SHOWDOWN @ THE ALABAMA SPILLGATE!
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CACHE IS IN OWENS VALLEY, NORTH OF LONE PINE AT A HISTORIC SPOT! ELEVATION IS 3,778 FEET. CAN DRIVE ALMOST TO CACHE, BUT MOST WILL FIND EASIEST TO PARK-WALK SHORT DISTANCE. BE SURE TO PARK OFF HIGHWAY! LOOK FOR FAINT DIRT RD OR SMALL GRAVEL PIT BARELY VISIBLE WEST, ESPECIALLY WHEN SOUTH ON 395 WEST OF 395. NO SIGNS, SO PULL ONTO SHOULDER, SLOW-DOWN TIL YOU CAN SPOT WHERE TO PULL-OFF!
THIS IS A EDUCATIONAL CACHE ON THE REGIONS HISTORY (LATE-1800'S TO EARLY 1900'S). I HAD NOTICED THE STRUCTURE ON THE AQUEDUCT SINCE A KID & WAS IN MY 20'S WHEN I FINALLY LEARNED ABOUT IT. THE AMAZING THING IS HOW THE HISTORY OF ONE LITTLE OBSCURE STRUCTURE CONNECTS THE HISTORY OF THE ENTIRE OWENS VALLEY ALL THE WAY TO LOS ANGELES! I FIGURED I'D PLACE CACHE HERE SINCE I OFTEN TRY TO GET OUT TO THE EASTERN SIERRA. SOME INTERESTING INFO/HISTORY ON THE LOCATION: THE STRUCTURE YOU SEE WITH THE FLAGS FLYING IS CALLED THE ALABAMA SPILLGATE. IT WAS CONSTRUCTED ALONG THE L.A. AQUEDUCT WHICH FLOWS SOUTH & SUPPLIES LOS ANGELES WITH WATER. BEFORE THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE AQUEDUCT, LOS ANGELES' WATER SUPPLY WAS FROM THE L.A. RIVER. THE CAPITAL THAT SUPPLIED THE GROWTH OF L.A. WAS SILVER THAT WAS MINED IN THE INYO MOUNTAINS AT CERRO GORDO (THE 2ND MOST PRODUCTIVE SILVER MINES IN U.S. HISTORY). THE SILVER ORE WAS SMELTED ON THE NE SHORE OF THE CONTEMPORARY OWENS LAKE NEAR KEELER. FROM THERE IT WAS LOADED UP ONTO STEAMSHIPS THAT CROSSED THE LAKE TO A WHARF ON THE WEST AT OLANCHA/CARTAGO. FROM HERE, THE 85-POUND 'PIGS' OF SILVER WERE LOADED ONTO WAGONS PULLED BY 18 MULES & 2 HORSES (20-MULE TEAMS) AND A 230-PLUS MILE HARROWING TREK TO LOS ANGELES WHERE BANDITS OFTEN WAITED IN THE AREA NEAR ROBBER'S ROOST/WALKER PASS. THE GROWTH OF LA'S POPULATION SOON SURPASSED THE LA RIVER'S WATER-SUPPLYING CAPACITY (WHICH WAS ABOUT 250,000 PEOPLE). BY THIS TIME, THE NEED (AND THUS THE VALUE) FOR WATER FAR OUTWEIGHED THE SILVER. THIS MEANT THAT THE CITY WOULD HAVE TO FIND ADDITIONAL WATER RESOURCES IF IT WAS TO CONTINUE TO GROW. THEN MAYOR OF LOS ANGELES FRED EATON & WILLIAM MULHOLLAND, THE CHIEF ENGINEER CAME TO THE REALIZATION THAT ALL THE WATER COMING DOWN THE EASTERN SIERRA INCLUDING THE OWENS RIVER COULD BE DIVERTED & TRANSPORTED ALL THE WAY TO L.A. WITHOUT THE NEED FOR ANY PUMPS, USING THE OVERALL ELEVATION CHANGE TO DIRECT THE FLOW AND A SIPHON METHOD (EXAMPLE: JAWBONE CANYON SIPHON) WHERE