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If you travel down a particular trail in Santa Clarita California, you can find what remains of the infamous St. Francis dam, little more than indistinguishable rubble at this point. Perhaps this historical event has come up in your sessions with your Santa Clarita tutor.

On March 12th, 1998, the St. Francis dam failed, unleashing over 12 billion gallons of water on the valley below. Mud, rock, trees and debris flooded the area, traveling for over 5 hours before reaching the Pacific Ocean. It is said that at least 450 people lost their lives in this flood, however many say those numbers are higher as remains were uncovered even years later and some may have washed out to sea.

Construction of the dam began in 1924, with its final size a whopping 205 feet tall and 1300 feet wide. This dam was designed to give the Los Angeles area enough water that could last a year, supplied by the California Aqueduct. The dam was designed by William Mulholland, and many believed that Mulholland had done the impossible and conquered nature itself. The day of the dam break, the dam keeper Tony Harnischfeger, expressed concerns about a muddy leak near his cottage, which was located at the bottom of the dam. Mulholland’s chief inspector came to check the leak out, and told Harnischfeger the leak was of no concern. Harnischfeger and his family along with their cottage were among the very first to perish when the dam collapsed a few hours later.

Bridges, roads, buildings, and 37.5 square miles of farmland were all destroyed. In these days, there really wasn’t an established emergency warning system, the most they could do was use telephone operators to try and call ahead to towns in the water pays, while police on motorcycles raced to warn those in danger.

Mulholland was brought to trial for this dam failure, and while he wasn’t prosecuted, the jury made clear that the fault was on Mulholland. This failure did prompt a change in regulation, as never again with something so important be placed at the hands of one man. The Division of Safety of Dams was formed, and any dams constructed require the review and approval of multiple engineers, along with many inspections throughout the dam’s life.

Today you would never know a dam once sat in the spot the few pieces of rumble occupy, but many still go to visit, a memorial to those who lost their lives to this failure. While this was a huge tragedy, it created a large reform that regulates these large projects. Nothing can be done about what has already occurred, but you have the power to shape the future and make sure nothing like this ever happens again, so long as you stay a positive course and meet regularly with your Santa Clarita tutor.