I loved Aden's reaction to Jeff asking him why he didn't get out to see the dam site; "The damn site." This was a perfect ending to this old debacle from the last century. I lived in Long Beach, CA from 1957 to 1976 and had ridden through that area and never knew what had taken place. Thanks Jeff and others here on UA-cam for bringing this disaster to light.
When I talked about all the St Francis Dam victims not always being acknowledged or counted. I refer back to the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906, where the city and state constantly maintained for decades that the dead never exceeded 700. An enterprising and curious San Francisco City historian found files with thousands of letters requesting info on family members or friends who disappeared after the 1906 Earthquake and Fire. After spending years painstakingly pursuing and cross referencing information, she was able to convincingly prove that the number actually exceeded 3,000 plus dead. She was even able to supply names for many of the dead, who were either buried in mass graves or their bodies were destroyed during the fires that took down most of the city, that the earthquake didn't already destroyed. The city originally ignored her findings until it got into the papers and suddenly she was a city hero.
The cover up was to keep East Coast insurance companies and others in the dark. All insurance policies then were for fire, not earthquakes. If they had known the damage was all caused by the earthquake they may not have paid the claims.
Yeah.. they ALWAYS hide the true numbers! This disaster was probably in the 3000's hurricane Michael in Panama City they claim a death toll of around 25 but when you speak to locals it's well over 100.. and sometimes the death toll is SEVERELY OVER ESTIMATED LIKE covid19 and the counts of the people the jab offed is kept very very low by these same people.. NEVER TRUST A GOVERNMENT NUMBER
I grew up in Fillmore Ca....One day back in the early 70's my Dad came in from work ( he serviced irrigation systems for some of the citrus farms in the area and mentioned that they had discovered some human remains when some laborers had been clearing away some brush. If I remember correctly, Dad said that the area was 50-75 yards from the bank of the Santa Clara River bed. Odds are, the remains were of someone who was swept away by this disaster. RIP to all who lost their lives.
I grew up in Piru and Fillmore piru cyn In 1965 above Lake Piru till 1969 floods.the owner of the pool in Fillmore.his grandma was found flooting in her baby basket dureing that da Break. I prob know Tucker.i knew other Tuckers
Thanks for posting this david tucker! Southern California /Edison had a camp for those installing electrical wiring from saticoy to saugus when the St Francis Dam failed. The camp was located near Piru not far from the Fillmore area. One of many 'missing' individuals was my grandfather's 22 year old young brother. I have a few of his tools and a YMCA award with his name from 1926. Sad event for many people including my family. Regards
I am 74 and my mom grew up in various towns in the Los Angeles area. I remember her talking about both the St Francis dam disaster as well as the big quake in Long Beach. She was born in 1918.
Another amazing video. It continues to astound me how much California State History is NOT taught in schools. How can I, a life long resident with a college degree, have never even heard about this event? So much missing history... but Jeff is hunting it all down for all of us who basically missed out. Thanks Jeff!!
It’s been mentioned in more recent times that the City of Los Angeles kept the story hidden as much as possible for decades. It wasn’t until more recent times when the gruesome details began to come out. When I was growing up in the 60’s, Dad used to take us on countless day trips through the canyons north of the SFV. San Francisquito Canyon was one of his favorites, and as many times that we passed through there, he never made mention of the St Francis Dam, and he was pretty knowledgeable on local history. I also remember seeing huge angular sections of what I thought were rocks downstream in the creekbed, not realizing that they were actually broken chunks of concrete from the dam itself. This would have been before the County realigned the road to where it now runs on the west side of the dam site.
This is fascinating, me and my buddy partied in San Francisquito canyon in the early 2000s when we were living in Velencia. We wondered what all the random chunks of concrete were about. Didn't know it was the location of such a mega disaster. Thanks for the info!!
I just realized that my grandfather lived in Oxnard during this time but he never talked about it. I wish I could talk to him now. Thanks for the connection to history that should be remembered.
This was such an interesting episode. All my kids were born in Ventura when we were stationed there for 5 years and I had heard about this disaster but never knew the details. Thank for the thorough research.
Just found your channel...great stuff. Drove that canyon twice a day for 9 years not knowning that I was driving through history. Thank you for your effort.
Such an unbelievable story! How amazing Mulholland took the blame without hesitation! You won't find that today! Thanks for the CA history lesson, history isn't boring by any means, but the things you show and all makes it even more exciting! Thank you for that!
It's a tragic story anyway you slice it! I actually feel sorry for Mulholland as what a horrible thing that he didn't anticipate occurring. Thanks for leaving the comment!
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 this 1 made me cry. Jeff, thank you for enduring foxtails, crawling through shrubs & putting up with the heat. You are appreciated. XO Paula
The canyon road used to go right through the old dam site on the west side of the creek. About 18 years or so ago, a bridge just south of the dam got washed out. They never repaired it. If you drive past pump station 2 you can park where the road ends. From there you can walk the old road with weeds and trees growing up though the cracks...it’s a spooky walk!!!
@@aubreystrause1083 I went down there before the road was re-routed. I have a chunk of the old dam i use as a book end and reminder. In my own life I had to evacuate for a while after another even older LADWP dam teetered on the brink of collapse. This was the Lower Van Norman Dam after the 1971 Sylmar Quake. Our home was on the first street below it. Years before that I remember sitting in our living room watching on live TV as the Baldwin Hills Dam failed.
