Santa Paula in Ventura County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

St. Francis Dam Disaster

Photographed By Craig Baker, March 25, 2018

1. St. Francis Dam Disaster Marker

Inscription. To honor victims of the St. Francis Dam Disaster, March 12, 1928. This monument of native stone was placed in respectful memory of the nameless souls whose unmarked graves rest in this hallowed ground.

Erected 2004 by Santa Paula Historical Society.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Disasters. A significant historical date for this entry is March 12, 1928.

Location. 34° 21.255′ N, 119° 4.79′ W. Marker is in Santa Paula, California, in Ventura County. Marker can be reached from Cemetery Road north of West Santa Paula Street. Near the back of the cemetery. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 380 Cemetery Road, Santa Paula CA 93060, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within one mile of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Isbell School (approx. 0.8 miles away); The Ebell Club (approx. 0.9 miles away); First Christian Church (approx. 0.9 miles away); Water Well Drilling Rig (approx. 0.9 miles away); The Town Clock (approx. one mile away); McKevett School (approx. one mile away); Glen Tavern Inn (approx. one mile away); The Depot, Santa Paula (approx. 1.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Santa Paula.

Regarding St. Francis Dam Disaster. The St. Francis Dam was constructed from 1924 to 1926, with a 12.5-billion-gallon capacity. At 11:57 pm on March 12, 1928, the dam failed,

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sending a 180-foot-high wall of water down San Francisquito Canyon to the Santa Clara River, reaching the Pacific Ocean near Ventura 5½ hours later. Over 400 people were killed. It was the second-worst disaster in California history, after the great San Francisco earthquake and fire of 1906, in terms of lives lost, and America's worst civil engineering failure of the 20th Century. On March 12, 2019, the Saint Francis Dam Disaster National Monument was established. Fundraising is underway to build a visitor center at the dam site.

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. — St. Francis Dam Disaster sites.

Also see . . . Thesis by Ann Stansell. A detailed study of the human loss, 2014. (Submitted on April 1, 2018.)

Additional keywords. Saint Francis Dam

Photographed By Craig Baker, March 25, 2018

2. St. Francis Dam Disaster Marker

St. Francis Dam Disaster Victims image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Craig Baker, March 25, 2018

3. St. Francis Dam Disaster Victims

On the 90th anniversary of the flood, victims’ gravesites are indicated with temporary crosses. Many graves are not marked because the victims were not identified. A total of 57 flood victims are buried in this cemetery. There were only 16 deaths in Santa Paula. The others were from upstream.

Credits. This page was last revised on March 30, 2024. It was originally submitted on April 1, 2018, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. This page has been viewed 536 times since then and 39 times this year. Last updated on March 13, 2020, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on April 1, 2018, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.