California part 3

PANAMA & LOS ANGELES: THE WATERWORKS

THAT MADE THE AMERICAN WEST

Ashley Rubio

HIST 141

California Part 3:

Panama Canal

1879- Originating with the French, the idea for the Panama Canal in linking the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean.

Lead by Ferdinand de Lesseps, designer of the Suez Canal, plans were underway.

Variable such as weather challenged the construction.

Though his ideas were excellent the execution of the Canal was seen as unsuccessful when there was a loss of funds and several lives lost.

Panama Canal

Take over of the Unities States-

with the global need for the canal growing a successful railroad engineer named John Stevens takes leadership position of the canal.

His plan was to build a series of dams and locks. His first goal was to construct a solid infrastructure.

Stevens played to key role in fixing or eliminating all of the problem caused under the French…

cont next slide…

Panama Canal

Completion

of the Panama Canal

occurred a whole two

years earlier than expected

and official began

operation on August 15, 1914.

Due to Panama’s drastic weather and unsanitary conditions disease set in.

• malaria and yellow fever from uncared for mosquito bites

After resigning from the project, President Roosevelt replaces Steven’s with George Goethals engineer for the United States Army.

The Breakdown:

- saves 8,000 miles per trip.

- Canal contains three locks all of which can lift a ship almost 100ft above water level.-

Panama Canal

Los Angeles Aqueduct

Mulholland:o As an active player in the

development and growth of Los Angeles, William Mulholland lead the department of water and power for the city.

o As superintendant of the Los Angeles Water Supply Company Mulholland over saw 300 of mains, six major reservoirs, and pumping plants.

o Mulholland was one of the first to engineer a dam. That dam was built at Silver Lake Reservoir in 1906 and served for almost 70 years.

Los Angeles Aqueduct

California Water Wars:

When the population of Los Angeles began to out number the water supply, Mayor Fred Eaton noted that water could be brought in from Owens Valley through aqueduct.

Enlisting the skills of Mulholland to build it the aqueduct serviced water perfectly leading into the 1920s until problems with agriculture began in Owens Valley due to limited water.

Demand was so great in Los Angeles that in 1941 a second aqueduct needed to be constructed sending in water from Mono Lake

Los Angeles Aqueduct

Construction of the Los Angeles

Aqueduct began in

1908 with a huge in pour

of immigrants looking for

good paying labor.

Due to the level of work needed to accomplish the aqueduct within Mulholland’s timeline, workers were treated extremely well.

Every worker was granted food, shelter, and medical care if needed.

The medical however, was on a monetary basis offering to those making at least $40 a month at a charge of $1 and only $.50 for those earning less.

By its completion there were 1,28 reported work related injuries and an estimated 43 accidental deaths.

The effects of William Mulholland's work allowed Los Angeles to thrive more than any city before it. The water supply enabled it to flourish unlike anything else could both in it metropolitan and rural areas.

Los Angeles Aqueduct

“Whoever brings the water, brings the people”