I grew up in Oak View and Ventura in the 50’s. As a young kid I didn’t realize all the impact of it but heard many stories. After a time in the service I returned to Ventura a few times did some off roading motorcycle throughout the Santa Clara river basin seeing still some of damage remnants. In 1969 there were torrential rains causing lots of damage the Ventura river was rampaging I lived at the time along Ventura Ave just past where the newer freeway to Ojai ended. After a week of nonstop rains (10 inches) a feeder creek leading across the high clogged the drainage and sent flooding waters seeking alternate ways to the Ventura river about a half mile from the house I rented. My parents lived in a mob lol home park in Casitis jump a few miles further up the highway and had been evacuated just hours before and came to my house. Then the rushing waters rose and two foot of water burst my front door open and we had to get out also. We survived luckily but lost most everything. The house I lived in was on the corner of a short street and actually served as a buffer for all the others on the street causing the water to flow down the street and throughout some orchards to the river sparing much damage to the other homes. It was a very scary venture I’ll never forget. I have a few stories about it all.
Going throigh the 69 floods in Piru Cyn was rough. And lost the house and everything. Built in 1884. 160 ach.ranch. wonderful growing up there .5th grade in Piru till jr high in Fillmore.raised my Family in Fillmore. 28 years in oil fields. Now 70 with 92 year old mom in Nor Cal. Grass Valley area
See PBS' "American Experience" which featured this tragedy and is quite good considering that so many new photos of the disaster were shown I'd never seen previously. Recommend it.
Fascinating story. I hadn’t heard of this before. What a tragedy and loss of so many people. I liked that you showed pictures of some of the victims. They need to be remembered. It adds a personal touch to see the faces of those affected. PS - totally off topic , but this is the first UA-cam video I’ve watched and heard the phrase “ Foxtails in My Socks “ .
I look forward to every Sunday for a new offering from you. Thank you so much for all the history of California. I was born in Orange, Ca, and taught school in Santa Ana for some 30 years. My favorite subject to teach my students was California history !!! Thanks again for all you and Sarah do !!!
In the 1990's I interviewed a long-retired Southern Calif Edison employee for another reason but the conversation drifted to his story about the St. Francis Dam Failure. He told of a construction camp named Camp Kemp about 4 miles east of Piru where about 140 Edison construction employees were sleeping in tents when the dam broke. 96 of the 140 employees were trapped in their tents as they slept and died in the flood. He also told of the efforts taken to restore power to Southern California because at the time of the dam failure most power was supplied by transmission lines delivering power from Edison's hydro plants in the north. Those power lines were washed out by the flood causing widespread blackouts. Efforts to reroute power restored most outages before the morning peak load that same day.
In "The American Experience" you'll see those (originally 154-kV) early bridge type towers twisted and mangled by the floodwaters. PBS documented this disaster and there are many very good post-disaster photos of the damage.
Hi Jeff- Did you do one on the Baldwin Hills Dam break? We lived nearby in Windsor Hills at the time. I was a little kid so I don't remember how many people were hurt, but I do remember the flooding when my dad and I went out and tried to help people. (He was a member of the Civil Defense, now replaced by ARES and RACES (ham radio volunteer groups.) Love your channel! - Marc
Hey Jeff my aunt and uncle lived close to there there from providence ky.its a beautiful place. It's sad that many people lost their lives great video you and Sara are awesome Randy from Kentucky
Good episode. Jeff you went all the way to the larger chunks. That’s a nice little hike. That tragedy is one of the reasons civil engineering projects are check and rechecked. It’s a sad way to learn not to cut corners. I learned details I’ve never heard before. Thank You.
I grew up in Santa Paula and heard of this terrible tragedy. My 5th grade teacher was a child when this happened and I remember her telling us about how her father woke her up in in the early hours after the dam broke. She said they hurried to get to higher ground and away from the Santa Clara River area. Great video!! Thank you!
Thanks! Much appreciated! It was a horrible thing to happen to all those innocent people, many you had rough lives already! Blessings from Jeff and Sarah!
I visited this site in the mid-90s while on a field trip with my Geology class when I was attending Jr. Collage at LAVC. Very interesting piece of history for L.A.
In the late 90's, a man digging a new garden in his backyard in Ventura County unearthed a skeleton. He called law enforcement and later it was determined to be a victim of the flood. An Archeologist I talked to once said the entire valley surely contains skeletal remains to this day and is only a matter of time for another unearthing.
I have heard about the St Francis Dam many times in the past, but never with the detailed facts you shared today. You know, even with the technology we now have, harnessing the power of water scares me. I have always been afraid of dams. Thank you Jeff for another great video.
Yeah there was a somber piano 🎹 piece near the end that I recognized from some other very well done documentary I’ve seen on UA-cam but I couldn’t place which one
I was vaguely aware of this but this video and history lesson really brought it home for me. Poor engineering and the power of massive amounts of water. Thanx for the history lesson.
Thank you for making this video. I'd never heard of this disaster and I've lived in California my entire 44 years. As much as I dislike "big government" this is a clear case where dam licensing and oversight is critically important so we don't have a repeat.
Fascinating historical fact I was totally unaware of. It reminds me of the Vajont dam disaster in Italy where in 1963 over 2000 people died caused by a massive landslide that fell into the lake. Greetings from Italy
Jeff, this was an awesome episode and very sobering to me. During my late Teens and early 20's, I used to go to the San Fransisquito area to shoot some of my firearms. There was a Gun Club off of San Fransisquito Canyon Road but, since I wasn't a member, I traveled a couple of miles past and used an old Dry Riverbed to set up my targets. After viewing this video, I realize that I was using the old water coarse that brought total destruction to the area. IF, I had known the history at the time, I would not have desecrated the area with my presence. This is one reason why I love your channel. You keep us informed about our past. Thank you. Stan in Ceres.
YES!! I’ve been waiting for this one! Excellent, excellent job Jeff! Thank you for covering this one.👍 What a tragedy! That’s such a shame to everyone one that lost their life or to the people that lost loved ones during this. I would like to walk some of the path the water had traveled and see for myself how it looks. Maybe one day when I can get out that way? Thanks again Jeff! See ya on the next one! Take care now! Frank from Philadelphia, PA.
