This project was supported in whole or in part by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian. Made accessible through a grant from the John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundation and Photo Friends.
On December 14, 1963 at approximately at 3:38 p.m the Baldwin Hills Dam collapsed, spilling 300 million gallons of water into the hillsides that swept away houses and cars and left three dead. Most of Baldwin Village, including the historic Village Green community, was flooded and more than 50 homes were destroyed in the canyon below. The crack in the dam was ultimately attributed to subsidence caused by overexploitation of the Inglewood oil field. The disaster caused the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power to phase out small local reservoirs, opting instead to store water in groundwater basins and behind the Hansen Dam in Lake View Terrace. Photograph caption dated December 16, 1963 reads, "Los Angeles County flood control engineers survey street covered with debris as result of Baldwin hills dam burst. Higuera Street Brdige, background center, was expected to collapse at any time, officials said."
Type
image
Format
1 photographic print :b&w ;26 x 21 cm. Photographic prints
Dam failures--California--Baldwin Hills (Los Angeles) Mud--California--Los Angeles Floods--California--Baldwin Hills (Los Angeles) Dams--California--Baldwin Hills (Los Angeles) Disasters--California--Baldwin Hills (Los Angeles) Debris--California--Los Angeles Commercial buildings--California--Baldwin Hills (Los Angeles) Streets--California--Baldwin Hills (Los Angeles) Electric lines--Poles and towers Automobiles--California--Los Angeles Men--California--Los Angeles Los Angeles County Flood Control District (Calif.)--Officials and employees Higuera Street (Los Angeles, Calif.) Baldwin Hills (Los Angeles, Calif.) Baldwin Hills Reservoir (Calif.) Baldwin Hills Dam (Calif.) Valley Times Collection photographs
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