Los Angeles Aqueduct Construction

Los Angeles Aqueduct Construction. Through the Antelope Valley. , Water Wagon ca. 1908-1913 , This water wagon was used by George W. Lane during the construction of the Los Angeles Aqueduct through the Antelope Valley. George moved to the Antelope Valley in 1908 and was a mule skinner by trade, driving 20-mule teams and hauling freight. , According to his grandson and namesake, George M. Lane. "These water wagons were common on the freight lines on the trips from the Railroad in Lancaster to the L.A. Aqueduct at the west end of the valley." , "There were hundreds of mules being used on the Aqueduct project and these water wagons would have been hitched and left at the job site to water the mules and probably the people too." , This wagon was purchased by Pete Sterk from either George or Frank Lane several decades ago. It remained on the Sterk Ranch until March 2023 when it was donated to the AV Mural Museum (AVRM) by Pete’s son and AVEM Charter Member Jerry Sterk. , The Aqueduct in the Antelope Valley , Little did the residents of the Antelope Valley know how their lives would be altered when the local paper in July 1892 reported: "A William Mulholland was in the Elizabeth Lake area and it was reported that he had a big water scheme planned." The big water scheme, of course, turned out to be the Los Angeles Aqueduct constructed from 1908 through 1913. , At the beginning of the 20th century, Los Angeles’ population exceeded 100,000 residents, which was severely affecting the city’s dwindling water supply. To solve this problem the 223-mile-long Owens Valley-Los Angeles Aqueduct, the dream of William Mulholland, was developed. , In 1907, the City of Los Angeles approved a $23 million bond issue to finance the construction of an aqueduct which would draw water south from the sparsely populated Owens Valley. Work on the aqueduct began the next year under the direction of William Mulholland, the founder of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. , This engineering feat had a deep impact on the Antelope Valley. After the horrible drought of the 1890s and early 1900s, which severely affected families, ranches, farms, and businesses, the construction of the Aqueduct revitalized our valley's economy as the region had almost become a patchwork of ghost towns. The aqueduct created hundreds of new jobs. Many people who had left during the dry years returned when the situation improved due to the construction of the Aqueduct. , Construction of the Aqueduct began in 1908 near Independence in Inyo County. Water was transported for about 250 miles across the deserts, foothills, and ranges. , The Aqueduct was constructed across the western portion of the Valley (primarily from 1908 to 1910). The Aqueduct enters the Antelope Valley north of Neenach, skirts the foothills and enters a natural reservoir at Fairmont. It flows through a 5-mile concrete tunnel, goes near the edge of Elizabeth Lake, and eventually enters the San Fernando Valley. , The workers, numbering up to 6,000, poured millions of tons of concrete, hammered millions of board feet of wood, dug through hills, laid cement, drove tractors and water wagons, hauled pipe sections and worked with picks and shovels. The tuff deposits at Fairmont Butte provided the ideal ingredient to make cement. , A review of the 1910 Census reveals that the three main languages spoken by Mulholland's army of workers were English, Spanish, and Russian/Serbian. , Heavy equipment and supplies were hauled by mule teams. An aqueduct warehouse was on old Antelope Avenue near the Lancaster railroad station. , The Aqueduct was a financial blessing for the Antelope Valley. It was good for businesses - stores, restaurants, dance halls, and saloons. The workers were housed in huge camps. After their hard day of toil, they headed for businesses from Mojave to Palmdale to spend their money. , The Aqueduct was completed with its terminus at the southern end of the Newhall Pass. It was finished ahead of schedule and under budget at $25.5 million. On November 5, 1913, the first cascade of Owens Valley water flowed into the San Fernando Valley near Sylmar, where Mulholland proclaimed, "There it is. Take it."