Water to the Angels: William Mulholland, His Monumental Aqueduct, and the Rise of Los Angeles

by Standiford, Les

  A readable summary of Mulholland’s early struggles to balance supply and burgeoning population growth is in Moody, “Los Angeles and the Owens River,” 1905.

  Mulholland’s statistics on the receding well and water table measurements are included in his “Fourth Annual Report” to commissioners.

  The first public mention of the sewer dumping issue may have been in a Los Angeles Herald story on August 6, 1904.

  7. ROAD TRIP

  Harold “Hal” Eaton says that part of his great-grandfather’s lifelong frustration with the City of Los Angeles stemmed from the fact that he had been on the verge of putting together a deal that would have enriched him considerably and benefitted ranching and farming interests in the Owens Valley as well.

  Perusal of the “Commemorative Album” in the DWP Office Files provides a vivid picture of the nature of the 5,000-person Owens Valley at the time.

  Campbell’s recollection of the early trip to the Owens Valley is included in Layne, “Water and Power for a Great City,” page 99. Early involvement of the Eaton family in the region is summarized in McGroarty’s History of Los Angeles County, pages 462–463.

  Eaton’s early interest in Owens Valley water received considerable notice following the city’s announcement—a piece in the Los Angeles Express, August 4, 1905, is typical. But there had been passing notice of his activities in the early 1890s, as the Herald story and a longer interview from the Riverside Daily Press, July 7, 1892, attest.

  Chalfant published two editions of The Story of Inyo, the first of which (1922) made little mention of matters pertaining to the Los Angeles Aqueduct. The 1933 edition, however, is expanded by a seven-chapter, seventy-four-page-long coda that details what the author characterizes as a series of “merciless” predatory acts taken by the city and its various representatives—including Eaton—against the citizens of the Owens Valley. “Betrayal of Owens Valley” and “Unceasing Menace” are chapter headings that suggest the nature of the material.

  Mulholland’s summary of Fred Eaton’s championship of the Owens River is from the Los Angeles Times, July 29, 1905.

  Mulholland’s testimony was delivered before the Aqueduct Investigation Board convened in 1912, shortly before the project’s completion.

  The characterization of various proposals to bring Owens Valley water to Los Angeles as wildly impractical was made in a 1905 letter by Arthur P. Davis to Secretary of the Interior Ethan Hitchcock and is quoted by Kahrl, Water and Power, page 47.

  The intricacies and controversies surrounding the city’s acquisition of water rights in the Owens Valley, first featured at length in Chalfant (The Story of Inyo), have formed the core of various more exhaustive studies, including those of Kahrl (Water and Power) and Hoffman (Vision or Villainy).

  Mulholland’s poetic evocation of the desert was penned as part of a report on the possibilities of Colorado River water for the Southland in the 1920s and is quoted by Ostrom, Water & Politics, page 3.

  Mulholland’s managerial style is described by Lippincott in “William Mulholland—Engineer, Pioneer, Raconteur,” Part I, page 107.

  8. DOWNHILL ALL THE WAY

  The Los Angeles Herald on August 16, 1893, carried a report of Eaton’s return from a trip through Inyo County during which he had made “the ascent of Mt. Whitney.” Hal Eaton, great-grandson of Fred, reports that Eaton’s youngest daughter, Dorothy, always claimed to have been conceived on top of Mount Whitney “but from calculation it would have been very cold in 1894 for that to have happened.” While no permanent trail was established to the mountain’s summit until 1904, it had been climbed as early as 1873, and there are accounts that several women first accomplished the feat in 1878.

  In October 1893, Eaton served as Inyo County’s representative to the Second Annual Irrigation Congress in Los Angeles. His father, Benjamin, represented Pasadena. See Sklar, “The Man Who Built Los Angeles,” page 6, and the Los Angeles Herald, October 11, 1893.

