Event Details
St. Francis Dam 80th Anniversary Exhibit
Mar 16 - Jul 27, 2008
Santa Paula Oil Museum, 1001 E. Main St., Santa Paula
Event Description
The California Oil Museum welcomes the Anniversary of the St. Francis Dam Disaster Exhibit.
The California Oil Museum announces the opening reception for its new exhibit “St. Francis Dam Disaster-80th Anniversary on Sunday March 16th from 1:00-3:00 p.m. The museum is open for viewing Wed-Sun 10am-4pm.
This major exhibit will examine the full history of the disaster from the building of the Los Angeles Aqueduct to the building of the dam and its unbelievable collapse and the horrific aftermath. Many inspiring stories of heroism in the face of disaster are told in the exhibit.
The exhibit will feature a large collection of vintage photographs of the disaster. Detailed engineering drawings will explain how the dam was built and why it collapsed. Both geology and engineering played important parts in the failure of the dam. In addition to the scenes of death and devastation the work of the rescue crews and the rebuilding of the damaged homes is shown.
The relief efforts of the Red Cross will also be highlighted in the exhibit. Red Cross workers immediately came to the aid of the victims of the flood. The old South Grammar School was one of the busiest spots in Santa Paula as meals were served and first aid was dispensed to the suffering refugees. Newspapers commented that the customary tireless efforts of the Red Cross inspired the best efforts from an affected population.
Of special interest are the series of 4 ft. long panoramic photographs taken by Ventura photographer Bernie Isensee to document the devastation. The Ventura County District Attorney foresaw the possibility of a lawsuit with Los Angeles County and commissioned them. A week after they were taken the two counties settled damage and death claims out of court. We are grateful today that these photographs were taken and survive.
Also featured in the exhibit is the story of the building of the original Los Angeles Aqueduct, which was designed by William Mulholland to deliver water from the Owens River near Independence to the city of Los Angeles. There will be many never before seen vintage photographs of the building of this engineering marvel. This recently discovered collection of photographs of the Owens Valley and the aqueduct construction are now 100 years old and provide a visual prelude to the St. Francis Dam Disaster. Also on display will be the “world’s longest map” which shows the entire course of the Los Angeles Aqueduct from Owens Valley to Los Angeles in a scale of 1”-2000’.
- Sponsored By
Santa Paula Oil Museum
- More Information
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Contact: Brian J. Yanez, Community Services Director
Phone: 805.933.4216
Email: byanez@ci.santa-paula.ca.us
Web site: http://www.oilmuseum.net/
