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St. Francis Dam Fails 87 Years Ago, Santa Clarita Historians Host Tour

Eighty-seven years ago Thursday, the St. Francis Dam collapsed and hundreds were killed when the 18-story wall of water roared through the Santa Clarita Valley.


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The construction of the dam began in August of 1924 and began to fill with water on March 1, 1928, according to SCVHistory.St. Francis Dam Fails 87 Years Ago, Santa Clarita Historians Hos

A little more than two-and-a-half minutes before midnight on March 12, 1928, the dam failed.

The wall of water, 55 feet taller than the original Colossus’ tallest hill at Six Flags Magic Mountain, crashed through San Francisquito Canyon and reached the Pacific Ocean just south of Ventura. It took the immense wave five-and-a-half hours to reach the ocean.

An estimated 431 people were killed.

The failure of the St. Francis Dam is known as the second-worst disaster in California history, coming behind the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and subsequent fires, and America’s worst civil engineering failure of the 20th century, according to St. Francis Dam Fails 87 Years Ago, Santa Clarita Historians HosSCVHistory.

For a more extensive look at the St. Francis Dam, visit SCVHistory.

St. Francis Dam Tour

The St. Francis Dam Tour is planned to be held March 14 and begin at 11 a.m. with a free lecture in the freight room of the Saugus Train Station inside the Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society’s Heritage Junction Historic Park, according to the event’s Facebook page.

At 12 p.m., attendees who have purchased tickets will take a bus to the dam site off of San Francisquito Canyon Road and will be led on a hike to the dam ruins. The hike measures about a mile and is steep in some places.

Frank Rock, known as “The Dam Man,” is leading the lecture and hike. He has been featured on the History Channel, Discovery Channel and SCVTV.

Resident of all ages are invited to attend. Tickets are $35 and all of the funds will go to the Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society.

To reserve tickets, call (661) 254-1275 with credit card and contact information.

St. Francis Dam Fails 87 Years Ago, Santa Clarita Historians Hos

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St. Francis Dam Fails 87 Years Ago, Santa Clarita Historians Host Tour

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About Jessica Boyer

Jessica is an award-winning journalist, photographer, videographer and artist. She has worked with news organizations including NBC Los Angeles, KHTS AM 1220, and the Pierce College Roundup News. She is studying to receive a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism with an emphasis on Photojournalism and a minor in Communications at California State University, Northridge. She has studied and worked in many fields including filmmaking, journalism, studio photography, and some graphic design. She began her journalism journey at the Arroyo Seco Conquestador News Network and the Saugus High School News Network.