  As to the preliminary survey for an aqueduct “conducted at his own expense,” Hal Eaton suggests that a Los Angeles Herald story on July 27, 1902, might have been a cover for travels Eaton had actually undertaken to help with that survey. The piece, headed “Fred Eaton as a Miner,” reported that former mayor Eaton, “got home yesterday from a three-months’ sojourn in Death Valley, the hottest spot in all the Mojave Desert. Mr. Eaton says he did assay work on twenty-five quartz claims he has located in the Mojave sink, and that he is highly pleased with the results of this work. As soon as the weather cools a trifle with the approach of the winter season, he will put gangs of men at work on his new-found claims. The ex-mayor says the heat was terrific—120 degrees most of the time. He is burned to the color of copper, and looks more like a Zunl priest than a former chief magistrate of the City of Angels.” Hal Eaton suggests that the idea of pursuing quartz or gold claims in Death Valley during the summer is unlikely and that his great-grandfather may have actually been out in the Mojave assisting with that preliminary aqueduct survey, no copy of which seems to survive.

  Eaton’s lament regarding his decision to step aside in favor of the city’s interests was made to a reporter for the Los Angeles Express on August 4, 1905. He provided other details in interviews with the Herald (August 5, 1905) and the Los Angeles Times (August 30, 1905).

  9. REMOVE EVERY SPECTER

  Mulholland’s quote is from an interview published in the Los Angeles Examiner on May 29, 1920. The most fulsome personal account of his activities on the project is to be found in his 1916 Complete Report on Construction of the Los Angeles Aqueduct, To the Los Angeles Board of Public Service Commissioners, hereafter referred to as “Complete Report.”

  Karhl and others make much of the ever-escalating figures (see Water and Power, page 87).

  Details of the city’s arrangement with Eaton are given in Mulholland’s “First Annual Report.”

  For the story of Charley’s Butte, see Chalfant, The Story of Inyo, pages 180–181.

  A balanced reassessment of Lippincott’s activities is provided by Hoffman in “Joseph Barlow Lippincott and the Owens Valley Controversy.”

  In addition to interviews with the Times and the Express mentioned previously, Eaton also spoke at some length with the Examiner on July 30, 1905.

  Mulholland’s interview with the Times regarding his decision to undertake the project appeared on June 2, 1907.

  Mulholland’s description of the possibilities of the Owens River resources and his description of the detailed proposed contours of the project is found in his “First Annual Report.”

  The author is indebted to LADWP’s Fred Barker for a thorough clarification of “siphon” terminology and practice.

  Though some have blamed Mulholland for failure to construct the dam at Long Key as part of the initial undertaking, even Chalfant points out that the decision was forced upon him by the consulting panel (page 340).

  Representative Smith’s efforts are described in Chalfant, The Story of Inyo, pages 354–355.

  Mulholland’s trip was detailed by the Times on June 23, 1906.

  10. HAVE WATER OR QUIT GROWING

  The account of Mulholland’s triumphant appearance is from the Los Angeles Herald, August 16, 1906.

  Information on the history of water treatment in the United States comes from documentation provided by the Environmental Protection Agency.

  The quote from Henry Flagler is in Standiford, Last Train to Paradise, page 88.

  Mulholland’s brick-by-brick quote is from the Examiner, August 16, 1906.

  The “primer” is quoted at length by W. S. B. in “Record of the Owens River Project.” In her published book, Catherine Mulholland quotes a portion of the parody published in the Evening News on June 8, 1907 (WM&RLA, page 151).

  11. BRICK UPON BRICK

  The quote, as well as the description of early project activity, is from W. S. B., “Record of the Owens River Project.”

  A comprehensive treatment of the role of the bond market in
financing the aqueduct project is found in Tzeng, “Eastern Promises.”

  A discussion of the impact of the Civil Service Commission upon the project is found in Mulholland’s “Complete Report,” page 252.

  The account of Chaffee’s survey trip is from the Los Angeles Times, April 10, 1908.

  The anecdote involving Mulholland in the Oldsmobile is from Lippincott, “William Mulholland—Engineer, Pioneer, Raconteur,” Part I, page 107.

  Desmond’s age is noted in McCarthy, “Water,” January 1, 1938, page 4.

  Taylor’s notes and recollections would become the stuff of a memoir that he published in limited form in 1953. In 1982, University of Southern California historian Doyce Nunis published a readable and richly annotated edition, Men, Medicine, and Water, with the assistance of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the DWP.

  12. FIRST SPADE

  The private contractor’s dour assessment of the terrain is from W. S. B., “Record of the Owens River Project,” page 273.

