St. Francis Dam disaster remembered
Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society to hold lecture, bus tour of the dam site to commemorate 90th anniversary
The area we now know as the Santa Clarita Valley was struck by tragedy at 11:57 p.m. on March 12, 1928, when the local St. Francis Dam broke, flooding the valley.
In the days and months leading up to the disaster, the dam was noted having multiple cracks by those in charge of its operation; on the morning of break, a larger, more significant crack was noticed.
William Mulholland, the general manager and chief engineer of the Bureau of Water Works and Supply, noted nothing out of the ordinary with the new crack, despite its muddy seepage, and left convinced that it was not dangerous at the time, as he would later tell at the Coroner’s Inquest, which can be read in full at scvhistory.com.
However, all evidence to the true cause of the dam’s catastrophic failure was washed away with 12.4 billion gallons of water. All that remained as a single section, later titled “the tombstone.”
The disaster remains the second greatest loss of life in California’s history, leaving an estimated 431 dead, causing $7 million in damages and prompting the state to implement an updated dam safety program and the creation of the state Board of Registration for Civil Engineers, now the Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists.
Nine decades later, many in the valley still recognize the second worst disaster in California history and the impact it had in shaping the safety of the valley and the state.
The Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society is holding a lecture and bus tour of the St. Francis Dam site today, giving a historical look at the disaster and the lessons learned.
The event is expected to start with a powerpoint lecture presented by Dr. Alan Pollack and Dianne Erskine-Hellrigel at the Saugus Train Station Freight Room followed by a question-and-answer session with Pollack, Erskine-Hellrigel and Frank Rock.
After the information session, the group is set to head on a bus tour of the Dam Site Ruins, where they will visit the exterior of powerhouse 2, the Ruins itself, and hike to the Tombstone Ruins, the Western Wing Dyke, The Pyramid formation and block 16, Rock said
“We do it every year, on the closest weekend to the anniversary,” Rock said, regarding the tour of the ruins. “It’s a wonderful and terrible piece of tangible history.”
Rock’s personal connection to the area prompted him to get involved in the tours, he said.
“I grew up here, I’ve been almost a lifetime resident, I grew up with the disaster in my backyard,” he said. “Me and my wife came back to California and drove past San Francisquito and saw the ruins. It was in a different place than where I thought it was. Now I’ve been doing the tour for 25 years.”
This year’s tour is probably filled up but there is alway next year. But those looking to learn more of the history, have access to more than just the tour if they wish to see history, Rock .
The California Oil Museum and the Agriculture Museum are both hosting exhibits about the disaster until July. The Oil Museum is looking at the lessons learned from St. Francis and other notable incidents while the Agriculture Museum explores the letters from citizens sent to the Coroner’s office searching for the ones they love.
Those that want even more can visit the Rancho Camulos Museum every Sunday from 1-4 p.m. The museum is hosting a special commemoration on Sunday, Mar 18.
To see more events or to do your own learning about the disaster through the lens of history, visit the Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society’s website.