In this circa 1930s photo, we’re looking north across homes nestled into the Hollywood Hills toward the Mulholland Dam that holds back Hollywood Reservoir, aka Lake Hollywood. On March 12, 1928, the similarly built St. Francis Dam 30 miles northwest of LA collapsed causing the grave concerns that a similar fate might befall the Mulholland Dam. Consequently, tons of dirt was packed against the dam’s wall to make it more secure—and I suspect to help the people living in these houses forget that they lived in the path of a possible deluge.
Looking north across the houses of Hollywood toward the Mulholland Dam in the Hollywood Hills, circa 1930s
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The San Francisquite dam disaster was devestating. I’d hope they’d have remembered it for a while!
The excellent book, A Bright and Guilty Place, contains a vivid description of the St. Francis Dam collapse and its aftermath. (The whole book, in fact, is a must-read for anyone interested in Los Angeles in the 1920s.)
A number of people have recommended that book to me, so thanks for the reminder, Bill.