THE WATER WOULD HAVE TO FLOW UPWARDS. SOON FOLLOWED A LAND-GRABBING / WATER-RIGHTS CAMPAIGN OF MUCH CONTROVERSY,& WITHIN SEVERAL YEARS FOLLOWED THE COMPLETION OF THE LOS ANGELES AQUEDUCT IN THE EARLY 1900'S. IT TOOK VERY FEW YEARS FOR THE OWENS VALLEY TO DRY UP (IN JUST ABOUT EVERY SENSE OF THE WORD: THE OWENS RIVER, OWENS LAKE, THE RANCHES & FARMS & THE ECONOMY). IN THE YEARS FOLLOWING THE COMPLETION OF THE AQUEDUCT, THE RESIDENTS OF BISHOP & NEARBY TOWNS FOUND THAT THE ONLY WAY TO FIGHT THE MUCH MORE POWERFUL L.A. WAS TO REBEL AGAINST THE AQUEDUCT. MONEY, POWER, & POLITICS WERE NOT ONLY IN FAVOR OF L.A. BUT LEGAL ACTION TOOK MUCH TIME. TIME THAT THE LOCALS DIDN'T HAVE. THE ANSWER WAS TO SABOTAGE THE AQUEDUCT, USUALLY BY DYNAMITE, ALLOWING THE WATER TO ESCAPE BACK INTO THE OWENS VALLEY. THE SABOTAGE WAS SO COMMON AT TIMES, THAT LOS ANGELES POLICE ARMED WITH 'TOMMY-GUNS'WERE POSITIONED ALONG THE AQUEDUCT, BUT THAT DID'NT STOP THE VALLEY RESIDENTS FROM STORMING THE ALABAMA SPILLGATE ~4 MILES NORTH OF LONE PINE AT ABOUT 10 O’CLOCK ON THE MORNING OF NOV. 16, 1924 & OPENING ALL THE VALVES TO LET THE WATER FLOW (~4,250 CUBIC YARDS OF FLOW) BACK TO THE OWENS RIVER & EVENTUALLY INTO THE RAPIDLY DRYING OWENS LAKE. THE "SEIGE" LASTED SEVERAL DAYS, & BY THAT WEDNESDAY, 800 PEOPLE VISITED THE SCENE! TWO SIGNS WERE ON THE FLAGPOLE IN THE CENTER OF BISHOP WHICH READ,"IF I AM NOT ON THE JOB, YOU’LL FIND ME AT THE AQUEDUCT." THIS PROMISE WAS CARRIED-OUT BY THE CLOSING OF ALL BUSINESS DURING THE SIEGE. THE MEN WHO TOOK PART IN THE OPENING WERE RELIEVED BY OTHERS WHO BROUGHT BEDDING & FOOD. THE GENERAL ATTITUDE WAS THAT THEY INTENDED TO GET ACTION FROM L.A. BEFORE THEY WOULD CLOSE THE GATES. LADIES SOON ARRIVED & BROUGHT FOOD, DRINKS, & SOON, THE "TAKEOVER" BEGAN TO LOOK MORE LIKE A LARGE PIC-NIC WITH BARBECUES, LOCAL BANDS PLAYING MUSIC & ENTERTAINING THE CROWD WHILE EVEN THE BAPTIST MINISTER FROM BISHOP CAME TO TAKE CARE OF HIS CONGREGATION! AFTER MUCH NEGOTIATIONS & MORE TRICKERY BY L.A., THE GATES WERE EVENTUALLY CLOSED & AS USUAL, LITIGATION ENDED IN THE FAVOR OF THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES. FOR THOSE OF YOU COMING FROM THE L.A. AREA, YOU MAY BE FAMILIAR WITH THE SPOT VISIBLE FROM THE 405/5 FREEWAY AS YOUR LEAVING THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY WHERE WATER CASCADES & TUMBLES DOWN THE MOUNTAINSIDE. IT IS HERE WHERE MULHOLLAND STOOD FOLLOWING THE COMPLETION OF THE AQUEDUCT, OPENED THE FLOW, & SAID SOMETHING