Crescenta Valley flood (1933 and 1934)

In November 1933, wildfires raged through the nearby San Gabriel mountains above the communities of La Crescenta, La Cañada and Montrose. Earthen dams had been created by the Civilian Conservation Corps in three of the valleys (Dunsmore, Pickens and Hall-Beckley) to trap rainwater. During the last week of December of that year, a series of winter storms pounded the mountainside with of rain. On New Year's Eve, more heavy rains led to sporadic flooding. == New Year's ==

at site of former American Legion hall where 12 people were killed during the flood. The memorial can be found in the present unincorporated community frequently referred to as La Crescenta-Montrose, California. Around midnight on December 31 (1933), the earthen dams above the Crescenta Valley collapsed, sending millions of tons of mud and debris into the neighborhoods below. The mudslides that began in the mountains above La Cañada and La Crescenta carved a path of destruction all the way to the Verdugo Wash and beyond. == Aftermath ==

Some Montrose residents sought shelter from flooding at American Legion Post 288, which was destroyed, killing 12. More than 400 homes were destroyed in La Cañada, La Crescenta, Montrose and Tujunga. Scores of people were killed, and hundreds were left homeless. Entire families were wiped out. Parts of Foothill Boulevard were buried under of mud, boulders and debris. The mud was deep enough to bury cars completely on Montrose Avenue. Miles of Honolulu Boulevard were inundated by several feet of sand and silt. were among those killed in the flood. Winston's date for the evening (who was in Winston's and Weston's car at the time of the flood) was also killed. Two notable victims of the flood were silent-era identical-twin child actors Winston and Weston Doty, who died at the age of 19. == Reconstruction ==

Following the disaster, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the County of Los Angeles (with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works) built a flood control system of catch basins and concrete storm drains, designed to prevent a repeat of the 1933-1934 disaster. The flood was commemorated in Woody Guthrie's song "Los Angeles New Year's Flood". To honor the victims of that New Year's calamity and to mark its 70th anniversary, a small monument was dedicated January 1, 2004, at Rosemont and Fairway avenues in Montrose, near where the American Legion Hall had stood. ==See also==