Fred Eaton
Encyclopedia
Frederick Eaton known as Fred Eaton, was a major individual in the transformation and expansion of Los Angeles
in the latter 19th century through early 20th century, in California
, United States
. Eaton was the mastermind supporter of the early 20th century Los Angeles Aqueduct
—"Owens Valley Aqueduct" project, designed by William Mulholland
.
on the Rancho del Rincon de San Pascual
. As an adult Eaton was a Radical Republican. He was a promoter of: the Civil War Reconstruction; of new railroads; of Southern California
water supplies; and the city as the Mayor
of Los Angeles
.
s from the Los Angeles River
to the city.
In 1886 Eaton redesigned and renovated Los Angeles Park, present day Pershing Square
, with an 'official park plan,' and it was renamed 6th Street Park.
, and appointed William Mulholland as superintendent and Chief Engineer. Together, they planned and developed the Los Angeles Aqueduct
, which was completed in 1913. The Aqueduct brought plentiful water to Los Angeles, which enabled an explosive growth. It also diverted the Owens River
and its tributaries
, taking water away from the Owens Valley
which disabled the farms and communities there.
project to enrich himself and his associates at the expense of the city of Los Angeles and the Owens Valley landowners. Eaton claimed in a 1905 interview with the Los Angeles Express that he turned over all his water right
s to Los Angeles without being paid for them, "except that I retained the cattle which I had been compelled to take in making the deals . . . and mountain pasture land of no value except for grazing purposes." Land was needed by Mulholland and Los Angeles to build a storage reservoir
before the water entered the city. The Round Valley
, Eaton's "mountain pasture land," was strategically located on the Owens River in Inyo County
upstream of the Owens River Gorge
and Owens Valley, and an excellent site to purchase. Eventually, Eaton's demands for a million dollars to sell it became so entrenched that they ruptured his relationship with Mulholland.
William Mulholland refused to authorize the purchase, and he relocated the reservoir and dam location to the Sierra Pelona Mountains
near the Santa Clarita Valley
, and built the St. Francis Dam
. It collapsed in 1928 due to unknown weak bedrock
formations, with much destruction and many deaths downstream along the Santa Clara River
. Eaton's finances crumbled, also in 1928, and his ranch was acquired by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, where Crowley Lake
was created for the aqueduct system's new storage.
Fred Eaton died in 1934.
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
in the latter 19th century through early 20th century, in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Eaton was the mastermind supporter of the early 20th century Los Angeles Aqueduct
Los Angeles Aqueduct
The Los Angeles Aqueduct system comprising the Los Angeles Aqueduct and the Second Los Angeles Aqueduct, is a water conveyance system operated by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power...
—"Owens Valley Aqueduct" project, designed by William Mulholland
William Mulholland
William Mulholland was the head of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, in Los Angeles. He was responsible for building the water aqueducts and dams that allowed the city to grow into one of the largest in the world. His methods of obtaining water for the city led to disputes collectively...
.
Introduction
Frederick Eaton was born in Los Angeles in 1856, into one of the prominent and founding families of what became PasadenaPasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
on the Rancho del Rincon de San Pascual
Rancho San Pascual
Rancho San Pascual also known as Rancho el Rincon de San Pascual was a Mexican land grant in present day Los Angeles County, California given to Juan Marine in 1834 by José Figueroa...
. As an adult Eaton was a Radical Republican. He was a promoter of: the Civil War Reconstruction; of new railroads; of Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
water supplies; and the city as the Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
.
Accomplishments
Fred Eaton taught himself engineering and was the superintendent of the Los Angeles City Water Company by age 19 in 1875. As head of the Water Company, in 1878 Eaton first hired William Mulholland as a ditch-digger for distribution canalCanal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
s from the Los Angeles River
Los Angeles River
The Los Angeles River is a river that starts in the San Fernando Valley, in the Simi Hills and Santa Susana Mountains, and flows through Los Angeles County, California, from Canoga Park in the western end of the San Fernando Valley, nearly southeast to its mouth in Long Beach...
to the city.
In 1886 Eaton redesigned and renovated Los Angeles Park, present day Pershing Square
Pershing Square (Los Angeles)
Pershing Square is a public park in downtown Los Angeles, California. The park is exactly one square block in size, bounded by 5th Street to the north, 6th Street to the south, Hill Street to the east, and Olive Street to the west...
, with an 'official park plan,' and it was renamed 6th Street Park.
Los Angeles Aqueduct
While Eaton was the Los Angeles Mayor, from 1898—1900, he created the Los Angeles Department of Water and PowerLos Angeles Department of Water and Power
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is the largest municipal utility in the United States, serving over four million residents. It was founded in 1902 to supply water and electricity to residents and businesses in Los Angeles and surrounding communities...
, and appointed William Mulholland as superintendent and Chief Engineer. Together, they planned and developed the Los Angeles Aqueduct
Los Angeles Aqueduct
The Los Angeles Aqueduct system comprising the Los Angeles Aqueduct and the Second Los Angeles Aqueduct, is a water conveyance system operated by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power...
