Congressman Buck McKeon is holding a press conference to discuss the creation of a national memorial for the hundreds killed in the St. Francis Dam disaster of 1928, officials announced Saturday.

At the conference, McKeon is set to discuss legislation he has introduced that would authorize the memorial for the disaster, which is considered “one of the worst civil engineering catastrophes in our nation’s history,” according to a news release by McKeon’s office.

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“To honor the memory of all the souls that were tragically lost, I have introduced legislation that will authorize a national memorial to commemorate those killed by the collapse of the St. Franci Dam,” McKeon said. “While our valley has a rich history filled with tremendous accomplishments and proud traditions, we cannot afford to forget the darker chapters.”

Related Article: Santa Clarita City Council Requests St. Francis Dam To Be National Memorial

On March 12, 1928 at 11:57 p.m., nearly 600 people were killed when the St. Francis Dam in San Francisquito Canyon gave way and unleashed a 140-foot wall of water that eventually stretched all the way to the Pacific Ocean.

The dam collapse is the second largest loss of life in a single event in California history, behind only the San Francisco earthquake of 1906, officials said.

“What was once front-page news across the United States and around the world is now in danger of being washed away,” read a statement on the news release.

“Future generations and outside visitors from around the globe will benefit from learning of this disaster and seeing first-hand the resiliency of our community,” McKeon said.

The conference is scheduled to take place Tuesday morning in Valencia.

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