  A thoroughgoing assessment of work camp conditions is found in Van Buren, “Struggling with Class Relations.”

  Mulholland’s rundown on work in the Jawbone and elsewhere comes from an interview with the Los Angeles Times, August 7, 1908.

  Mulholland’s appearance before the Chamber of Commerce is described by Heinly, “Carrying Water through a Desert,” page 582.

  Mulholland’s declarations regarding the project’s certain outcome are from W. S. B., “Record of the Owens River Project,” pages 274–275.

  13. BEST YEAR TO DATE

  Mulholland’s pork bristle quote, along with a summation of work to date, is found in an interview with Allen Kelly published in the Los Angeles Times on September 12, 1909.

  The observation on the usefulness of the derby as a safety device, along with other detail, comes from Cross, “My Days on the Jawbone,” pages 6 and passim.

  The workforce census is from the Times, March 21, 1909.

  The line describing the transitory nature of laboring crews is from Nadeau, The Water Seekers, page 50.

  Widney’s recollections are found in “We Build a Railroad.”

  Mulholland’s explanation of siphon technique comes from his “Complete Report,” pages 192–235.

  Mulholland’s personal interest in “hayburners” is noted in his “Complete Report” as well as in numerous incidences in his miscellaneous office correspondence. From a letter of July 12, 1907, to the Board of Public Works: “The Aqueduct is badly in need of four more horses for the equipment of an engineering party to survey the Francisquito Canyon portion of the line. I have found four horses admirably suited to the work, which can be bought for $900.”

  The comments from Smith are contained in the Kelly interview, Times, September 9, 1909.

  14. FAIR MONETARY RECOGNITION

  Smith’s salary is noted in documents included in the “New York City Watershed Retrospective.”

  The editorial favoring Mulholland’s raise is from the Los Angeles Times, October 19, 1909.

  Mulholland’s summation of the progress to date is from the Los Angeles Herald, November 4, 1909.

  The Hansen anecdote is related by Lippincott in “William Mulholland—Engineer, Pioneer, Raconteur,” Part II, page 163.

  Mulholland’s appeal to the Council and Board was reported by the Herald, December 2, 1909.

  The layoffs were widely reported in Los Angeles papers, including the Herald, June 8, 1910.

  Carnegie’s quotes are from the Herald, March 23, 1910.

  Mulholland was not shy about sharing his suspicion of the bankers’ motives, repeating them in his “Complete Report,” page 267.

  The Heinly piece is “Carrying Water through a Desert.”

  Details of the inspection tour are from the Herald, November 4, 1910, and the Los Angeles Times, November 6, 1910.

  The strike was first reported by the Herald on November 4, 1910.

  The pay scales are detailed by Van Bueren, “Struggling with Class Relations at a Los Angeles Aqueduct Construction Camp,” page 30.

  News of the bond issue and Mayor Alexander’s reservations were widely reported by local papers, including the Herald, November 11 and 22, 1910.

  15. FITS AND STARTS

  The detail of Taylor’s innovative measures is found in his Men, Medicine & Water, pages 113–114.

  The Los Angeles Herald carried word of Mulholland’s view of tufa on November 27, 1910. The LADWP’s Fred Barker suggests that time has proved the quality of the tufa-stretched concrete to be spotty, with a fair amount of that material having been replaced in recent decades.

  The tale of Mulholland’s testimony is from Lippincott, “William Mulholland—Engineer, Pioneer, Raconteur,” Part I, page 107.

  News of the arrangement with the Marion concern was carried by the Herald on November 10, 1910.

  The strike was noted in both the Los Angeles Herald, February 10, 1911, and the Los Angeles Record, February 16, 1911.

  Details of the Elizabeth Tunnel accomplishment are from Mulholland, “Sixth Annual Report,” pages 38–41.

  Details of the McNamara defense are included in Darrow, The Story of My Life, pages 184 and passim.

  16. FALLOUT

  A discussion of the impact of the Homestead Steel Strike on labor is to be found in Standiford, Meet You in Hell, page 233 and passim.

  For Steffens’s perspective on the matter, see his Autobiography, page 683 and passim.