, which was completed in 1913. The Aqueduct brought plentiful water to Los Angeles, which enabled an explosive growth. It also diverted the Owens River
Owens River
The Owens River is a river in southeastern California in the United States, approximately long. It drains into and through the Owens Valley, an arid basin between the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada and the western faces of the Inyo and White Mountains. The river terminates at Owens Lake, but...
and its tributaries
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
, taking water away from the Owens Valley
Owens Valley
Owens Valley is the arid valley of the Owens River in eastern California in the United States, to the east of the Sierra Nevada and west of the White Mountains and Inyo Mountains on the west edge of the Great Basin section...
which disabled the farms and communities there.
Round Valley - St. Francis Dam
Fred Eaton used his inside advance information about the aqueductAqueduct
An aqueduct is a water supply or navigable channel constructed to convey water. In modern engineering, the term is used for any system of pipes, ditches, canals, tunnels, and other structures used for this purpose....
project to enrich himself and his associates at the expense of the city of Los Angeles and the Owens Valley landowners. Eaton claimed in a 1905 interview with the Los Angeles Express that he turned over all his water right
Water right
Water right in water law refers to the right of a user to use water from a water source, e.g., a river, stream, pond or source of groundwater. In areas with plentiful water and few users, such systems are generally not complicated or contentious...
s to Los Angeles without being paid for them, "except that I retained the cattle which I had been compelled to take in making the deals . . . and mountain pasture land of no value except for grazing purposes." Land was needed by Mulholland and Los Angeles to build a storage reservoir
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
before the water entered the city. The Round Valley
Round Valley
Round Valley may refer to some entities in the United States & Canada:* Round Valley No. 410, Saskatchewan, rural municipality in Saskatchewan, Canada* Round Valley, California, in Inyo County* Round Valley, Mendocino County, California...
, Eaton's "mountain pasture land," was strategically located on the Owens River in Inyo County
Inyo County, California
-National protected areas:* Death Valley National Park * Inyo National Forest * Manzanar National Historic Site-Major highways:* U.S. Route 6* U.S. Route 395* State Route 127* State Route 136* State Route 168* State Route 178...
upstream of the Owens River Gorge
Owens River Gorge
The Owens River Gorge is a steep 10 mi canyon on the upper Owens River in eastern California in the United States. The canyon is located at the eastern edge of the Sierra Nevada mountains in southern Mono County, along the stretch of the river where it exits the Long Valley near its source...
and Owens Valley, and an excellent site to purchase. Eventually, Eaton's demands for a million dollars to sell it became so entrenched that they ruptured his relationship with Mulholland.
William Mulholland refused to authorize the purchase, and he relocated the reservoir and dam location to the Sierra Pelona Mountains
Sierra Pelona Mountains
The Sierra Pelona Mountains , or the Sierra Pelona Ridge, is a mountain range in the Transverse Ranges of Southern California.. They are located within Los Angeles and Kern Counties.-Geography:...
near the Santa Clarita Valley
Santa Clarita Valley
The Santa Clarita Valley is the valley of the Santa Clara River in Southern California. It stretches through Los Angeles County and Ventura County. Its main population center is the city of Santa Clarita. The valley was part of the Rancho San Francisco Mexican land grant...
, and built the St. Francis Dam
St. Francis Dam
The St. Francis Dam was a concrete gravity-arch dam, designed to create a reservoir as a storage point of the Los Angeles Aqueduct. It was located 40 miles northwest of Los Angeles, California, near the present city of Santa Clarita....
. It collapsed in 1928 due to unknown weak bedrock
Bedrock
In stratigraphy, bedrock is the native consolidated rock underlying the surface of a terrestrial planet, usually the Earth. Above the bedrock is usually an area of broken and weathered unconsolidated rock in the basal subsoil...
formations, with much destruction and many deaths downstream along the Santa Clara River
Santa Clara River (California)
The Santa Clara River is approximately long, located in southern California in the United States. It drains an area of the coastal mountains north of Los Angeles. The Santa Clara is one of the largest river systems along the coast of Southern California and one of only a few remaining river...
. Eaton's finances crumbled, also in 1928, and his ranch was acquired by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, where Crowley Lake
Crowley Lake
Crowley Lake is a reservoir on the upper Owens River in southern Mono County, California in the United States. It was created in 1941 by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power as storage for the Los Angeles Aqueduct and for flood control...
was created for the aqueduct system's new storage.
Fred Eaton died in 1934.
See also
- California Water WarsCalifornia Water WarsThe California Water Wars were a series of conflicts between the city of Los Angeles, farmers and ranchers in the Owens Valley of Eastern California, and environmentalists. As Los Angeles grew in the late 1800s, it started to outgrow its water supply. Fred Eaton, mayor of Los Angeles, realized that...
- History of Los Angeles
- History of the San Fernando Valley to 1915History of the San Fernando Valley to 1915The history of the San Fernando Valley from its exploration by the 1769 Portola expedition to the annexation of much of it by the City of Los Angeles in 1915 is a story of booms and busts, as cattle ranching, sheep ranching, large-scale wheat farming, and fruit orchards flourished and faded...