which can be located by looking for mostly buried strips of concrete. duplex_triplex with a list price of $1595000. Video: Man-Made Disaster: The Story of St. Francis Dam Narrated by Charles F. Outland, SCVHS 1994. LW2100a - St. Francis Dam: Wing Dyke Ruins (2 Views), 3-11-2001. 2016 - Rep. Knight: House Committee Hearing on St. Francis Dam Disaster National Memorial Act It was the most amazing pool and house I had ever seen as a young child. RI1301 - Harrison Gray Otis & Ellen Beach Yaw at L.A. Aqueduct Grand Opening, 11-5-1913. The St. Francis Dam was a concrete gravity dam located in San Francisquito Canyon in Los Angeles County, California, United States, built from 1924 to 1926 to serve Los Angeles's growing water needs. Over the next six hours, the wave would wash over several towns and settlements in its path on its 54 mile journey to the Pacific Ocean. All that remained of the dam was a single column, standing like a tombstone among the devastation. The Rent Zestimate for this home is $2,600/mo, which has increased by $65/mo in the last 30 days. Designs for a memorial managed by the U.S. Forest Service in honor of the St. Francis Dam disaster victims are being considered. Ada on Catalina Island, The, EVENT: Explore the St. Francis Dam Disaster Site & LA Aqueduct, Photo Essay: Riverside Main Library's New Life As The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture, Photo Essay: The End of the Line for the Last of Its Kind, Gardena Cinema, Photo Essay: In Search of Terra Firma in the Mojave Desert, Where Earthquakes Cracked the Earth, Photo Essay: Wildflower Season Begins at Hemet Maze Stone, Photo Essay: The 8th Wonder of the World Is In Palm Springs? 2 would also ride our bikes to No. See the estimate, review home details, and search for homes nearby. Nearby homes similar to 28668 San Francisquito Cyn have recently sold between $899K to $1,190K at an average of $430 per square foot. Later investigations, during the 1960s, revealed the dam was built on the site of an ancient landslide, undetectable to geologists with tools and equipment of the 1920s. 1928 titled 'Destruction of a Dam', depicting the dam break via miniatures and also showing footage of the aftermath and rescue operations. 6. While the aqueduct's construction was a source of enormous controversy both locally and in Owens River Valleysee: the San Fernando Valley land grab and California Water Wars, both fictionalized in the film Chinatownthe aqueduct's completion ultimately ensured a reliable supply of water that the Angelenos could drink from for decades to come. Camp History. The Last Dam Victim / Dynamiting the Tombstone. Their activity stopped in 1848, when the gold discovery at Sutter's Mill started the California Gold Rush. At the time, Hopewell figured he was heard a landslide. The breach unleashed 12 billion gallons of water that spread across the region, carrying mud and debris through towns and farming communities. LW2510 - Christine Mulholland at L.A. Aqueduct Centennial Celebration, 11-5-2013. We expect the jackhammers, the sidewalk bridges and the cranes. LW2714 - Power House No. She says hearing that the seismic risk to the dam is taken seriously and that it's been upgraded . The abandoned portion of San Francisquito Canyon Road, passing over where the dam once stood. from CNBC: Jackhammers, strobe lights and sudden blackouts add to the play's provocative and . April Valentine died at Centinela Hospital. In six hours more than 450 people were swept away in the dark and murky waters. DR2813 - St. Francis Dam: West Abutment & Wing Dyke, March? Badwater Road, Badwater Rd, Furnace Creek, CA, USA. Draft Environmental Impact Report with Appendices. "Gladys said it was very popular for quite a while, having a pool, a restaurant, an aviary, a shooting range, deer and quail hunting, horse back riding and far enough away to limit uninvited law enforcement.". Five days later, on March 12, 1928, dam keeper Tony Harnischfeger discovered a newer, larger leak with muddy and murky water. In his own words, he was seeking silence and peace when he moved his family to this harsh and remote. 