  Mulholland’s speech before the women’s club was covered by the Los Angeles Times on November 28, 1911, as was his follow-up before the men’s club the following week, on December 3, 1911. A copy of the speech is in Mulholland’s Office Files, WP04-22:24.

  Mulholland’s letter to the board is in his Office Files.

  The troubling news from the Kountze Brothers was reported by the Times on January 12, 1912.

  The headlines are from the Times, February 11, 1912; see also Tzeng, “Eastern Promises.”

  The comments of Mulholland and Chaffee were dutifully noted in the local press, including the Times, on April 2 and 12, 1911.

  Mulholland’s condemnation of “capitalists” was contained in an interview with the Los Angeles Record (March 22, 1912) and is often referred to (Kahrl, Water and Power, 190; Catherine Mulholland, WM&RLA, 211; Ostrom, Vision or Villainy, 161). The comment was given currency by McCarthy in “Water,” February 12, 1938, page 30, and is in keeping with his disdain for speculators and special interests, though he was just as impatient with idealists who could not grasp the fact that wherever the aqueduct terminated, someone was bound to own the land nearby.

  A thoughtful reassessment of the work of the AIB is found in Hoffman, “The Los Angeles Aqueduct Investigation Board of 1912,” pages 329–360.

  The quote from The Coming Victory (November 25, 1911) is cited by Ostrom, Water & Politics, pages 56–57.

  A summation of the AIB findings is found in Ostrom, page 58.

  17. IF YOU DIG IT, THEY WILL COME

  “Thoughts on the Aqueduct Controversy” is the title of chapter 29 of the original Catherine Mulholland manuscript, “William Mulholland and the Making of Los Angeles.”

  A truncated discussion of Mulholland’s family life is found in Catherine Mulholland, WM&RLA, page 374. Such materials are also found in greater detail throughout her unpublished, original manuscript.

  Mulholland’s comment that he was in need of a long rest is from the Los Angeles Record, March 22, 1912.

  Mulholland’s rosy assessment of the work to date comes from the Los Angeles Times, May 17, 1912.

  Details of the Clearwater Tunnel explosion are from the Times, June 17, 1912.

  Mulholland’s response to critics was carried by most papers, including the Times, July 19, 1912.

  The laborer’s death was noted by the Times on June 25, 1912.

  For Lippincott’s summary of progress see the Times, August 10, 1912.

  Lippincott had earlier provided a meticulous summary of cost-cut
ting measures throughout the project to reporters; see the Times, January 30, 1912.

  “Exuberant” might be the term characteristic of accounts of most proposed celebrations; see the Times, July 30, 1912.

  The “high line” and Pasadena’s prospects were discussed in the Times on December 28, 1912.

  The attorney’s opinion and the election were announced in the Times on December 27, 1912.

  Mulholland’s letter to the Public Service Commission was reprinted in the Times on April 13, 1913.

  18. LAST MILE

  The Inyo Independent carried the story of the disaster on January 31, 1913; it was also reported by the Los Angeles Times on July 19, 1912.

  Ratich’s story was reported by the Times on August 15, 1912.

  Taylor’s summary of project casualties, and more, is found in Men, Medicine & Water, pages 162–163. The accident at the cement plant and subsequent is found on pages 143–144.

  The decision to reschedule the bond election was noted in the Times on January 30, 1913.

  Mulholland’s letter to Willard is detailed in Catherine Mulholland, WM&RLA, pages 230–231.

  The ceremony attendant to the formal opening of the gates at the diversion point was widely covered. See the Times, February 14, 1913.

  Voting tallies are from the Times, April 16, 1913.

  Rose’s turnabout is described in Ostrom, Water & Politics, page 59.

  The Sand Canyon blowout is described by Heinly, “Failure of the Sand Canyon Pressure-Tunnel Siphon,” and by Mulholland in his “Complete Report,” page 26.

  19. CASCADE

  The turning of the waters back into the aqueduct was covered by the Los Angeles Times on September 27, 1913.

  Mulholland’s heartening report on water flow in the aqueduct is from the Times, October 2, 1913.

  Mulholland’s “firecracker” quote is from Catherine Mulholland, WM&RLA, page 242.

  The mention of the report on Lillie’s condition is from Nadeau, The Water Seekers, page 62.