The tragic loss of life and nature was totally devastating I am grateful for the information you shared. Thank you for the Historical Lessons , stay well 👽🚀
I definitely learned something new and I live next to the California aqueduct so thank you. Being a history buff myself I’m gonna need to take a trip out there.
Thank you Jeff for another video of great research and presentation! I knew of the dam collapse but not much detail. Now thanks to you I know a lot more than before!👍
Hi ! Very interesting vlog! So sad all those people lost their lives due to human error. Looks totally different place today . Stay safe and keep on vlogging! Thanks! Deborah Winnipeg Canada
I had never heard of the St. Francis Dam disaster. So so tragic. I’ve seen in other documentaries in the case of such a catastrophic event, everybody blames or points the finger at someone else to don themselves with innocence. For Mr. Mulholland to step up and take full blame, and to attend the funerals of the victims shows a true bonafide character, based in a sorrowful regret. This doesn’t make what happened any less, but you just don’t see that in people today. Fantastic work Jeff. This was so educational, and in depth. Thanks for taking us with you . 👍
Startling information with eye opening pictorial account of this infamous tragedy that could have been averted. As usual, politics and greed lay waste to those of us under its heel. Your in depth report put us there and we could feel the sorrow. Your detail and on site coverage was spot on.
I'm so glad you finally did the st. Francis disaster video since I knew you would do an amazing job. It's so sad but we all need to realize that because this now we need to have proper inspection and multiple engineers involved so this never happens again. I never thought about the tombstone being destroyed to hide the evidence of the bad design. I love that Sarah is wise to stay in the car since it looked like you reenacting a scene from cool hand Luke jail break LOL. GREAT MOVIE. I loved that you honored the heroes from the disaster and bravery they must have found in themselves. Keep these videos coming.
Jeff, I appreciate what you have to go through to bring us your videos. We, your ardent followers, owe you big time. I had family living in Fillmore back then. I will have to ask those that are still remaining if they were a part of the St. Francis dam disaster. ....Russell D.
I've seen quite a few people vlog this site and your's is the best by far. Great research, incredible detail and fantastic historical photos. You are the first I've seen to encounter that huge chunk of concrete-a tribute to your tenacity! That store in Newhall still exists at the corner of Market & Railroad.
As I live in Ojai I have many trips back and forth through Santa Paula, Fillmore, Piru and Castaic and think of the disaster that occurred there. I pass by the monument to the State Motor Officer and his fellow motorcyclist and it is inspiring if you know the meaning of it. Your video is complete with much information that is usually not mentioned in other accounts of this disaster and is typical of your videos. THANKS for enlightening those that did not know about it. And yes L.A. did steal Owens Valley water just as Ventura is trying now trying the same with ours.
Yes you are very correct. I still think lots of city fathers covered their butts. Who ever heard of a five-day analysis of a dam failing that killed that many folks? Serious coverup occurred.
Makes sense that he had no idea how to build a safe dam, and wasn't smart enough to understand that. but money led him to believe he could do anything.
@@johncordova8304 ...the only obvious thing is the internet and your smartphone has made you an internet superhero. Obviously you are short comprehension skills though! He explained in the video the politics of the situation that are out of the engineers hands, at least at the time period. You are misappropriating today’s engineering standards with 1927-28! Not that the money people don’t still have a lot of power, but the “state” has put in place quite a few requirements to safeguard.
@@johncordova8304 In fact, he was an excellent engineer despite being self-taught. He was the inventor of many construction practices, designed the largest pipe in use at the time (in Owens Valley), and used several pieces of construction equipment for the first time. Please read up more on what caused the SF dam to fail (anchor into unstable sandstone that were missed in the design work, not "bad engineering"). He didn't profit from LA's growth nearly as much as others (Fred Eaton, SFV "farmers", media magnates).
Thank you so much sir for including that map of the dam site and the flow of the flood. I didn't realize it was that far North/East of the present Interstate 5. It must have washed out the original ridge route as well because HWY 99 didn't exist until 1934 or 35.
The original concrete bridge footings are still visible near Castaic where the highway (US 99)bridge that crossed the Santa Clara River was washed out in the flood. Move quickly, though, because The Old Road is set to be upgraded in 2025, and those remnant may be taken out in the process.
Not to take away from the mistakes that were made in the construction of this dam, but keep in mind the time frame. You can often see older concrete mixes that were very crude, as the technology wasn’t available at the time for uniform aggregate mixes that we see with the concrete mixes of today.
I have read and studied this disaster over my lifetime. I have yet to visit the site, yet I hike and camp, so I don't know why I haven't yet? It is on my list. I have watched most, if not all of the videos on the dam. I have read a few books that have connections to the disaster or DWP. I have read an biography on Mulholland from his daughter which was excellent and highly recommend. He alone contributed to the settling of Los Angeles County more than any other individual. Much of our city politics today are derived from what cities ended up taking DWP water or rejecting it and having their own water sources. He was ahead of his time and the City of Los Angeles which was nothing more then a cover for real-estate investors which backed the city (not him directly). I have visited his memorial fountain more then once and I believe it is a proper tribute to the man. He was honorable, but self educated and did not hold an authentic engineering degree. I personally believe it was what you mentioned as the reason for the failure, coupled equally with the bedrock that the dam was mounted on on one of its sides that contributed to the collapse. If you ever do the Hollywood Reservoir walk, that dam is an exact duplicate of the Francis Dam, and for that reason, they never fill it to capacity. Take a look or look it up for yourself. That has been one of my exercise walks that I do several times a year. The disaster is basically unknown to 99% of the residents today of Los Angeles County. I had no previous knowledge of Thornton Edwards until your video. Thank you. I just put the dvd, Grapes of Wrath on my next Amazon order. I will also have to visit the Hart Museum when they open back up. Thank for the informative video; you did a good job on it!
Love all your videos, but this one I found particularly interesting. I had never heard of this tragedy and your programme was so informative with the historical photos etc. Very well done.
