Don't let people be killed. On April 16 and April 28, 1917, Units 2 and 3 were placed in operation bringing the facilitys capacity up to 28 MW, enough for about 20,000 homes. 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. A unknowing passerby could easily mistake the weathered and eroded concrete for natural geologic feature of San Francisquito Canyon. Unofficial property records give a construction date of 1952 for a 3-bedroom, 3-bathroom house. AL3043b - St. Francis Flood Damage, Santa Paula, March 1928. The mine only operated for two years and, along with the mine itself, the kilns were abandoned. 1928 - Path Newsreel: St. Francis Dam Disaster Annual SCVHS St. Francis Dam Disaster Tour (Photos) 3-11-2017. GREEN VALLEY A portion of San Francisquito Canyon Road will be closed to through traffic, starting Monday, due to pavement rehabilitation work by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works. If SoCal history is your thing, check out this short but history-filled scenic road trip. 5) Failing St. Francis: Water Pressure or Political Pressure? Mulholland's first choice was to build the reservoir in Big Tujunga Canyon. Report on St. Francis Dam Flood Newhall Land & Farming Co., 3-24-1928. DI2816 - Unidentified Person Climbs the St. Francis Dam Tombstone, 1928. Built over the course of two years, between 1924 and 1926, the dam was planned and engineered by William Mulholland, the General Manager and Chief Engineer of the Los Angeles Bureau of Water Works and Supply. 2017 - Drone Video: St. Francis Dam Site The workers and their families who lived just downstream at the Department Power's hydroelectric Powerhouse #2 were the next. St. Francis Dam Disaster: Victims and Heroes by Alan Pollack, 03-2008. The death toll was estimated at more than 450, but experts say that figure could be much higher. 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. Dear reader, we're asking you to help us keep local news available for all. FILM: St. Francis Dam Under Construction in "The Temptress" MGM 1926. As of 2017, the property is on the defaulted tax roll. California is not generally considered a particularly old place, but believe it or not, this state is full of history. The collapse of the St. Francis Dam is considered to be one of the . Annual SCVHS St. Francis Dam Disaster Lecture (Video) 3-11-2017. Sold - 29236 San Francisquito Canyon Rd, Saugus, CA - $735,000. here. LW3203 - Map of Los Angeles Aqueduct and Adjacent Territory, October 1908. (1928)*^* - Panoramic view showing the St. Francis Dam with large reservoir behind it. LW2715 - Dam Victims' Bodies Fill Newhall's Masonic (Hap-A-Lan) Hall, 2 Views, March 1928. Click to enlarge or download original scan. AL3028 - St. Francis Dam Failure, Aerial View, March 1928. 2005 - Harry Carey Jr. & Cappy Carey A silent film ca. 2016 - Philip Scorza: L.A. Water Story and the St. Francis Dam Disaster LW2081 - St. Francis Dam Under Construction, 1924-1926. As of 2017, the property is on the defaulted tax roll. DI2801 - St. Francis Flood Damage: Upended SP Train Track, 1928. Mulholland resigned his position of Chief Engineer in late 1929 as inquiries into the dam's collapse concluded. DI2802 - Another Copy: St. Francis Dam Intact, 3-9-1928. No duplicates are displayed here, but some frames are nearly identical. Updated: Aug 29, 2022 / 04:26 AM PDT. 1 & 2 (Complete) March-April 1928, FILM: Fox News Footage: St. Francis Dam Victims, Red Cross Workers, Temp. One key feature of the property was the Phillips Ranch Restaurant, which was a large, two-story, cinder-block building that stood next to Phillips' own home and well-used swimming pool. Residents and workers near the dam, including damkeeper Tony Harnischfeger, noticed problems from the start. "The Tombstone" stood until 1929. The photographs were made to illustrate a feature story about the ranch, probably The Top 5 newsletter catches you up with LAs top 5 stories in just 3 minutes. 2 Employee Housing at Stator Lane, n.d. (1930s-1950s). Newhall Morgue March 1928, FILM: Fox News Footage: Nighttime Recovery of Bodies 3-17-1928, Memorialization and Memory of Southern California's St. Francis Dam Disaster of 1928 Master's Thesis by Ann C. Stansell, CSUN 2014. FR3001 - Power House No. $368,888. 