William Mulholland and the Rise of Los Angeles

40 b/w photographs, 7 maps. William Mulholland presided over the creation of a water system that forever changed the course of southern California's history. Mulholland, a self-taught engineer, was the chief architect of the Owens Valley Aqueduct-a project ranking in magnitude and daring with the Panama Canal-that brought water to semi-arid Los Angeles from the lush Owens Valley. The story of Los Angeles's quest for water is both famous and notorious: it has been the subject of the classic yet historically distorted movie Chinatown, as well as many other accounts. This first full-length biography of Mulholland challenges many of the prevailing versions of his life story and sheds new light on the history of Los Angeles and its relationship with its most prized resource: water. Catherine Mulholland, the engineer's granddaughter, provides insights into this story that family familiarity affords, and adds to our historical understanding with extensive primary research in sources such as Mulholland's recently uncovered office files, newspapers, and Department of Water and Power archives. She scrutinizes Mulholland's life-from his childhood in Ireland to his triumphant completion of the Owens Valley Aqueduct to the tragedy that ended his career. This vivid portrait of a rich chapter in the history of Los Angeles is enhanced with a generous selection of previously unpublished photographs. Los Angeles Times Best Nonfiction Book of 2000 WILLIAM MULHOLLAND PRESIDED OVER the creation of a water system that forever changed the course of southern California's history. Mulholland, a self-taught engineer, was the chief architect of the Los Angeles Aqueduct -- a project ranking in magnitude and daring with the Panama Canal -- which brought water to semi-arid Los Angeles from the lush Owens Valley. The story of Los Angeles's quest for water is both famous and notorious; it has been the subject of the classic, yet historically distorted movie Chinatown, among many other accounts. This first full-length biography of Mulholland challenges many of the prevailing versions of his life story and sheds new light on the history of Los Angeles and its relationship with its most prized resource -- water.Catherine Mulholland, the engineer's granddaughter, provides insights into this story that family familiarity affords, and she adds to our historical understanding with extensive primary research in sources such as Mulholland's recently uncovered office files, newspapers, and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power archives. She scrutinizes Mulholland's life: from his childhood in Ireland to his triumphant completion of the Los Angeles Aqueduct to the tragedy that ended his career, the Saint Francis Dam disaster. In 1928, the dam, which had been approved by Mulholland, collapsed, killing more than four hundred and fifty people in the worst catastrophe resulting from human technology in California's history.This book sets Mulholland's life in the context of his times, describes his relationships with his associates, and reveals new information about his enemies. It also tells much about the history of Los Angeles, providing acomprehensive discussion of the problems the city faced when distribution of its water supply was controlled by the privately owned Los Angeles City Water Company, of the negotiations between Los Angeles and Owens Valley residents in the early 1920s, and of the controversy over public versus private electrical power. The book also includes previously unpublished photographs.In its retelling of the founding myth of Los Angeles, William Mulholland and the Rise of Los Angeles helps us to better understand the facts behind the myth and offers a vivid portrait of a major figure in California history. Preliminaries......Page 1 Contents......Page 10 List of Illustrations......Page 12 Preface......Page 14 Acknowledgments......Page 20 1. The Long Journey from Dublin to Los Angeles......Page 26 2. The City of Angels, 1877......Page 37 3. The Private Water Company and Its Owners, 1878-1879......Page 46 4. Advancing in the Water Business, 1880–1886......Page 53 5. The New Superintendent, 1887–1892......Page 61 6. Water Plots and Politics, 1893–1895......Page 71 7. The Years of Mayor Eaton, 1898–1900......Page 84 8. The City’s Victory over the “Grand Monopoly,”......Page 98 9. New Regime for a Booming Town, 1903–1904......Page 111 10. Desperate Remedies in a Dry Season, 1904......Page 123 11. A Plan Revealed, 1905......Page 135 12. Preparations for an Aqueduct and a Trip to Washington......Page 149 13. The Big Job Begins, 1907......Page 196 14. The Chief and the General, 1908......Page 214 15. Building the Aqueduct: The Best Year, 1909......Page 226 16. Troubles and Interruptions, 1910......Page 238 17. Aqueduct Progress and Political Fireworks, 1911......Page 251 18. The Investigation, 1912......Page 264 19. The Completion of the Aqueduct, 1913......Page 283 20. After the Aqueduct, 1914–1919......Page 304 21. A Stormy Decade Begins, 1920–1923......Page 320 22. Boulder Dam and Dynamite, 1924......Page 337 23. More Dynamite, 1925–1927......Page 354 24. The Saint Francis Dam Disaster and After, 1928–1935......Page 374 Afterword......Page 388 Notes......Page 390 Bibliography......Page 440 Index......Page 448 William Mulholland presided over the creation of a water system that forever changed the course of southern California's history. Mulholland, a self-taught engineer, was the chief architect of the Owens Valley Aqueduct--a project ranking in magnitude and daring with the Panama Canal--that brought water to semi-arid Los Angeles from the lush Owens Valley. The story of Los Angeles's quest for water is both famous and notorious: it has been the subject of the classic yet historically distorted movie __Chinatown,__ as well as many other accounts. This first full-length biography of Mulholland challenges many of the prevailing versions of his life story and sheds new light on the history of Los Angeles and its relationship with its most prized resource: water.Catherine Mulholland, the engineer's granddaughter, provides insights into this story that family familiarity affords, and adds to our historical understanding with extensive primary research in sources such as Mulholland's recently uncovered office files, newspapers, and Department of Water and Power archives. She scrutinizes Mulholland's life--from his childhood in Ireland to his triumphant completion of the Owens Valley Aqueduct to the tragedy that ended his career. This vivid portrait of a rich chapter in the history of Los Angeles is enhanced with a generous selection of previously unpublished photographs.__Los Angeles Times Best Nonfiction Book of 2000__ 1. The Long Journey From Dublin To Los Angeles, 1855-1876 -- 2. The City Of Angels, 1877 -- 3. The Private Water Company And Its Owners, 1878-1879 -- 4. Advancing In The Water Business, 1880-1886 -- 5. The New Superintendent, 1887-1892 -- 6. Water Plots And Politics, 1893-1895 -- 7. The Years Of Mayor Eaton, 1898-1900 -- 8. The City's Victory Over The Grand Monopoly, 1901-1902 -- 9. New Regime For A Booming Town, 1903-1904 -- 10. Desperate Remedies In A Dry Season, 1904 -- 11. A Plan Revealed, 1905 -- 12. Preparations For An Aqueduct And A Trip To Washington, D.c., 1906 -- 13. The Big Job Begins, 1907 -- 14. The Chief And The General, 1908 -- 15. Building The Aqueduct: The Best Year, 1909 -- 16. Troubles And Interruptions, 1910. Catherine Mulholland. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 385-391) And Index.