@@jbenziggy I was born in England, and now live in Scotland, but try and spend most of my vacations in the US. as I love your country as much as my own.
I’ve always thought this is one of the biggest, saddest, most preventable human engineering failings in American history. Thanks for your good descriptions and viewings.
Great video as always. I knew about this part of our history, too bad our mistakes like this get lost with time. I am so glad for your history interest and investigation of the facts. Looking forward for your next lesson in History. Thank You.
Most excellent as usual! Thanks for the treat! Never new, and I have lived in San Diego 66 years. Thanks for all your hard work, it shows. Larry Miller San Diego Ca.
Our pleasure! Time has a way of making us all forget events and people. We enjoy retelling their story so many will learn. Thank you very much, Larry! I bet you've seen lots of changes in San Diego since moving there 66 years ago!
Since you did this, would you please do a history of the aqueduct that mulholland built. It’s a fascinating story to learn and I’d love to hear your take on it. The Owens river valley still hates LA!
About the Owens Valley, back in the late 1950's my dad, a friend of his and his son went for a High Sierra pack trip out of Bishop CA. Our car had a LA Dept of water & Power decal on it from the previous owners. I remember my dad saying that he had better remove that decal for fear of reprisals from the Bishop locals.
Thankyou for crossing ruff terrain to show us these sights!! This was a horribly sad story. You told it very well. I hadn't heard of this tragedy 😔 Thankyou History Hunters 🙏
I really enjoy the way you have gone to the places that you talk about, and the way you do your history and get the facts right. Thank you for keeping our past known.
Born and raised in California and never heard this story, thank you for making this video! As a retired construction professional and ‘concrete guy’, I sure didn’t see much rebar in the concrete! Thank you again!
Great coverage of that terrible tragedy! This is required historical knowledge for those who live and work on hydroelectric projects like I do...well is should be anyways. Great job! Thanks for your hard work putting this video together. I will recommend this video to the Dam Safety Engineering Department. That is, if it's OK with you.
I lived in the Santa Clarita valley for 22 years. It was a wonderful place to live and raise a family. I left in 2014 and moved to Santa Monica when Santa Clarita became just another congested suburb of Los Angeles. I often spoke of this tragedy with my family and now I have a nice video with fact to go along with it. I was living on Ridge Route at the foot of the Castaic damn on January 17th 1994. My wife and I had just returned from our honeymoon when we were awakened by that terrible shaking. I thought for sure the damn was going to break. It was terrifying. 30 years later, we are still married and enjoying the wonderful weather here in Santa Monica. My in laws still live up bouquet canyon road and it’s nice to go visit them.
I loved Aden's reaction to Jeff asking him why he didn't get out to see the dam site; "The damn site." This was a perfect ending to this old debacle from the last century. I lived in Long Beach, CA from 1957 to 1976 and had ridden through that area and never knew what had taken place. Thanks Jeff and others here on UA-cam for bringing this disaster to light.
When I talked about all the St Francis Dam victims not always being acknowledged or counted. I refer back to the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906, where the city and state constantly maintained for decades that the dead never exceeded 700. An enterprising and curious San Francisco City historian found files with thousands of letters requesting info on family members or friends who disappeared after the 1906 Earthquake and Fire. After spending years painstakingly pursuing and cross referencing information, she was able to convincingly prove that the number actually exceeded 3,000 plus dead. She was even able to supply names for many of the dead, who were either buried in mass graves or their bodies were destroyed during the fires that took down most of the city, that the earthquake didn't already destroyed. The city originally ignored her findings until it got into the papers and suddenly she was a city hero.
What was the ladies name?
The cover up was to keep East Coast insurance companies and others in the dark. All insurance policies then were for fire, not earthquakes. If they had known the damage was all caused by the earthquake they may not have paid the claims.
Yeah.. they ALWAYS hide the true numbers! This disaster was probably in the 3000's hurricane Michael in Panama City they claim a death toll of around 25 but when you speak to locals it's well over 100.. and sometimes the death toll is SEVERELY OVER ESTIMATED LIKE covid19 and the counts of the people the jab offed is kept very very low by these same people.. NEVER TRUST A GOVERNMENT NUMBER
I grew up in Fillmore Ca....One day back in the early 70's my Dad came in from work ( he serviced irrigation systems for some of the citrus farms in the area and mentioned that they had discovered some human remains when some laborers had been clearing away some brush.
If I remember correctly, Dad said that the area was 50-75 yards from the bank of the Santa Clara River bed.
Odds are, the remains were of someone who was swept away by this disaster.
RIP to all who lost their lives.
I grew up in Piru and Fillmore piru cyn In 1965 above Lake Piru till 1969 floods.the owner of the pool in Fillmore.his grandma was found flooting in her baby basket dureing that da
Break. I prob know Tucker.i knew other Tuckers
Owner of pool hall was K B Rogers.went to school with his son of the same name
Thanks for posting this david tucker! Southern California /Edison had a camp for those installing electrical wiring from saticoy to saugus when the St Francis Dam failed. The camp was located near Piru not far from the Fillmore area. One of many 'missing' individuals was my grandfather's 22 year old young brother. I have a few of his tools and a YMCA award with his name from 1926. Sad event for many people including my family. Regards
I am 74 and my mom grew up in various towns in the Los Angeles area. I remember her talking about both the St Francis dam disaster as well as the big quake in Long Beach. She was born in 1918.
Another amazing video. It continues to astound me how much California State History is NOT taught in schools. How can I, a life long resident with a college degree, have never even heard about this event? So much missing history... but Jeff is hunting it all down for all of us who basically missed out. Thanks Jeff!!
You have a college degree but wonder why this isn’t taught in school? Lol. Degrees don’t mean a whole lot in terms of intelligence it seems.
Because California has a lot of history, they can’t cover everything in k-12 schools.