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. Coroner's Inquest in the News: Witnesses Report Leaks News reports, 1928. LW2054 - William Mulholland, Civil Engineer & St. Francis Dam Builder, LW2206 - William Mulholland, Civil Engineer & St. Francis Dam Builder. Residents and emergency vehicles will be allowed through, but the road is expected to be closed to through traffic while . "The children from Powerhouse No. 3-14-1927; St. Francis Dam Entry. L.A. County Assessor parcel map: County aerial map 2014. duplex_triplex with a list price of $1595000. 2017 - Film: 'Big Surf' by Brian Smee St. Francis Dam: Too Big Not to Fail by Alan Pollack, 03-2010. The Day the Dam Burst by Wesley S. Griswold, Popular Science, March 1964. Total Wages: Total wages reported by the employer from Box 5 of the W-2, with some exceptions, and Elected Officials who received pay reported on IRS Form 1099. 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 . Plat of the "Hicken" homestead; "Hickin" is probably correct. LAist is part of Southern California Public Radio, a member-supported public media network. The ruins found in Solstice Canyon have become a popular hiking and exploration site. 32300 San Francisquito Canyon Rd, Santa Clarita, CA 91390, USA. HS7044 - Photo Gallery: Wreckage at Kemp Station/Blue Cut, L.A.-Ventura County Line, March 1928. Water supplied from the Los Angeles Aqueduct, which allowed water to flow south from reservoirs in the eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains to the dry southern part of the the state, entered the dam in May 1926, giving Los Angeles a reserve system that could last at least a year. Their activity stopped in 1848, when the gold discovery at Sutter's Mill started the California Gold Rush. You can walk down to the dam site down this "Old" San Francisquito Canyon Road, which is now closed to traffic. comm. MW0901 - Completed L.A. Aqueduct Tunnel, Saugus Division, 1909. LW2055 - Wm. LW2944 - Ruins of St. Francis Dam (Wing Dyke & Tombstone), View Into Reservoir, 1928-29. The photographer is identified as Bob Martin; his name and the address of his Hollywood studio appear on the back of related contact sheets. 6-3-2004. 2015 - J. David Rogers: St. Francis Dam: What Led to Its Failure? HS2811 - Telephone Company Crew, 3 Miles West of Castaic Junction, ~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. Video: St. Francis Dam Disaster The History Channel (segment). AL1915 - Los Angeles Aqueduct Cascades, 1915. From 1854, the wagon route of the Stockton - Los Angeles Road followed its course as did the Butterfield Overland Mail in California from 1858 to 1861. During his late years, his family reported that he was consistently haunted by the disaster, never regaining the spunk and vigor he had during his time as the chief waterman. In the 1920s, Tumble Inn, which included a hostel and a gas station, was built along the old Ridge Route and was a stopping point for many travelers. 2009 - John Bergstrom (Music Video): The St. Francis Dam MF2601 - Walking Across Top of St. Francis Dam, 1926-1928. LW2731 - Saugus Community Club Plaque for 7 Members who Perished in the St. Francis Dam Disaster, 1928. 1926 - Dam Under Construction in 'The Temptress' (Greta Garbo) "might indicate he knew he made a mistake before he was formally notified. ES1928 - St. Francis Dam Disaster, Photos shot April 8, 1928 (11 Views). The State Controller's Office is not responsible for the accuracy of this information. San Francisquito Canyon is a canyon created through erosion of the Sierra Pelona Mountains by the San Francisquito Creek, in Los Angeles County, Southern California. Location: San Francisquito Power Plant No. California Historical Landmark No. San Francisquito Canyon Road was built to go right past the dam site through the canyon, past all of the rubble, but it was washed out in the early 2000s by rain, and thereafter decommissioned, replaced by a rerouted new road. Click to enlarge. Between 1924 and 1926, the canyon was the site of the construction of the St. Francis Dam. 1 and No. 100 Mules Commemorate 100th Anniversary of L.A. Aqueduct SCVNews.com, 11-4-2013. 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. In 1968, Gladys Phillips took out classified ads in the L.A. Times to sell a bulldozer, cement mixer and other personal property. The man-made flood marks the second-largest loss of life in a single disaster in California. 