William Mulholland and the Rise of Los Angeles

by Mulholland, Catherine

• ISBN13: 9780520234666
• ISBN10: 0520234669
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-05-01
• Publisher: Univ of California Pr

Summary

William Mulholland presided over the creation of a water system that forever changed the course of southern California's history. Mulholland, a self-taught engineer, was the chief architect of the Owens Valley Aqueduct--a project ranking in magnitude and daring with the Panama Canal--that brought water to semi-arid Los Angeles from the lush Owens Valley. The story of Los Angeles's quest for water is both famous and notorious: it has been the subject of the classic yet historically distorted movieChinatown,as well as many other accounts. This first full-length biography of Mulholland challenges many of the prevailing versions of his life story and sheds new light on the history of Los Angeles and its relationship with its most prized resource: water. Catherine Mulholland, the engineer's granddaughter, provides insights into this story that family familiarity affords, and adds to our historical understanding with extensive primary research in sources such as Mulholland's recently uncovered office files, newspapers, and Department of Water and Power archives. She scrutinizes Mulholland's life--from his childhood in Ireland to his triumphant completion of the Owens Valley Aqueduct to the tragedy that ended his career. This vivid portrait of a rich chapter in the history of Los Angeles is enhanced with a generous selection of previously unpublished photographs. Los Angeles Times Best Nonfiction Book of 2000

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	xi
Preface	xiii
Acknowledgments	xix
The Long Journey from Dublin to Los Angeles, 1855-1876	3	(11)
The City of Angels, 1877	14	(9)
The Private Water Company and Its Owners, 1878-1879	23	(7)
Advancing in the Water Business, 1880-1886	30	(8)
The New Superintendent, 1887-1892	38	(10)
Water Plots and Politics, 1893-1895	48	(13)
The Years of Mayor Eaton, 1898-1900	61	(14)
The City's Victory over the ``Grand Monopoly,'' 1901-1902	75	(13)
New Regime for a Booming Town, 1903-1904	88	(12)
Desperate Remedies in a Dry Season, 1904	100	(12)
A Plan Revealed, 1905	112	(14)
Preparations for an Aqueduct and a Trip to Washington, D.C., 1906	126	(15)
The Big Job Begins, 1907	141	(18)
The Chief and the General, 1908	159	(12)
Building the Aqueduct: The Best Year, 1909	171	(12)
Troubles and Interruptions, 1910	183	(13)
Aqueduct Progress and Political Fireworks, 1911	196	(13)
The Investigation, 1912	209	(19)
The Completion of the Aqueduct, 1913	228	(21)
After the Aqueduct, 1914-1919	249	(16)
A Stormy Decade Begins, 1920-1923	265	(17)
Boulder Dam and Dynamite, 1924	282	(17)
More Dynamite, 1925-1927	299	(20)
The Saint Francis Dam Disaster and After, 1928-1935	319	(14)
Afterword	333	(2)
Notes	335	(50)
Bibliography	385	(8)
Index	393