Only indoctrinating woke now.
It’s been mentioned in more recent times that the City of Los Angeles kept the story hidden as much as possible for decades. It wasn’t until more recent times when the gruesome details began to come out. When I was growing up in the 60’s, Dad used to take us on countless day trips through the canyons north of the SFV. San Francisquito Canyon was one of his favorites, and as many times that we passed through there, he never made mention of the St Francis Dam, and he was pretty knowledgeable on local history. I also remember seeing huge angular sections of what I thought were rocks downstream in the creekbed, not realizing that they were actually broken chunks of concrete from the dam itself. This would have been before the County realigned the road to where it now runs on the west side of the dam site.
This is fascinating, me and my buddy partied in San Francisquito canyon in the early 2000s when we were living in Velencia. We wondered what all the random chunks of concrete were about. Didn't know it was the location of such a mega disaster. Thanks for the info!!
I just realized that my grandfather lived in Oxnard during this time but he never talked about it. I wish I could talk to him now. Thanks for the connection to history that should be remembered.
My gramma lived in Santa Paula at that time
You just realized or found out ?
This was such an interesting episode. All my kids were born in Ventura when we were stationed there for 5 years and I had heard about this disaster but never knew the details. Thank for the thorough research.
Just found your channel...great stuff. Drove that canyon twice a day for 9 years not knowning that I was driving through history. Thank you for your effort.
Such an unbelievable story! How amazing Mulholland took the blame without hesitation! You won't find that today! Thanks for the CA history lesson, history isn't boring by any means, but the things you show and all makes it even more exciting! Thank you for that!
It's a tragic story anyway you slice it! I actually feel sorry for Mulholland as what a horrible thing that he didn't anticipate occurring. Thanks for leaving the comment!
Yeah, but also Mulholland had the audacity to build a dam without any engineering certifications
I'm 66yrs old and can remember my grandmother telling me stories about this tragic flood.
China Town
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 this 1 made me cry. Jeff, thank you for enduring foxtails, crawling through shrubs & putting up with the heat. You are appreciated. XO Paula
We appreciate you guys as well! Thanks so much!!!
Very interesting.
Born and raised in So Cal and I never heard of this disaster. Thank you Jeff, another great history lesson.
Well open up some books and read them it there at the library
The canyon road used to go right through the old dam site on the west side of the creek. About 18 years or so ago, a bridge just south of the dam got washed out. They never repaired it. If you drive past pump station 2 you can park where the road ends. From there you can walk the old road with weeds and trees growing up though the cracks...it’s a spooky walk!!!
Spooky, but really beautiful and humbling. Pieces of dam litter the whole route.
@@aubreystrause1083 I went down there before the road was re-routed. I have a chunk of the old dam i use as a book end and reminder. In my own life I had to evacuate for a while after another even older LADWP dam teetered on the brink of collapse. This was the Lower Van Norman Dam after the 1971 Sylmar Quake. Our home was on the first street below it. Years before that I remember sitting in our living room watching on live TV as the Baldwin Hills Dam failed.
I grew up in Oak View and Ventura in the 50’s. As a young kid I didn’t realize all the impact of it but heard many stories. After a time in the service I returned to Ventura a few times did some off roading motorcycle throughout the Santa Clara river basin seeing still some of damage remnants. In 1969 there were torrential rains causing lots of damage the Ventura river was rampaging I lived at the time along Ventura Ave just past where the newer freeway to Ojai ended. After a week of nonstop rains (10 inches) a feeder creek leading across the high clogged the drainage and sent flooding waters seeking alternate ways to the Ventura river about a half mile from the house I rented. My parents lived in a mob lol home park in Casitis jump a few miles further up the highway and had been evacuated just hours before and came to my house. Then the rushing waters rose and two foot of water burst my front door open and we had to get out also. We survived luckily but lost most everything. The house I lived in was on the corner of a short street and actually served as a buffer for all the others on the street causing the water to flow down the street and throughout some orchards to the river sparing much damage to the other homes. It was a very scary venture I’ll never forget. I have a few stories about it all.
Wow!! I loved this story, would certainly enjoy hearing more.
Going throigh the 69 floods in Piru Cyn was rough. And lost the house and everything. Built in 1884. 160 ach.ranch. wonderful growing up there
.5th grade in Piru till jr high in Fillmore.raised my Family in Fillmore. 28 years in oil fields. Now 70 with 92 year old mom in Nor Cal. Grass Valley area
Thank you for the episode. Not a clue this happened and I'm glad you made this short film.
See PBS' "American Experience" which featured this tragedy and is quite good considering that so many new photos of the disaster were shown I'd never seen previously. Recommend it.
Fascinating story. I hadn’t heard of this before. What a tragedy and loss of so many people. I liked that you showed pictures of some of the victims. They need to be remembered. It adds a personal touch to see the faces of those affected.
PS - totally off topic , but this is the first UA-cam video I’ve watched and heard the phrase “ Foxtails in My Socks “ .
I look forward to every Sunday for a new offering from you. Thank you so much for all the history of California. I was born in Orange, Ca, and taught school in Santa Ana for some 30 years. My favorite subject to teach my students was California history !!! Thanks again for all you and Sarah do !!!
Thank you Gary! Happy to hear from you! It’s an honor for a teacher to be watching our videos!
In the 1990's I interviewed a long-retired Southern Calif Edison employee for another reason but the conversation drifted to his story about the St. Francis Dam Failure. He told of a construction camp named Camp Kemp about 4 miles east of Piru where about 140 Edison construction employees were sleeping in tents when the dam broke. 96 of the 140 employees were trapped in their tents as they slept and died in the flood. He also told of the efforts taken to restore power to Southern California because at the time of the dam failure most power was supplied by transmission lines delivering power from Edison's hydro plants in the north. Those power lines were washed out by the flood causing widespread blackouts. Efforts to reroute power restored most outages before the morning peak load that same day.