IN THE LIKES OF, “THERE IT IS, TAKE IT.” IN FRONT OF A LARGE GROUP OF PEOPLE. FROM HERE, THE WATER FLOWED INTO VARIOUS CANALS, THE MAIN ONE BEING A CANAL THAT RAN ALONG WHAT IS TODAY THE 118 FREEWAY ALL THE WAY TO CHATSWORTH RESERVOIR, WHICH IS THE MAIN TRIBUTARY OF THE L.A. RIVER. TODAY, THE CANAL HAS BEEN FILLED-IN WITH DIRT & IS A POWERLINE CORRIDOR. ONE CAN STILL SEE WHERE THE CANAL WAS TODAY. RESEDA BLVD. JUST BEFORE REACHING THE 118 FREEWAY IS AN EMPTY CORRIDOR WITH POWERLINES. UNDER THE DIRT & POWERLINES IS THE FORMER CANAL! TODAY, THE WATER CASCADES INTO THE VAN NORMAN RESERVOIRS & THEN ONTO THE ADJACENT FILTRATION PLANT & THEN GETS DISTRIBUTED IN A MORE “HIGH-TECH” MANNER. SO, FOR THOSE FAMILIAR WITH THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY, IF YOU’VE EVER HEARD OF OR COME ACROSS OWENSMOUTH STREET, DUE-EAST OF CHATSWORTH RESERVOIR, TAKE A MINUTE AND THINK OF THE MEANING… THIS WAS TECHNICALLY THE TERMINUS, OR MOUTH OF THE OWENS RIVER ONCE THE AQUEDUCT FIRST OPENED, AND THUS APPROPRIATELY NAMED! IF THE HISTORY (FROM THE LATE 1800'S-TODAY)WAS'NT DIVERSE ENOUGH, THE GEOLOGY, GEOGRAPHY, & GEOMORPHOLOGY OF THE REGION IS EVEN MORE DIVERSE, COMPLEX, & AMAZING! HERE'S JUST A FEW RANDOM FACTS/FEATURES: WITHIN ~100 MILES YOU'VE GOT THE LARGEST LIVING THINGS ON EARTH: GIANT SEQUOIAS, THE OLDEST LIVING THINGS ON EARTH: ANCIENT BRISTLECONE PINES, THE HIGHEST LAKE IN THE U.S.: TULAINYO LAKE, THE LARGEST & 2ND DEEPEST ALPINE LAKE IN THE U.S.: LAKE TAHOE, THE SOUTHERNMOST 14,000 FOOT PEAK: MT. LANGLEY, THE HIGHEST POINT IN THE CONTIGUOUS US, MT. WHITNEY, THE LOWEST POINT IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE: BADWATER, DEATH VALLEY, THE DEEPEST CANYON IN THE U.S.: KINGS CANYON (MOST PEOPLE THINK IT'S THE GRAND CANYON, BUT IT IS NOT WHEN MEASURED FROM LOWEST POINT TO HIGHEST POINT ON THE CANYON RIM!), THE SOUTHERNMOST GLACIERS: THE PALISADE GLACIERS, THE HIGHEST RESEARCH FACILITY ON THE CONTINENT: SUMMIT LAB ON WHITE MTN. PEAK, ONE OF THE OLDEST FOSSIL BEDS ON THE CONTINENT: UNION WASH, INYO MOUNTAINS (PERMIAN-TRIASSIC) WHICH WERE ONCE UNDER THE SEA AND ARE NOW IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DESERT AT OVER 9,000 FEET!, & THERES LOTS, LOTS MORE! I HOPE THAT I MAY HAVE SCRATCHED THE SURFACE ON THE CACHE SPOT AND ITS TIES TO THE AREA AND ITS RICH HISTORY! THANKS FOR LOOKING!
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HC OL GUR SRAPR...VF N YNETR CVYR BS EBPXF...NAQ N AVPR IVRJ BS GUR NYNONZN FCVYYTNGR.