The Los Angeles-Owens River Aqueduct begins operation
In November 1913, the aqueduct begins diverting water from the Owens Valley in eastern California to Los Angeles. The aqueduct solidifies LA’s ascension as a growing metropolis and the central city of Southern California. That said, the result is achieved through corrupt means, and at the expense of Owens Valley farmers and ranchers. A group of wealthy investors, known as the “San Fernando land syndicate,” are passed inside information from LA mayor Fred Eaton and aggressively buy land and water rights in the valley, blocking Owens Valley farmers and ranchers from using the water and destroying their lands. The aqueduct also devastates the Owens Lake ecosystem, ultimately drying up the 110-square-mile lake and causing the desertification of Paiute land.
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