Rotating Exhibits—Iron Room

The Museum presents exhibits about science, technology, and transportation in the Iron Room of the Museum. Some of these are traveling exhibits that are rented from organizations like the Space Science Institute, the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), the Association of Science and Technology Centers, and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. Other rotating exhibits are developed by Museum staff.

Anniversary of the St. Francis Dam Disaster

Minutes before midnight on the chilly evening of March 12, 1928 the St. Francis Dam failed. The dam’s 200-foot high concrete wall crumpled and collapsed, sending billions of gallons of raging flood waters down San Francisquito Canyon, about five miles northeast of what is now the city of Santa Clarita. The avalanche of water swept 54 miles down the Santa Clara River to the sea. No one knows the exact death toll but more than 450 people perished in the disaster.

CBS2 News interview at the Oil Museum

Video from the Ventura County Star

Video of dam failure flyover

The California Oil Museum announces the opening reception for its new exhibit “St. Francis Dam Disaster-80th Anniversary on Sunday March 16th from 1:00-3:00 p.m. This major exhibit will examine the full history of the disaster from the building of the Los Angeles Aqueduct to the building of the dam and its unbelievable collapse and the horrific aftermath. Many inspiring stories of heroism in the face of disaster are told in the exhibit.

The exhibit will feature a large collection of vintage photographs of the disaster. Detailed engineering drawings will explain how the dam was built and why it collapsed. Both geology and engineering played important parts in the failure of the dam. In addition to the scenes of death and devastation the work of the rescue crews and the rebuilding of the damaged homes is shown.

The relief efforts of the Red Cross will also be highlighted in the exhibit. Red Cross workers immediately came to the aid of the victims of the flood. The old South Grammar School was one of the busiest spots in Santa Paula as meals were served and first aid was dispensed to the suffering refugees. Newspapers commented that the customary tireless efforts of the Red Cross inspired the best efforts from an affected population.

Of special interest are the series of 4 ft. long panoramic photographs taken by Ventura photographer Bernie Isensee to document the devastation. The Ventura County District Attorney foresaw the possibility of a lawsuit with Los Angeles County and commissioned them. A week after they were taken the two counties settled damage and death claims out of court. We are grateful today that these photographs were taken and survive.

Also featured in the exhibit is the story of the building of the original Los Angeles Aqueduct, which was designed by William Mulholland to deliver water from the Owens River near Independence to the city of Los Angeles. There will be many never before seen vintage photographs of the building of this engineering marvel. This recently discovered collection of photographs of the Owens Valley and the aqueduct construction are now 100 years old and provide a visual prelude to the St. Francis Dam Disaster. Also on display will be the “world’s longest map” which shows the entire course of the Los Angeles Aqueduct from Owens Valley to Los Angeles in a scale of 1”-2000’.

The Los Angeles Aqueduct project began in 1905 with a budget of $24.5 million. 5,000 workers were employed in its construction before its completion in 1913. It consists of 223 miles of 12-foot steel pipe, 120 miles of railroad track 2 hydroelectric plants, 170 miles of power lines and 500 miles of roads. The aqueduct used gravity to carry the water. It is still in use today. Water from the aqueduct became crucial to the rise of Los Angeles. The water eventually flowed into the St. Francis Reservoir. At the collapse of the St. Francis Dam that water flowed down the Santa Clara River to the sea on its 54-mile path of destruction.

See you there!