St. Francis Dam Disaster Papers, 1928-1929

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Summary

Abstract:
Collection of material related to the St. Francis Dam collapse in Los Angeles County, California, in March 1928.
Extent:
2.4 Linear Feet (2 boxes)
Language:
English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. St. Francis Dam Disaster papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection consists of 12 notebooks with documents including correspondence, meetings minutes, press releases, photographs, and reports about the St. Francis dam collapse in Los Angeles County, California. The collection contains 12 folders; the largest folder has 223 pages, while the smallest has only 21. As the original arrangement of the papers has been kept, most folders contain documents related either to one of the government-established committees or to some non-governmental organizations. The papers document, in detail, how various governmental committees and non-governmental organizations worked together for the disaster's relief and compensation. It also deals with the conflicts between the Los Angeles city government and the Red Cross on some relief issues, the legal aspects of Los Angeles city government's relief efforts, and the investigation of the causes of the dam's failure. Among others, Charles C. Teague, mayor of the City of Santa Paula, participated in the decision making process of the disaster's relief and investigation and he is an author in the collection.

Subjects and participants in the collection include: American Legion, American Society of Civil Engineers, Lansing H. Beach, California State Board of Health, California Dept. of Finance, California Institute of Technology, Carnegie Institution of Washington, California attorneys, H. T. Cory, Bertram Hanford Crocheron, District attorneys, David Christian Henny, Louis C. Hill, Los Angeles City Council, Los Angeles Dept. of Water and Power, Los Angeles Mayor, Los Angeles Police Dept., Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, Los Angeles City Attorney, Los Angeles times, C. E. Grunsky, George D. Louderback, Elwood Mead, Mexicans in California, Newhall Land and Farming Company, Red Cross and Red Crescent, Southern California Edison Company, Union Oil Company of California, United States Dept. of Agriculture, University of California College of Agriculture, Bailey Willis, Harry O. Wood, and Clement Calhoun Young.

Biographical / historical:

From 1924 to 1926, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power built the St. Francis Dam in the San Francisquito Canyon to help provide water for the city. However, the dam collapsed in the night between March 12 and 13, 1928. The flood travelled south through San Francisquito Canyon, turned west to the Santa Clara River, and destroyed parts of several towns and cities in Ventura and Los Angeles counties including Santa Paula City before it reached the Pacific Ocean. Hundreds of people were killed, homes became debris, agricultural plants in the field were washed away, and the value of land in the flooded area drastically decreased. The county and city governments, with the help of personnel from the state and federal agencies, established several committees to investigate the cause of the dam's failure, to provide material support for the survivors, and to compensate for the loss caused by the disaster. The Red Cross, the American Legion, and many individuals joined the relief efforts.

Acquisition information:
Most of the papers were a gift of R. G. Cleland, February 1944. One item, "Report of Joint Committee on Personal Property Damage (HM 70408)," was the gift of Judge Peirson M. Hall, December 6, 1944.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.

Terms of access:

The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. St. Francis Dam Disaster papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
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