Griffith Park in Los Angeles in Los Angeles County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Tragedy in Griffith Park

October 3, 1933

— The 1933 Griffith Park Fire —

Tragedy in Griffith Park Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Craig Baker, May 6, 2023

1. Tragedy in Griffith Park Marker

Inscription.

Tragedy in Griffith Park. October 3, 1933. , In the early years of the Great Depression, Los Angeles battled joblessness by borrowing money through the Reconstruction Finance Corporation. A local bond measure was passed to fund relief programs. Griffith Park, large and rustic, was made to order for putting large numbers of unemployed men to work. On October 3, 1933, records showed 3,784 relief workers in the park, maintaining trails, clearing brush and building a new road (Vista Del Valle Drive). , The day was hot - 100 degrees at noon. Around 2pm a fire was spotted near today's Boy's Camp in the canyon below. A large number of workers carrying shovels and wet sacks hiked down a narrow trail to fight what looked like a small fire. Suddenly, a hot, dry wind came up, causing the fire to flare up. The Los Angeles Fire Department arrived on scene and found a large number of poorly equipped men who were helpless to stop the rapidly growing blaze. Workers who were able to run downhill were safe. Those who attempted to run up the trail were vulnerable to the advancing flames. , By nightfall, the winds had subsided and the fire was brought under control. The official death toll counted 29 lives lost in one of the deadliest wildfires in California history. , The cause of the fire was never determined. , These are the names of the brave men who lost their lives in this tragedy - In Memoriam , George Alvin Anderson · Clarence William Berning · Franklin LeRoy Brown · John Raymond Dargo · Israel Isaac Hanan, Jr. · Irwin Alonzo Hunt · Hermon Orr Burnette · Isaac Grayson · Henry Taylor · John A. Benson · Wright Benjamin Brewington · John Clark · William Lee Henderson, Jr. · Louis S. Kronheimer · Robert R. Miles · Elmer Ira Robinson · William Bethel Guy · Charles W. Hughey · Harold John Mahn · Jesus Rivera · James P. Sweeney · Austin E. Williams · Alberto Armendariz · Walter Lee Bernor · William Lorenz · Charles Howard Porter · Perry Benedict Smith· James Cortez Viorato · Frank Zambrano

In the early years of the Great Depression, Los Angeles battled joblessness by borrowing money through the Reconstruction Finance Corporation. A local bond measure was passed to fund relief programs. Griffith Park, large and rustic, was made to order for putting large numbers of unemployed men to work. On October 3, 1933, records showed 3,784 relief workers in the park, maintaining trails, clearing brush and building a new road (Vista Del Valle Drive).

The day was hot - 100 degrees at noon. Around 2pm a fire was spotted near today's Boy's Camp in the canyon below. A large number of workers carrying shovels and wet sacks hiked down a narrow trail to fight what looked like a small fire. Suddenly, a hot, dry wind came up, causing the fire to flare up. The Los Angeles Fire Department arrived on scene and found a large number of poorly equipped men who were helpless to stop the rapidly growing blaze. Workers who were able to run downhill were safe. Those who attempted to run up the trail were vulnerable to the advancing flames.

By nightfall, the winds had subsided and the fire was brought under control.

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The official death toll counted 29 lives lost in one of the deadliest wildfires in California history.

The cause of the fire was never determined.

These are the names of the brave men who lost their lives in this tragedy - In Memoriam
George Alvin Anderson · Clarence William Berning · Franklin LeRoy Brown · John Raymond Dargo · Israel Isaac Hanan, Jr. · Irwin Alonzo Hunt · Hermon Orr Burnette · Isaac Grayson · Henry Taylor · John A. Benson · Wright Benjamin Brewington · John Clark · William Lee Henderson, Jr. · Louis S. Kronheimer · Robert R. Miles · Elmer Ira Robinson · William Bethel Guy · Charles W. Hughey · Harold John Mahn · Jesus Rivera · James P. Sweeney · Austin E. Williams · Alberto Armendariz · Walter Lee Bernor · William Lorenz · Charles Howard Porter · Perry Benedict Smith· James Cortez Viorato · Frank Zambrano

Erected 2019 by Griffith Jenkins Griffith Charitable Trust, and Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Disasters • Industry & Commerce • Parks & Recreational Areas. A significant historical date for this entry is October 3, 1933.

Location. 34° 8.605′ N,

Photographed by Craig Baker

2. Tragedy in Griffith Park Marker

118° 17.764′ W. Marker is in Los Angeles, California, in Los Angeles County. It is in Griffith Park. It can be reached from the intersection of Griffith Park Drive and Mineral Wells Road. Hike ¾ mile south from the Mineral Wells Picnic Area up a steep dirt road called North Trail. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Los Angeles CA 90027, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in California’s Transverse Ranges.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Amir’s Garden (approx. 0.2 miles away); 100 Years of Golf in Griffith Park (approx. 0.4 miles away); The Birth of The Curse (approx. 0.4 miles away); Site of the Old Zoo (approx. 0.8 miles away); Site of the Old Los Angeles Zoo (approx. 0.8 miles away); Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail

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(approx. 0.8 miles away); Riverside Drive - Zoo Drive Bridge (approx. 0.9 miles away); Shane's Inspiration (approx. 0.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Los Angeles.

Regarding Tragedy in Griffith Park. Mayor Shaw proposed "a suitable and lasting monument" to commemorate the 40-cent-an-hour workers who lost their lives protecting Griffith Park. The Los Feliz Women's Club suggested to the Park Commission that a deodar tree and a bronze plaque be placed at the Vermont Avenue entrance to the park. On Nov. 23, 1933, the tree was planted and the plaque dedicated.

Years later, after several relandscapings of the park entrance, the plaque was impossible to find. Like the 29 men it commemorated, the plaque was lost in Griffith Park.

Credits. This page was last revised on August 3, 2025. It was originally submitted on May 7, 2023, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. This page has been viewed 580 times since then and 50 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 7, 2023, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California.