2. Great Expectations
California’s infrastructure was established
90 years after becoming a state. It required a
state wide water system for it to be
inhabitable and productive. California
established legal and political framework for
irrigation districts, this later would turn
southern California into an agricultural
empire. President Roosevelt promised the
South Pacific compensation for railroad
companies after they saved Southern
California from being flooded, however
Congress did not agree with Roosevelt and
refused to pay. There was a rising population in
Los Angeles and the Bay area, which meant
California needed more water and quickly.
3. Great Expectations
Each city in Southern California established their own
administrative board to create a water plan for
themselves.
It took four to six years to construct the Los Angeles
water system but all of the systems in southern California
caused a lot of damage to the environment. They needed
to re-think the water plan.
One such plan was the Nolen plan which was created
by the most notable architects of the generation. The
monumental Hoover Dam was constructed between
1930 and 1935. And lastly, the Golden Gate Bridge was
built in San Francisco between 1933 and 1937.
