The San Francisquito Canyon dam underwent one of the worst dam collapses in US history. JW Bledsoe photographed the dam during construction, and also photographed the infrastructure. This is one of the generator houses from the project, photographed about 1926. The dam collapsed in March, 1928, and the resulting flood killed around 400 people, including a cousin of Bledsoe’s. I visited the site in 2005, and took photos of one of the two remaining generator houses (a third was entirely swept away by the flood, with only the foundations remaining). This generator house includes a museum for the LA Dept. of Water and Power, and is decorated with large (10×12 foot) prints of Bledsoe’s photos. I also happen to be a big fan of Pelton water wheels, which is an obsession that dates back to a college physics exam.

 Generator house in San Francisquito Canyon, LA County, before the dam collapse.

San Francisquito Canyon Generator House 2005. It is still there after nearly 100 years.

Bledsoe Prints in Francisquito Generator House, 2005

Pelton Water Wheels in Francisquito Canyon
Photograph by Charles F. Delwiche

Worn-out Pelton Water Wheel and Francisquito Canyon Generator House, 2005