Public Media from Michigan State University

Flood in the Desert | American Experience

Mulholland Dam and Hollywood Reservoir
American Experience

Tue. May 3 at 9 p.m. on WKAR-HD 23.1 & STREAMING | Explore the 1928 Los Angeles dam collapse, a colossal and deadly engineering failure.

Just before midnight on March 12, 1928, about 40 miles north of Los Angeles, one of the biggest dams in the country blew apart, releasing a wall of water 20 stories high. Ten thousand people lived downstream.

Flood in the Desert tells the story of the St. Francis Dam disaster, the second deadliest disaster in California history. It destroyed hundreds of lives and millions of dollars’ worth of property; it also washed away the reputation of William Mulholland, the father of modern Los Angeles, and jeopardized larger plans to transform the West.

Watch this documentary at video.wkar.org during or after the premiere date.

MORE ABOUT AMERICAN EXPERIENCE:
For more than 30 years, American Experience has been television’s most-watched history series, bringing to life the incredible characters and epic stories that have shaped America’s past and present.

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