In "The American Experience" you'll see those (originally 154-kV) early bridge type towers twisted and mangled by the floodwaters. PBS documented this disaster and there are many very good post-disaster photos of the damage.
Hi Jeff- Did you do one on the Baldwin Hills Dam break? We lived nearby in Windsor Hills at the time. I was a little kid so I don't remember how many people were hurt, but I do remember the flooding when my dad and I went out and tried to help people. (He was a member of the Civil Defense, now replaced by ARES and RACES (ham radio volunteer groups.)
Love your channel! - Marc
Thank you, Marc. No, I haven’t done a video on Baldwin Hills break but I appreciate you watching our channel!
Such a sad loss of life. One cannot imagine. RIP all those poor people, and thanks for enlightening us once again, Jeff.
God bless🙏
Thank you for including the map. This was one of your best episodes.
Hey Jeff my aunt and uncle lived close to there there from providence ky.its a beautiful place. It's sad that many people lost their lives great video you and Sara are awesome Randy from Kentucky
Again, thanks so much, Randy! We appreciate you very much! Glad you liked our new video!
Good episode. Jeff you went all the way to the larger chunks. That’s a nice little hike. That tragedy is one of the reasons civil engineering projects are check and rechecked. It’s a sad way to learn not to cut corners. I learned details I’ve never heard before. Thank You.
I learn so much from you both! Thanks for helping me learn some history!! Keep it up!!
I grew up in Santa Paula and heard of this terrible tragedy. My 5th grade teacher was a child when this happened and I remember her telling us about how her father woke her up in in the early hours after the dam broke. She said they hurried to get to higher ground and away from the Santa Clara River area. Great video!! Thank you!
Thanks! Much appreciated! It was a horrible thing to happen to all those innocent people, many you had rough lives already! Blessings from Jeff and Sarah!
I visited this site in the mid-90s while on a field trip with my Geology class when I was attending Jr. Collage at LAVC. Very interesting piece of history for L.A.
Very, very well done. You took us where it would have been impossible for us to go. That dam site 😊
In the late 90's, a man digging a new garden in his backyard in Ventura County unearthed a skeleton. He called law enforcement and later it was determined to be a victim of the flood. An Archeologist I talked to once said the entire valley surely contains skeletal remains to this day and is only a matter of time for another unearthing.
Wow, that is very eerie if not creepy! Who knows? Maybe bodies are buried beneath modern roads or in more backyards!
I have heard about the St Francis Dam many times in the past, but never with the detailed facts you shared today. You know, even with the technology we now have, harnessing the power of water scares me. I have always been afraid of dams. Thank you Jeff for another great video.
Another great episode, thanks Jeff. Excellent shots and I really liked your music choices. Quite dramatic, fit perfectly.
Yeah there was a somber piano 🎹 piece near the end that I recognized from some other very well done documentary I’ve seen on UA-cam but I couldn’t place which one
@@Syclone0044 I was moved by that ending piano so I searched the music listed in the credits and couldn't find it.
I was vaguely aware of this but this video and history lesson really brought it home for me. Poor engineering and the power of massive amounts of water. Thanx for the history lesson.
Very sad story, but a great history lesson. Thanks for all your effort to produce these videos. Very educational.
Thank you for making this video. I'd never heard of this disaster and I've lived in California my entire 44 years. As much as I dislike "big government" this is a clear case where dam licensing and oversight is critically important so we don't have a repeat.
Fascinating historical fact I was totally unaware of.
It reminds me of the Vajont dam disaster in Italy where in 1963 over 2000 people died caused by a massive landslide that fell into the lake.
Greetings from Italy
Such a sad event in our states history. Thnx Jeff and Sarah for your insights and research!!
Jeff, this was an awesome episode and very sobering to me.
During my late Teens and early 20's, I used to go to the San Fransisquito area to shoot some of my firearms. There was a Gun Club off of San Fransisquito Canyon Road but, since I wasn't a member, I traveled a couple of miles past and used an old Dry Riverbed to set up my targets. After viewing this video, I realize that I was using the old water coarse that brought total destruction to the area. IF, I had known the history at the time, I would not have desecrated the area with my presence. This is one reason why I love your channel. You keep us informed about our past.
Thank you.
Stan in Ceres.
I always heard about it but never knew the tragic details. Thank you for sharing this historical and no leaving the people out of the story.
YES!! I’ve been waiting for this one! Excellent, excellent job Jeff! Thank you for covering this one.👍
What a tragedy! That’s such a shame to everyone one that lost their life or to the people that lost loved ones during this. I would like to walk some of the path the water had traveled and see for myself how it looks. Maybe one day when I can get out that way?
Thanks again Jeff! See ya on the next one! Take care now! Frank from Philadelphia, PA.
The tragic loss of life and nature was totally devastating I am grateful for the information you shared. Thank you for the Historical Lessons , stay well 👽🚀
Loved the intro!!! Never knew the story of the dam. Thanks for another good show. (Sarah and Aiden, I don't blame you.)
I definitely learned something new and I live next to the California aqueduct so thank you. Being a history buff myself I’m gonna need to take a trip out there.
Thank you, for showing the 1928 Dam disaster........
A local LA author and documentary film maker Jon Wilkman wrote a book "Floodpath" a Amazon best seller telling the complete story of this event
You should come back when the Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society has there annual tour of the dam site
Is there a website that I could check out and find more information about that tour?
I would greatly appreciate more information if you could provide it.
Thank you Jeff for another video of great research and presentation! I knew of the dam collapse but not much detail. Now thanks to you I know a lot more than before!👍
Hello History Hunters, It's so sad what happened back then but thanks so much for sharing this story and putting this story together.
You are welcome! Thanks for honoring us with the viewing!
Wow. Never knew of that. Such a tragedy. Great vlog Jeff. Thank you.
