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, 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. Photograph caption dated December 16, 1963 reads, "Resident returns to find home wrecked - John Palacio, 3825 Cloverdale Ave., gasps in horror as he takes a first glimpse of what floodwaters had done to his home. Palacio, a maintenance mechanic at Lockheed Aircraft Co., Burbank, said he didn't know about the disaster until he heard a news bulletin on the radio while he was riding home. He found his auto two houses away on what had been a patio."; See images #00117247 through #00117253 for all photos in this series.
Type
image
Format
1 photographic print :b&w ;21 x 26 cm. Photographic prints
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