Ventura County is joining in the campaign to create a national memorial for a dam break disaster that killed hundreds of county residents in the 1920’s.
The St. Francis Dam was built north of what is now Santa Clarita.
In 1928 it collapsed, sending a torrent of water down the Santa Clara River Valley, hitting Fillmore and Santa Paula hard. No one knows exactly how many people died, but the total was estimated at around 425.
There’s a move in Congress to create a memorial in the area where the dam was built, which would be paid for with private donations and maintained by the National Park Service.
The House has already passed the proposal, and the legislation is now pending in the Senate.
Ventura County Supervisors today added their support to the legislation.
