Flashback Fridays: Flooding in Echo Park

Unknown date, possibly late 1930s. Source: Paul Furlong

More flooding in 1959. LA Public Library image #28410

We’re trying to piece together little bits of history surrounding photos like one shown above – flooding along Glendale Blvd. at Park Avenue was extremely common prior to the paving of the Los Angeles river. But how all that water got to Echo Park (remember, this is prior to all flood control in Los Angeles) is actually an interesting story.

The story starts with a buried river called the Arroyo de los Reyes, which originates off of Glendale Blvd. near the 2 terminus. It flowed down Glendale, to where Echo Park Lake now is, and into downtown down 2nd Street where it ends up just south of Pershing Square and eventually connecting to the LA River (Source: LA Creek Freak).

So it makes sense this area would be more susceptible to flooding – when it really, really rains, the creek/river would swell, and so on and so forth. We’re not sure exactly when the river was buried or why exactly it no longer floods Echo Park, perhaps due to being buried, but it might also have to do with the storm drain and flood control in the late ’30s, early ’40s.

The photo to the bottom right is a pretty severe flood on Glendale Boulevard during the Los Angeles Flood of 1938, caused by a couple of storms from the pacific and killing over 100 people and $40 million in damage.

Glendale Blvd., Feb 1938. Photo source: Paul Furlong

These floods, especially the 1938 one, prompted the Flood Control Act of 1941, and thus the construction of mandatory storm drains and flood control channels. This, of course, means the Los Angeles River was paved to help control future flooding.

Looking at these pictures, it seems like a good idea to have some flood control in Los Angeles. But the paving of the LA River is more and more criticized as being a misguided effort because it interferes with, well, the natural flow of things. There are some green movements to help the River filter out pollution and revitalize the river overall, you can learn a lot about lost rivers and creaks through the LA Creek Freak blog and the Friends of the LA River.

145 replies
« Older CommentsNewer Comments »
  1. Bret Jentzen says:

    Thank you a lot for sharing this with all of us you actually understand what you’re talking approximately! Bookmarked. Please also visit my site =). We may have a hyperlink alternate contract among us!

  2. Milissa Ehsan says:

    I discovered your site web site on the search engines and check a number of your early posts. Keep the very good operate. I just extra the RSS feed to my MSN News Reader. Looking for forward to reading more from you afterwards!…

  3. pro bono lawyers says:

    Thank you for the good writeup. It in fact was a amusement account it. Look advanced to far added agreeable from you! By the way, how could we communicate?

  4. macrobiotic diet says:

    Hi there, You’ve done an incredible job. I will definitely digg it and personally suggest to my friends. I’m sure they’ll be benefited from this website.

  5. small business says:

    Very well written information. It will be supportive to everyone who employess it, as well as me. Keep doing what you are doing – for sure i will check out more posts.

  6. online jobs says:

    Thank you for another informative web site. Where else could I get that kind of information written in such a perfect method? I’ve a mission that I am simply now running on, and I’ve been at the look out for such info.

  7. house and home magazine says:

    Terrific paintings! This is the type of information that are meant to be shared across the net. Shame on the search engines for now not positioning this post upper! Come on over and seek advice from my site . Thanks =)

  8. online business says:

    I was recommended this website by my cousin. I’m not sure whether this post is written by him as nobody else know such detailed about my trouble. You’re wonderful! Thanks!

  9. cooking says:

    Thank you for the sensible critique. Me and my neighbor were just preparing to do some research on this. We got a grab a book from our local library but I think I learned more clear from this post. I am very glad to see such great info being shared freely out there.

  10. Jules says:

    Are there any kind of excellent verse websites that you understand of to ensure that I can have an account that has great deals of room to type out stories/poems on? Or do you know of any type of writing websites in any way that I could publish blogs on, kind of like having an entire internet site to myself?.

  11. Alden says:

    I am about to begin a blog. Along with lots of other hopeful’s, I wish to at some point generate income off it. I discovered a great deal of websites do not enable you to earn money of google ad sense as well as things like that. What are some websites I can start my blog on that particular will allow this given that it appears to be one of the most profitable way to earn money off a blog?.

  12. Divina says:

    I want to blog concerning issues I do not desire connecting with my ‘job’ self. Just how do I select a blog site host that has an excellent anonymity document, in other words, I don’t want it to be simple for individuals to pair up my IP address or access my personal information. Likewise, having established the blog up, just how do you motivate high volume visitors?. I have actually just used LJ before and also I wish to try something a bit different, yet privacy is the most significant problem for me. Would invite tips of good totally free blog hosts.