Very well done. I was born and raised in Burbank but never heard about the dam. So sad.🥺
So do Love your ADVENTURES always so interesting thanks for taking us along
Happy to have you along 😊
Hi ! Very interesting vlog! So sad all those people lost their lives due to human error. Looks totally different place today . Stay safe and keep on vlogging! Thanks! Deborah Winnipeg Canada
You consisted give us fascinating videos. Without wanting to sound like a stuck record... thanks and hi from the Netherlands
Happy to hear your thoughts. Thank you for your time and support.
I had never heard of the St. Francis Dam disaster. So so tragic. I’ve seen in other documentaries in the case of such a catastrophic event, everybody blames or points the finger at someone else to don themselves with innocence. For Mr. Mulholland to step up and take full blame, and to attend the funerals of the victims shows a true bonafide character, based in a sorrowful regret. This doesn’t make what happened any less, but you just don’t see that in people today. Fantastic work Jeff. This was so educational, and in depth. Thanks for taking us with you . 👍
I remember this but forgot until this video. So sad for all involved, but great information about our history.
I lived in California most of my life, and still enjoy learning about history before my time. Thank you
Though sad, thanks for sharing this part of California history. Now I know who Mulholland Drive was named after.
Excellent in depth coverage, I’ve been fascinated with this disaster most of my life and this video is the best coverage that I have seen. Thank you
That is so Heartbreaking all those family's lost
A beautiful tribute to your mother, may she rest in peace!
Another amazing episode, thanks! I had never heard of this disaster before today, and likely never would have if not for you!
I used to live near there and went to see the site a few times...... very sobering. thanks for doing this video
Very sad history but really well done again Glad Sarah and Aidian enjoyed your filming :)
Thanks very much Lindsay!
Startling information with eye opening pictorial account of this infamous tragedy that could have been averted. As usual, politics and greed lay waste to those of us under its heel. Your in depth report put us there and we could feel the sorrow. Your detail and on site coverage was spot on.
I'm so glad you finally did the st. Francis disaster video since I knew you would do an amazing job. It's so sad but we all need to realize that because this now we need to have proper inspection and multiple engineers involved so this never happens again. I never thought about the tombstone being destroyed to hide the evidence of the bad design. I love that Sarah is wise to stay in the car since it looked like you reenacting a scene from cool hand Luke jail break LOL. GREAT MOVIE. I loved that you honored the heroes from the disaster and bravery they must have found in themselves. Keep these videos coming.
Jeff, I appreciate what you have to go through to bring us your videos. We, your ardent followers, owe you big time. I had family living in Fillmore back then. I will have to ask those that are still remaining if they were a part of the St. Francis dam disaster. ....Russell D.
I've seen quite a few people vlog this site and your's is the best by far. Great research, incredible detail and fantastic historical photos. You are the first I've seen to encounter that huge chunk of concrete-a tribute to your tenacity! That store in Newhall still exists at the corner of Market & Railroad.
My brother in law and I stopped and checked out the Dam site on our way to a marathon he was running in very interesting and sad.
As I live in Ojai I have many trips back and forth through Santa Paula, Fillmore, Piru and Castaic and think of the disaster that occurred there. I pass by the monument to the State Motor Officer and his fellow motorcyclist and it is inspiring if you know the meaning of it. Your video is complete with much information that is usually not mentioned in other accounts of this disaster and is typical of your videos. THANKS for enlightening those that did not know about it. And yes L.A. did steal Owens Valley water just as Ventura is trying now trying the same with ours.
I believe Mulholland was self trained as an engineer. I think, I remember reading, he had very little formal education.
Yes you are very correct. I still think lots of city fathers covered their butts. Who ever heard of a five-day analysis of a dam failing that killed that many folks? Serious coverup occurred.
Makes sense that he had no idea how to build a safe dam, and wasn't smart enough to understand that. but money led him to believe he could do anything.
@@johncordova8304 ...the only obvious thing is the internet and your smartphone has made you an internet superhero.
Obviously you are short comprehension skills though! He explained in the video the politics of the situation that are out of the engineers hands, at least at the time period. You are misappropriating today’s engineering standards with 1927-28! Not that the money people don’t still have a lot of power, but the “state” has put in place quite a few requirements to safeguard.
@@jbenziggy It was a STATE commission that did the 5-day analysis. To eliminate conflict of interest. ** wink wink**
@@johncordova8304 In fact, he was an excellent engineer despite being self-taught. He was the inventor of many construction practices, designed the largest pipe in use at the time (in Owens Valley), and used several pieces of construction equipment for the first time. Please read up more on what caused the SF dam to fail (anchor into unstable sandstone that were missed in the design work, not "bad engineering"). He didn't profit from LA's growth nearly as much as others (Fred Eaton, SFV "farmers", media magnates).
Thank you so much sir for including that map of the dam site and the flow of the flood. I didn't realize it was that far North/East of the present Interstate 5. It must have washed out the original ridge route as well because HWY 99 didn't exist until 1934 or 35.
You are most welcome!
The original concrete bridge footings are still visible near Castaic where the highway (US 99)bridge that crossed the Santa Clara River was washed out in the flood. Move quickly, though, because The Old Road is set to be upgraded in 2025, and those remnant may be taken out in the process.
Such a devastating story but it must be told.
This is such a tragedy! I had no idea this happened. Thank you for bringing this info to all of us
Your videos are great. This was a horrific disaster. You explain how it happened and the suffering it caused very well.
Thank you Brian! Happy to know you liked the lesson!
Very well done. What remains of the concrete looks so cheap and no rebar. What a tragedy!
Steve ur rite
Not to take away from the mistakes that were made in the construction of this dam, but keep in mind the time frame. You can often see older concrete mixes that were very crude, as the technology wasn’t available at the time for uniform aggregate mixes that we see with the concrete mixes of today.