2 Under Construction, ~1920. St. Francis Dam: One Family's Ordeal by David Desmond Gazette, July-August 2006. to report a power outage. MEDIA ADVISORY: LADWP Board President and General Manager to March with NSBE Employees at 38th Annual Kingdom Day Parade to Honor the Legacy of MLK, Jr. April 23, 2022 | Chatsworth Nature Preserve Earth Day Open House, May 21-22, 2021| Municipal Green Building Conference & Expo (MGBCE). - The History Channel: St. Francis Dam Disaster FILM: Pathe Newsreel Footage of Broken St. Francis Dam and Story of Pilot Who Died Getting It, 3-13-1928. LW3703 - Photo: San Francisquito Creek Flows with St. Francis Floodwaters, 3-13-1928. It's been many, many years since we saw this much snow in our mountains. Two minutes before midnight on March 12, the dam failed catastrophically, sending a tsunami down into San Francisquito Canyon. Construction proceeded uneventfully, and water began filling the dam in March of 1926. 1940s, Found 10-15-2013. DI2818 - St. Francis Dam Ruins: Block 5 (1928). The summer of 1927 was ripe with conflict between Los Angeles and Owens Valley interests, prompting the withdrawal of about 2.5 billion gallons of water from the reservoir. . The Zestimate for this Single Family is $1,180,100, which has decreased by $13,029 in the last 30 days.The Rent Zestimate for this Single Family is $5,100/mo, which has decreased by $550 . The ranch property is shaded yellow; the green lines are property lines. LW2418 - L.A. Aqueduct Construction Crew with Dredger, 1910. Designs for a memorial in honor of the St. Francis Dam disaster victims are being considered. 2010 - Katy Moffatt (Music Video): The St. Francis Dam Disaster (at 09:10) The St. Francis Dam in San Francisquito Canyon, about 40 miles northwest of Los Angeles, collapsed just before midnight on March 12, 1928. 1 Employee Time Book for 1928. 2, 32300 N San Francisquito Canyon Rd, 9.2 mi N of Saugus NO. Ivan Dorset Remembers the St. Francis Dam Disaster by Leon Worden The Signal, 2-26-2003. ID2101 - Marjorie, Mazie & Danny Curtis, St. Francis Dam Victims, 1926-1928 (Multiple Views). The empty reservoir after the dam's collapse. 1 & 2 (Complete), FILM: Fox News Footage: St. Francis Dam Victims, Red Cross Workers, Temp. LW2403 - Damkeeper Tony Harnischfeger & Family, n.d. LW3321 - Initial Associated Press Wire Photo, Distributed 3-13-1928. LW3538 - Photo Gallery: Disaster Site and Start of PH-2 Reconstruction; Robert Wenzel, 1928. In 1877, a series of 25-foot-tall kilns were made to produce charcoal for use in the nearby silver mine. If there is an error in human judgement, I was that human." George W.P. The dam collapsed on March 12, 1928, killing about 450 people. The canyon cuts through the Sierra Pelona Mountains, which are central part of the Transverse Ranges system of California. 51:14 - 51:18 full to the . 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. his name and the address of his Hollywood studio appear on the back of related contact sheets. Not much is said about this historical landmark in San Berardino County, but the stone steps up to what is said to be an old bath house is an interesting place to explore. The kids from No. 2015 - Press Conf. The dam was located in the San Francisquito Canyon, about 5 miles northeast of what is now Magic Mountain, California. 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. That section, featured in a front-page photo in the March 14, 1928 Los Angeles Times, was later blasted to pieces. 1929 - Fox Newsreel: Setting Charges to Blow Up the Tombstone, Wing Dyke Will Orange County's Fledgling Clean Power Agency Survive? 1 and No. ASSOCIATED PRESS This aerial view shows the broken water barrier of San Francisquito Canyon, Ca., after the St. Francis Dam burst on March 13, 1928. (Matt Tinoco/LAist) A five minute drive past Power Plant #2 is a gravelly turnoff from where you may park. Placer mining later occurred in the canyon into at least the late 19th century. Power Plant One has been as steady and reliable for LADWPs operations as the LA Aqueduct, General Manager David H. Wright said. Title records show the land was deeded in 1946 to Bert W. Hunick and wife Ora Hunick. 