1855–1935

William Mulholland

The Los Angeles water-system engineer whose leadership and decisions are central to the St. Francis Dam record.

Documented roles

Connected Chaos Files

Roles describe the connection to each File; the File’s sources support the historical record.

Chief engineer

The St. Francis Dam Disaster

Minutes before midnight on 12 March 1928, the two-year-old St. Francis Dam failed in San Francisquito Canyon. Roughly twelve billion gallons of water swept through the Santa Clara River Valley toward the …

12–13 March 1928 · St. Francis Dam ruins in San Francisquito Canyon