  13. best restaurant says:

    Great weblog right here! Also your site loads up fast! What web host are you the usage of? Can I get your associate link for your host? I desire my web site loaded up as quickly as yours lol

  14. Annamaria says:

    I’m seeking clothes and design suggestions at an affordable costs for a woman over 25 … Any person understand any great sites or blogs?. Looks like everything I locate is either geared towards teens or is remarkably pricey couture … Thanks!.

  15. Cami says:

    It appears there are internet sites as well as blog sites devoted to lots of tasks, such tv, music, lives of stars, and so on. Yet I truly can not locate websites and also blogs devoted to analysis, unfortunately a second thought when it comes to pastimes … Any person know some actually popular and fantastic ones? Classic and current literature are both trendy with me, because I review both … Many thanks a lot! =o-RRB-.

  16. Cordia Caloca says:

    An intriguing discussion will probably be worth comment. There’s no doubt that that you can write much more about this topic, may possibly not often be a taboo subject but usually persons are insufficient to chat on such topics. Yet another. Cheers

  17. her latest blog says:

    I simply want to tell you that I’m beginner to blogging and site-building and seriously loved your web page. Almost certainly I’m want to bookmark your blog post . You really have awesome article content. Appreciate it for sharing your website.

  18. is cbd oil alright for dogs says:

    I have three blogs on tumblr under the very same e-mail address. Just how do I erase one of those blog sites without erasing the various other 2?. Preferably, I would certainly such as a person to answer whom has actually encountered this issue before and also addressed it without deleting their various other blog sites. Thanks!.

  19. navigate to these guys says:

    I simply want to tell you that I am very new to blogging and site-building and definitely loved this blog site. Almost certainly I’m planning to bookmark your blog . You actually come with really good posts. Thanks a bunch for sharing with us your web site.

  20. Corporate Law says:

    whoah this weblog is great i love studying your posts. Stay up the great work! You know, a lot of individuals are searching round for this information, you could help them greatly.

  21. Common Law says:

    Its like you read my mind! You seem to know so much about this, like you wrote the book in it or something. I think that you can do with some pics to drive the message home a little bit, but instead of that, this is fantastic blog. A great read. I’ll certainly be back.

  22. movies awards says:

    I just couldn’t go away your site before suggesting that I actually loved the standard information a person provide on your guests? Is gonna be back often to investigate cross-check new posts

  23. Leisure says:

    Excellent website. A lot of useful information here. I am sending it to several friends ans additionally sharing in delicious. And naturally, thanks on your sweat!

  24. basket says:

    We are a group of volunteers and starting a new scheme in our community. Your site offered us with valuable information to work on. You have done a formidable job and our entire community will be grateful to you.

  25. better health says:

    Excellent read, I just passed this onto a colleague who was doing a little research on that. And he actually bought me lunch as I found it for him smile Therefore let me rephrase that: Thanks for lunch!

  26. Travel says:

    We are a group of volunteers and opening a new scheme in our community. Your web site provided us with valuable information to work on. You’ve done a formidable job and our whole community will be grateful to you.

  27. Health says:

    Wonderful site. Plenty of helpful info here. I’m sending it to several friends ans also sharing in delicious. And naturally, thanks on your sweat!

  28. Diet says:

    Thank you for sharing excellent informations. Your site is very cool. I am impressed by the details that you’ve on this site. It reveals how nicely you perceive this subject. Bookmarked this web page, will come back for more articles. You, my pal, ROCK! I found just the information I already searched everywhere and simply couldn’t come across. What an ideal site.

  29. Travel says:

    I do not even know how I ended up here, but I thought this post was great. I don’t know who you are but definitely you are going to a famous blogger if you aren’t already 😉 Cheers!

  30. Tawnya Karamchandani says:

    Generally I don’t read post on blogs, however I wish to say that this write-up very pressured me to try and do it! Your writing style has been surprised me. Thanks, very nice post.

  31. NEW TECHNOLOGY says:

    I was suggested this web site by my cousin. I’m not sure whether this post is written by him as no one else know such detailed about my trouble. You’re incredible! Thanks!

« Older CommentsNewer Comments »

Comments are closed.