2017 - Oddity Odysseys: Exploring the St. Francis Dam Ruins 28774 San Francisquito Canyon Rd, Santa Clarita, CA 91390 is for sale. Worried that the new leak's dirty qualities could indicate the dam's foundation was eroding, Harnischfeger phoned immediately for Mulholland. If you want to get a real feel for the lives and experiences of those who settled here in the 1800s and early 1900s, these historic ruins in Southern California let you take a few steps into the past. GR0840 - St. Francis Dam Floodpath, 1928. This building, Power Plant #2, is one of two electrical generating stations in the canyon, that derives hydroelectric power from the Los Angeles aqueduct pipes buried underground in the canyon. Power Plant Ones capacity and generation success provided more than enough electricity to meet the Citys needs. The water carried debris, boulders, mud, trees and anything else in its path away in an unrelenting wave. 2, March 1928 (Oversized). "The children from Powerhouse No. 2 would also ride our bikes to No. AL3030 - St. Francis Dam Failure, Ruins of the Dam, March 1928. One of the buildings, an 1865 cottage is thought to be the oldest remaining stone building in Malibu. JB2804 - Louise Gipe, Switchboard Operator, Disaster Heroine, 1928. Though you stand just a five minute walk away from where the dam once stood, there are no reminders that tell you so. Bodies were discovered years after the collapse, others were washed out to sea. can you leave citronella candles outside in rain . 2017 - Alan Pollack, Dianne Erskine-Hellrigel: St. Francis Dam Lecture 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. Lynda Deem Burke said. March 5, 1964 Phillips Ranch in San Francisquito Canyon. Photo Gallery - L.A. Aqueduct Centennial Celebration at Cascades, Multiple Views, 11-5-2013. Do you know of other interesting ruins in the state? Sq. The Los Angeles Aqueduct (Map and Facts) Bullock's Advertisement, L.A. Times, 3-8-1926. Baths. 40422 San Francisquito Canyon Rd was last sold on Nov 1, 2021 for $1,135,000 (9% lower than the asking price of $1,250,000). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. The ruins of this disaster can still be seen today. HB2801 - Gold Badge Awarded to Officer Thornton Edwards, 1928. At 11:57pm on March 12, 1928, the dam catastrophically failed, and the resulting flood took the lives of at least 431 people. For the City of LAs COVID-19 response, visit corona-virus.la On its opening day, March 18, 1917, the unassuming beige facility was the first power plant of the Los Angeles Bureau of Power and Light (later the LADWP) to service the City of Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Aqueduct Chapter 23, McGroarty's History of Los Angeles County, 1923. Photographic evidence from the early 1960s shows that Gladys F. Phillips (no mention of Phil at that time) operated the ranch as a resort. Sellout Crowd Revisits 1928 Tragedy Dianne Erskine-Hellrigel, SCVHistory.com 3-12-2016. HB2804 - Cowart Family of Burbank Visits Dam Disaster Site, 2 Views, 1928. AL1913 - Invitation to Opening Ceremony, Owens Valley-Los Angeles Aqueduct, November 5, 1913. The photographs were made to illustrate a feature story about the ranch, probably 2002 - Gladys Laney (Memories), AUDIO-VIDEO: ST. FRANCIS DAM IN ART-MUSIC-FILM (Photo via Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection) The dam itself was the second concrete dam designed and built by Mulholland and his water department. Hundreds of houses, bridges, roads and other buildings were destroyed, according to the California Department of Water Resources. The (future) Phillips Ranch was under the St. Francis reservoir, shown in blue. (Matt Tinoco/LAist). ", Carol Rising Longo, daughter of St. Francis Dam worker and survivor Ray E. Rising, has similar memories (pers. The Mystery of the Lost Raggio Gold, News reports 1912-1914. $441,500 Last Sold Price. LW3084 - Wm. DR2817 - St. Francis Dam: Tombstone & Perimeter Road, 1928. Unit 2 was removed during the remodel and the original Unit 1 was replaced with a turbine that had more power than the original Units 1 and 2 combined 25 MW. If built, Mulholland promised Los Angeles a virtually endless supply of drinkable water that would allow the city to grow and grow, seemingly without any boundary.With his friend Fred Eaton sitting comfortably in the mayor's office, Mulholland received approval to begin a nationwide campaign to raise money for the aqueduct's construction. Bert and Ora Hunick's granddaughter, Lynda Deem Burke, remembers (pers. Gladys had a palomino horse named Baby that I learned to ride on. By the time the water reached the Pacific Ocean at 5:30 a.m., the watery froth of earth, debris and victims was nearly 2 miles wide. 2010 - Raw Oral History: Thelma McCawley Shaw, Dam Survivor (Barely) Dana Knauber remembers (pers. "William Mulholland" Presides Over L.A. Aqueduct Cascades Centennial LADWP, 11-5-2013. 