The City of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power marked the 100th anniversary of the initial completion of the L.A. Aqueduct on Nov. 5, 2013, with a celebration at the Cascades in Sylmar (the man-made waterfall you see off to the side of the freeway when you return home to the Santa Clarita Valley from down below). The highlight of the event was a series of scripted speeches delivered by actors portraying important figures in the water story such as aqueduct engineer William Mulholland; L.A. Mayor and wheeler-dealer Fred Eaton; and newspaper mogul-turned-land baron Harry Chandler.

Real-life dignitaries seen in these photos include L.A.’s new mayor, Eric Garcetti; Eaton’s great-grandson (seen at left in group photos); Mulholland’s great-granddaughter Christine Mulholland (wearing yellow); and L.A. City Councilman Tom LaBonge (at right in group photos).