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St. Francis Dam Disaster Revisited

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This book tells the specific details of the 1928 collapse of the St. Francis Dam in Los Angeles. The disaster, in which hundreds of people lost their lives, is considered the second worst disaster in the 20th Century in California, rivaled only by the massive 1906 San Francisco earthquake. There have been earthquakes, fires and structure collapses since, but the loss of life was minimal compared to the numbers who died during the great St. Francis Dam collapse.

The dam collapse, long since relegated to the back pages of local history, was a significant event for Los Angeles, especially because it was a William Mulholland project. Until this point, he'd been well regarded for his vital role he played in the development of Los Angeles, and the dam collapse wasn't his fault, by any means, but this tragedy would become his unfortunate legacy.