2, March 1928 (Oversized).. CG2801 - St. Francis Dam Disaster, Photos shot March 13, 1928 (10 Views). Geology of the St. Francis Dam Area Jesus Ruiz Elizondo, Master's Thesis, CalTech, 1953. Ft. 28619 Apricot Pl, Saugus, CA 91390. Los Angeles Aqueduct Opening Ceremonies Los Angeles Times, 11-6-1913. (Photo via Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection) On its way to the ocean, a full 54 miles away from where the dam once stood, the wave devastated the towns of Castaic, Saugus, Bardsdale, Saticoy, Santa Paula, Piru and Fillmore. The dam reached a height of 205 feet and a width of 1,300 feet when the concrete barrier, a key piece of Los Angeles chief water engineer William Mulholland's water system that transformed the city into what it is today, was completed two years later. 2,214 Sq. A patchwork of telephone switchboard operators and motorcycle police officers began the frantic task of notifying residents of low lying areas in its path. Today, a two-lane road named after the canyon itself connects Santa Clarita to the mountain communities of Green Valley and Elizabeth Lake. DI2811 - Floodpath & Rubble Just Below the Dam, 1928. The photographer is identified as Bob Martin; LW2502 - Los Angeles Aqueduct in Placerita Canyon, 2 Views, 2013. "Phil (Phillips) did build the ranch to be a resort," Knauber said. St. Francis Dam Disaster. HB1402 - St. Francis Dam Rubble, 11-14-2014. 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. The completed dam in 1927. Knauber (Hart Class of 1968) said his mother owned the property about four years; he left for college before she sold it. Though he had signed off on the dam as structurally sound the day before, the words he said while reaching for the phone early in the morning"Please, God. Video: Man-Made Disaster: The Story of St. Francis Dam Narrated by Charles F. Outland, SCVHS 1994. The middle and upper portions of this canyon fall within the Angeles National Forest. HC2808 - Western Abutment After the Break, 1928. It was completed a year later, almost to the day. Badwater Road, Badwater Rd, Furnace Creek, CA, USA. **2019: Saint Francis Dam Disaster National Memorial and National Monument, Sec. 1932. Video: Man-Made Disaster: The Story of St. Francis Dam Narrated by Frank Rock, SCVTV 2009. 2023. . published in the Los Angeles Times or the (San Fernando) Valley Times, which was an unrelated publication. It was demolished after a teenage boy who climbed the ruin fell to his death. Photo Gallery - Cascades Open for L.A. Aqueduct Centennial, Multiple Views, 11-9-2013. Location: San Francisquito Power Plant No. FR2001 - Power House No. . A city electric employee, Ace Hopewell, rode his motorcycle past the dam about 10 minutes before it collapsed. 0 Vac/Sierra Hwy Pav /Vic Mi, Agua Dulce, CA 91350. 1995 - Philip Scorza & Frank Rock: St. Francis Dam Disaster 2 in the 1950s a couple of times for swim parties, once for a Halloween Party, and once for a picnic. I love a good case of adaptive reuse. A memorial next to San Francisquito Power Plant No. The crash occurred at 4:11 p.m. at San Francisquito Canyon . from The New York Times: If businesses don't purchase more jackhammers and cranes, fewer construction workers are hired. One Aqueduct Worker Beats, Robs Another at Saugus News reports, February 1910. Her daughter was born by emergency C-section. It was the most amazing pool and house I had ever seen as a young child. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Kanawyer, 1928. The terrifying rampage of water and debris lasted more than five hours and stretched to the Pacific Ocean in Oxnard. RI1301 - Harrison Gray Otis & Ellen Beach Yaw at L.A. Aqueduct Grand Opening, 11-5-1913. Download original scans, SCVHistory.com is another service of SCVTV, a 501c3 Nonprofit Site contents SCVTV. Harris, Feinstein Submit Bill to Memorialize St. Francis Dam Victims (SCVNews) 2003, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: San Francisquito Canyon, "Roster of St. Francis Dam Disaster Victims", Rancho El Rio de Santa Clara o la Colonia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=San_Francisquito_Canyon&oldid=1119939015, Landforms of Los Angeles County, California, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages using Infobox landform with no type, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 4 November 2022, at 06:38. Three minutes before midnight on March 12, 1928, the St. Francis Dam collapsed, sending over 12 billion gallons of water and debris rushing down the Santa Clara River Valley from San Francisquito Canyon to the Pacific Ocean, 54 miles away.