I have driven up and down San Francisquito Canyon hundreds of times and never stopped to read that sign.
I have read and studied this disaster over my lifetime. I have yet to visit the site, yet I hike and camp, so I don't know why I haven't yet? It is on my list. I have watched most, if not all of the videos on the dam. I have read a few books that have connections to the disaster or DWP. I have read an biography on Mulholland from his daughter which was excellent and highly recommend. He alone contributed to the settling of Los Angeles County more than any other individual. Much of our city politics today are derived from what cities ended up taking DWP water or rejecting it and having their own water sources. He was ahead of his time and the City of Los Angeles which was nothing more then a cover for real-estate investors which backed the city (not him directly). I have visited his memorial fountain more then once and I believe it is a proper tribute to the man. He was honorable, but self educated and did not hold an authentic engineering degree.
I personally believe it was what you mentioned as the reason for the failure, coupled equally with the bedrock that the dam was mounted on on one of its sides that contributed to the collapse. If you ever do the Hollywood Reservoir walk, that dam is an exact duplicate of the Francis Dam, and for that reason, they never fill it to capacity. Take a look or look it up for yourself. That has been one of my exercise walks that I do several times a year.
The disaster is basically unknown to 99% of the residents today of Los Angeles County. I had no previous knowledge of Thornton Edwards until your video. Thank you. I just put the dvd, Grapes of Wrath on my next Amazon order. I will also have to visit the Hart Museum when they open back up. Thank for the informative video; you did a good job on it!
I never heard this story before. Very well done. So sad for the people who were lost.
I appreciate your hard work. I saw a documentary on this years ago but you showed photos I hadn't seen before.
Another great presentation about a sad time in our past. I love history, and learn something new through every video from the channel.
Thank you Jeff. I enjoy learning about historic events in California.
Love all your videos, but this one I found particularly interesting. I had never heard of this tragedy and your programme was so informative with the historical photos etc. Very well done.
Thank you very much, Chris! We appreciate your nice comments! What country are you from (I noticed your spelling of program)?
@@jbenziggy I was born in England, and now live in Scotland, but try and spend most of my vacations in the US. as I love your country as much as my own.
Thank you for another superb vlog
i've seen several pieces on this disaster, but yourd is by far the best .great job jeff
Thank you! Nice to hear!
VERY,very well done! I wish more UA-cam historians would follow your lead.
I’ve always thought this is one of the biggest, saddest, most preventable human engineering failings in American history. Thanks for your good descriptions and viewings.
A fantastic insight... May god rest their poor souls..
Great video thanks for all your hard work
History is to be learned from. I Think we have damns in the same state. Thumbs Up!
It’s always a bad year to live down stream of a dam
Excellent. I've seen other videos that didn't go into this depth of history. Thanks for all your work on this!
Fabulous history. Thank you Jeff and Sarah 👋🍀
You remain the Best 💐
Great video as always. I knew about this part of our history, too bad our mistakes like this get lost with time. I am so glad for your history interest and investigation of the facts. Looking forward for your next lesson in History. Thank You.
Most excellent as usual! Thanks for the treat! Never new, and I have lived in San Diego 66 years. Thanks for all your hard work, it shows. Larry Miller San Diego Ca.
Our pleasure! Time has a way of making us all forget events and people. We enjoy retelling their story so many will learn. Thank you very much, Larry! I bet you've seen lots of changes in San Diego since moving there 66 years ago!
Since you did this, would you please do a history of the aqueduct that mulholland built. It’s a fascinating story to learn and I’d love to hear your take on it. The Owens river valley still hates LA!
I bet they do! Let me see if we can work a visit into our schedule this year! Thanks for watching and leaving us a comment!
About the Owens Valley, back in the late 1950's my dad, a friend of his and his son went for a High Sierra pack trip out of Bishop CA. Our car had a LA Dept of water & Power decal on it from the previous owners. I remember my dad saying that he had better remove that decal for fear of reprisals from the Bishop locals.
@@georgeb1364 I think it's still true. There are lots of DWP trucks up and down the OV, though.
Thankyou for crossing ruff terrain to show us these sights!! This was a horribly sad story. You told it very well. I hadn't heard of this tragedy 😔 Thankyou History Hunters 🙏
They just keep getting better and better Jeff. I am especially fond of the opening with dramatic music. Very moving. Nice to see Sarah and Aden!
Thank you very much! I liked how the intro came out, too! Hope you're doing well, friend!
That was a very interesting video produced and presented with dignity and respect. Thank you.
Thank you kindly!
I really enjoy the way you have gone to the places that you talk about, and the way you do your history and get the facts right. Thank you for keeping our past known.
Thank you very much!
Born and raised in California and never heard this story, thank you for making this video! As a retired construction professional and ‘concrete guy’, I sure didn’t see much rebar in the concrete!
Thank you again!
Glad you enjoyed it! No rebar, you’re right!
Great coverage of that terrible tragedy! This is required historical knowledge for those who live and work on hydroelectric projects like I do...well is should be anyways. Great job! Thanks for your hard work putting this video together. I will recommend this video to the Dam Safety Engineering Department. That is, if it's OK with you.
We'd love you sharing this video with whoever you wish!!! Thanks for rewarding our work with your time watching! Jeff
I lived in the Santa Clarita valley for 22 years. It was a wonderful place to live and raise a family. I left in 2014 and moved to Santa Monica when Santa Clarita became just another congested suburb of Los Angeles. I often spoke of this tragedy with my family and now I have a nice video with fact to go along with it. I was living on Ridge Route at the foot of the Castaic damn on January 17th 1994. My wife and I had just returned from our honeymoon when we were awakened by that terrible shaking. I thought for sure the damn was going to break. It was terrifying. 30 years later, we are still married and enjoying the wonderful weather here in Santa Monica. My in laws still live up bouquet canyon road and it’s nice to go visit them.