On this day 96 years ago, the St. Francis Dam stood within the rolling hills flanking the sides of current day San Francisquito Canyon Road.

That is until March 12, 1928 at 11:57 p.m. when the St. Francis Dam failed, washing away two years worth or work by William Mulholland; it became the most tragic American civil engineering disaster of the 20th century.

The first 64 victims were employees and their families living at Powerhouse number 2.

Engulfing everything in its path, it reached the SoCal Edison construction camp some miles downstream, drowning 84 of the 140 people who worked there.

By the time the water reached the Pacific Ocean at 5:30 a.m., at least 431 people died. The number of missing is still unknown to this day, their bodies never discovered.

Designated as a National Monument in 2019 – the remains of the dam serve as a monument to the tragedy that took place in this canyon 96 years ago.

Legacy Episode with St Francis Dam Survivors: https://scvtv.com/2014/01/03/st-francis-dam-disaster-survivors-of-santa-paula/