The St. Francis Dam was a 200-foot high concrete gravity-arch dam built between 1924 and 1926 in St. Francisquito Canyon (near present-day Castaic and Santa Clarita). The dam collapsed on March 12, 1928 at two and a half minutes before midnight. The resulting flood killed more than 600 residents plus an unknown number of itinerant farm workers camped in San Francisquito Canyon, making it the 2nd greatest loss of life in California after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. It is considered the worst American civil engineering failure in the 20th century.
View of flood relief workers gathered between a tent and a truck outside a 3-story Victorian building after the flood resulting from the failure of the St. Francis Dam. A temporary canvas awning is attached to the side of the building. Several of the men have their hands in their pockets on what may have been a chilly day.
Flood relief workers (?) eating at a u-shaped bar following the failure of the Saint Francis Dam. There are 7 women food workers in the center and 3 women in the background. The 2 women wearing white headdresses might be Red Cross volunteers.
View of 2 houses heavily damaged by the flood following the failure of the Saint Francis Dam, with the bare beam structure of a completely destroyed building in the foreground. Bare, uprooted trees deposited by the flood rest against the houses.
View of a row of automobiles damaged by the flood that followed the failure of the Saint Francis Dam. The cars are lined up in an unpaved area with mountains visible in the distance. The tree trunk in the foreground is probably flood debris.
View of a wooden house destroyed by the flood following the failure of the Saint Francis Dam; only the roof is left, lying on the ground. A damaged house sits behind it. Three people walk on the dirt road next to the houses.
View of two Red Cross workers sorting clothing donations for survivors of the flood following the failure of the Saint Francis Dam. The 2 women are inspecting, sorting or selecting clothing. Behind them is a high pile of boxes and cloth bags full of donated clothing.
View of house with missing exterior wall following the flood unleashed by the failure of the Saint Francis Dam. All of the furniture is gone and tree debris is washed up against the front porch. The front porch of another house is just visible beyond.
The St. Francis Dam was a 200-foot high concrete gravity-arch dam built between 1924 and 1926 in St. Francisquito Canyon (near present-day Castaic and Santa Clarita). The dam collapsed on March 12, 1928 at two and a half minutes before midnight. The resulting flood killed more than 600 residents plus an unknown number of itinerant farm workers camped in San Francisquito Canyon, making it the 2nd greatest loss of life in California after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. It is considered the worst American civil engineering failure in the 20th century.
View of a pile of burning wood debris in a field following the flood resulting from the failure of the Saint Francis Dam. An orchard and mountains are visible in the distance.
