On December 14, 1963, the 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 as well. 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. Igal Treibatch, his jeans rolled up and wet to his knees, stands atop a Ford Fairlane at the corner of Dunsmuir and Exposition, waiting for rescue from the Baldwin Hills Reservoir flood waters. Debris floats on the water surface. A dented car sits in bumper-deep water behind Mr. Treibatch as do untouched houses standing on a knoll. Photo dated Dec. 14, 1963.
Type
image
Format
1 photograph :b&w ;21 x 26 cm. Photographic prints
If you're wondering about permissions and what you can do with this item, a good starting point is the "rights information" on this page. See our terms of use for more tips.
Share your story
Has Calisphere helped you advance your research, complete a project, or find something meaningful? We'd love to hear about it; please send us a message.
