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Established journalism

The St. Francis Dam Collapse: Los Angeles' Forgotten Disaster

HISTORY

Where this source supports the record

Each entry separates the article’s editorial relevance note from its exact, section-level claims. A bibliography link without a direct claim is labeled plainly.

  1. Engineering failures · 12–13 March 1928

    The St. Francis Dam Disaster

    St. Francis Dam ruins in San Francisquito Canyon · United States

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    Why editors use it here

    Historical reporting on the dam's construction, collapse, flood path, victims, investigation, and surviving ruins.

    1. Quick read

      Minutes before midnight on 12 March 1928, the two-year-old St.

      Reviewed 24 July 2026
    2. Trigger and conditions

      The dam catastrophically broke apart at about 11:57 p.m.

      Reviewed 24 July 2026
    3. Uncertainty

      Death estimates range from the 385 known in 1928 to more than 450; USGS gives at least 431, while California's dam-safety history uses more than 450.

      Reviewed 24 July 2026
    4. Why it matters

      The disaster was not simply a concrete wall breaking.

      Reviewed 24 July 2026