Santa Clarita Valley History In Pictures

St. Francis Dam Disaster.
The Springfield Union (newspaper),
Springfield, Massachusetts.

Wednesday, March 14, 1928.

Springfield Union

HUNDREDS DIE IN FLOOD; 7OO MISSING
California Dam Bursts,
75 Foot Wall of Water
Sweeps Historic Valley

12,000,000,000 Gallons Unleashed in
Night, Carrying Sleepers to Doom;
Homes, Cattle, Roads, Ranches De-
molished; $30,000,000 Loss Seen.

DEEDS OF HEROISM RECORDED
AS DEATH LIST GROWS FAST

Many Crushed By Boulders as Beautiful
San Francisquito Canyon is Turned
Into Hole of Desolation; Leaks Had
Been Rumored for Weeks

As can be seen in this Springfield, Massachusetts newspaper from March 14, 1928, the St. Francis Dam disaster was big news and made huge banner headlines all over the country when first reported in the press. Today this second largest disaster in California history is mostly forgotten in the rest of the country but well remembered in the Santa Clarita Valley.


Newspaper images: 9600 dpi jpeg of 300 dpi jpg of original newspaper from the collection of Alan Pollack
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