San Francis Dam

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History of the St. Francis Dam The St. Francis Dam, located in San Francisquito Canyon, was built between 1924 and 1926 by William Mulholland to provide a reserve of water for the City of Los Angeles. Mulholland at the time was a hero to Los Angeles residents, having brought water from the Owens Valley by completing the Los Angeles Aqueduct in 1913. This aqueduct allowed Los Angeles to grow from a sleepy pueblo to the metropolis of the present. Unfortunately, Mulholland was to suffer the ultimate "rise and fall" story. Resting on his considerable laurels from the aqueduct, he developed the plans for the St. Francis Dam. He was so immensely respected and popular that nobody thought to question or oversee the designs that he came up with. Sadly, there were several fatal flaws in both the design and location of the dam which resulted in a catastrophic rupture at 3 minutes to midnight on March 12, 1928. A wall of water initially 180 feet high raced through San Francisquito Canyon and then down the Santa Clara River Valley, devastating the towns of Piru, Fillmore, and Santa Paula before emptying into the Pacific Ocean at Montalvo between Oxnard and Ventura some 5-6 hours later. The flood caused immense property damage and left at least 450 and possibly up to 600 people dead. Mulholland was emotionally devastated by the disaster. He resigned as head of the Bureau Of Water Works and Supply (precursor to the DWP) shortly thereafter and died a broken man in 1935. Heritage Junction Heritage Junction used to be a train station. I got to ring the bell on the black train that is located there. There are a lot of buildings that make up Heritage Junction. Hart Mansion The Hart Mansion is where William S. Hart lived. He was a successful cowboy actor. At his mansion I could see how much he loved being a cowboy and how he loved his horses. I also got to see a
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