5 of eight 12-frame film rolls. His body was recovered near Mount Islip. Photo Gallery - Ruins of Structure on Tucker Ranch, 10 Views, 5-5-2014. LOS ANGELES (March 17, 2017) Located inside San Francisquito Canyon near the trickling waters of the Los Angeles Aqueduct sits the Los Angeles Department of Water and Powers (LADWP) Power Plant One, a 70 megawatt (MW) capacity hydroelectric plant whose grand opening 100 years ago today marked the start of Los Angeles electric future. In 1968, Gladys Phillips took out classified ads in the L.A. Times to sell a bulldozer, cement mixer and other personal property. The water carried debris, boulders, mud, trees and anything else in its path away in an unrelenting wave. Construction of the St. Francis Dam began on March 9th, 1925. A modest pile of concrete, half buried by soil and vegetation on the canyon's floor, is all that remains of the once nearly 200-foot tall dam. Saying that Mulholland "walked on water" in 1920s Los Angeles would be an understatement. AL1101 - L.A. Aqueduct Worker Sends Postcard to Mom from Jawbone Division (Mojave Desert), 1911. EVENT: Behind the Hollywood Sign, with Obscura Soc Photo Essay: Verdugo Hills Cemetery - Deteriorated Photo Essay: Fender Factory & Custom Shop Tour. 2010 - Katy Moffatt (Music Video): The St. Francis Dam Disaster (at 09:10) Avalanche of Water Left Death, Ruin in Its Wake by Cecilia Rasmussen Los Angeles Times, 2-16-2003. Brunner's Newhall History 1940. Making up for lost time and missed opportunities, one adventure at a time. It catastrophically failed in 1928 due to a defective soil foundation and design flaws, triggering a flood that claimed the lives of at least 431 people. SOLD JUN 15, 2022. Perhaps more so than any single actor, Mulholland is responsible for enabling Los Angeles to grow from large boomtown into the enormous megalopolis it is today. One Aqueduct Worker Beats, Robs Another at Saugus News reports, February 1910. It was assigned the addresses 35500-35600. White House Tales of Scandal & Intrigue. Unofficial property records give a construction date of 1952 for a 3-bedroom, 3-bathroom house. 2, March 1928 (Oversized).. CG2801 - St. Francis Dam Disaster, Photos shot March 13, 1928 (10 Views). The collapse of the St. Francis Dam is considered to be one of the . The Top 5 newsletter catches you up with LAs top 5 stories in just 3 minutes. to report a power outage. Jun 4, 2022. Recognizing this potential, engineers began construction on Power Plant One in 1911. Original 2016 - Marc Weingarten: Thirsty: William Mulholland, California Water and the Real Chinatown 1111 of S.47, 116th Congress 2019 Photographic evidence from the early 1960s shows that Gladys F. Phillips (no mention of Phil at that time) operated the ranch as a resort. Obscured by the cottonwoods and willows that . LW2574 - Woman at St. Francis Dam With Water in Forebay, 1927. 1 and No. Report on St. Francis Dam Flood Newhall Land & Farming Co., 3-24-1928. LW2100c - St. Francis Dam: Ruins at Base, 3-11-2001. 2 in the 1950s a couple of times for swim parties, once for a Halloween Party, and once for a picnic. 2003 - Santa Paula Survivors and The Warning 6 of eight 12-frame film rolls. AL2063 - Bouquet Canyon Dam under construction to replace the St. Francis, press photo, 8-24-1933. LW2715 - Dam Victims' Bodies Fill Newhall's Masonic (Hap-A-Lan) Hall, 2 Views, March 1928. Your tax-deductible financial support keeps our stories free to read, instead of hidden behind paywalls. Earthquake Faults: Geology of San Francisquito and Bouquet Canyons Frank Andrew Nickell, Master's Thesis, CalTech, 1928. his name and the address of his Hollywood studio appear on the back of related contact sheets. A little over a decade later, the property was inundated by the St. Francis reservoir i.e., it was under water from 1924-1928. There are no signs, no memorials, nor even any recognizable ruins that mark the location where, on March 12, 1928, the St. Francis Dam suddenly and catastrophically collapsed. AL2091 - Power House No. Don't let people be killed. The worst was the . The flood killed approximately 450 . If SoCal history is your thing, check out this short but history-filled scenic road trip. St. Francis Dam: Too Big Not to Fail by Alan Pollack, 03-2010. Sq. . Ft. 0 Vacant Land, Canyon Country, CA 91351. Knauber (Hart Class of 1968) said his mother owned the property about four years; he left for college before she sold it. Click to enlarge. Designs for a memorial in honor of the St. Francis Dam disaster victims are being considered. This could be about when "Phil" Phillips who may have operated an early ready-mix concrete company in the San Fernando Valley and wife Gladys acquired the property. The concrete ruins of the dam are nearly buried. AL3043a - St. Francis Flood Damage, Santa Paula, March 1928. Mapped in 1910-11. Mulholland also received a telephone call in the wee hours of the morning on March 13. HISTORY It was demolished after a teenage boy who climbed the ruin fell to his death. Photo Gallery - William Mulholland Memorial Fountain & L.A. Aqueduct Centennial Garden, Multiple Views, 11-10-2013. A huge dam was built in 1926 to form a reservoir, but cracks developed and on March 12, 1928, the dam failed and over 12 billion gallons of water flooded the area and over 450 lives were lost. 2016 - Philip Scorza: L.A. Water Story and the St. Francis Dam Disaster One of these was Lillian Curtis Eiler, who recalled after the fact that she and her husband awakened just seconds before the water came. Title records show the land was deeded in 1946 to Bert W. Hunick and wife Ora Hunick. St. Francis Dam DisasterIn The News It appeared Mulholland had achieved governance over nature -- but there were early signs that was only a fantasy. This Censored Life, Or, I Will Not Go Quietly. Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. 1932. California Los Angeles National Monuments Outdoors St. Francis Dam USA. To honor the history of the facility, LADWP established some small exhibits on the site in the 1990s. The canyon cuts through the Sierra Pelona Mountains, which are central part of the Transverse Ranges system of California. This Tejon Pass Route and the Tehachapi or Midway Route (first followed by the Southern Pacific Railroad), remained the major north-south wagon and later automobile routes to the San Joaquin Valley until the construction of the more direct Ridge Route in 1915.[4]. 1995 - Philip Scorza & Frank Rock: St. Francis Dam Disaster (Matt Tinoco/LAist). $899,000 Last Sold Price. The flood also washed over an Edison Power Company worker's camp, taking with it 84 workers, and carved a mile-wide gash across the Oxnard Plain where countless migrant agricultural workers slept. Remove Ads. Hidden behind a chain-link fence, the California Historic Landmark plaque compresses the history of the dam to a couple rusty paragraphs. (Photo via Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection) Mulholland took immediate responsibility for the disaster, saying, famously, how "Whether it is good or bad, don't blame anyone else, you just fasten it on me. The St. Francis Dam in San Francisquito Canyon, about 40 miles northwest of Los Angeles, collapsed just before midnight on March 12, 1928. Bert and Ora Hunick's granddaughter, Lynda Deem Burke, remembers (pers. St. Francis Dam: One Family's Ordeal by David Desmond Gazette, July-August 2006. View details, map and photos of this single family property with 2 bedrooms and 2 total baths. AL2024 - St. Francis Dam Before the Break, circa March 1928. In 1904, Mulholland made a formal proposal to build an aqueduct hundreds of miles long from the Owens River Valley to a spot just north of Los Angeles in the San Fernando Valley. 2 Employee Housing at Stator Lane, n.d. (1930s-1950s). The kids from No. Curiously, 1927 was the year the dam proved its apparent worth. Nuclear Power Plant Planned for Saugus-San Francisquito News Reports 1960. The exact location of the old dam is quick walk down from the turnoff along an eerie disused two lane highway, abandoned back in 2005 after severe storm damage. Thank you for investing in your neighborhood. MW0901 - Completed L.A. Aqueduct Tunnel, Saugus Division, 1909. Though cracks in and leakage from the dam were reported as the water level began to rise, civil engineersand Mulholland himselfinspected and signed off on the cracks and leaks as normal for a dam of the St. Francis' size and type. It was originally built as a weekend getaway for Gladys and Phil. 1928 - Fox Newsreel: Carrying Bodies Into Newhall Morgue, more 2006 - Hetta Laurena Carter and the Sloppy Cement 2, 32300 N San Francisquito Canyon Rd, 9.2 mi N of Saugus. It was originally built as a weekend getaway for Gladys and Phil. "Phil (Phillips) did build the ranch to be a resort," Knauber said. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, March 19, 1928, Page 7, Image 7, brought to you by Library of Congress, Washington, DC, and the National Digital Newspaper Program. The canyon grows wider as it approaches the Santa Clarita Valley. Mulholland resigned his position of Chief Engineer in late 1929 as inquiries into the dam's collapse concluded. View more property details, sales history and Zestimate data on Zillow. All of those amenities were in serious disrepair when Knauber's family moved in. 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Mulholland, as well as his number two engineer Harvey Van Norman, inspected the dam and determined that though the new leak should be remedied quickly, it did not pose a threat to the safety of the thousands living in the dam's hypothetical flood path should it fail. The photographer is identified as Bob Martin; 0. While the remnants of this old dam may not seem all that amazing, this is a sobering reminder of a great catastrophe. 40422 San Francisquito Canyon Rd, Saugus, CA 91390 is a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom, 2,437 sqft single-family home built in 1963. San Francisquito Canyon Map - Valley - Los Angeles, United States - Mapcarta Harris, Feinstein Submit Bill to Memorialize St. Francis Dam Victims (SCVNews)