1. Panama & Los Angeles: The
Waterworks That Made the
American West
By Jessica Jefferson
History 141

2. Panama Canal
Creating a passage through the
Isthmus of Panama would greatly
increase efficiency of trade and
travel between the Atlantic and
Pacific oceans. In 1881 the French
unsuccessfully tried to cut a canal,
and in 1904 the U.S. took over at
the urging of Theodore Roosevelt
with Chief engineer John Stevens
and civil engineer George
Washington Goethals in charge.

3. Panama Canal
Tropical disease threatened the work force, but expert William
Gorgas amazingly eradicated yellow fever, and helped to control
mosquitos carrying malaria.

4. Panama Canal
The Canal workers
had every
commodity made
available to them
due to the amount
of time spend
working and the
difficulty of that
work. Free housing,
electricity, and good
pay made the
sacrifices worth
while.

5. Panama Canal
The US spent $352 million, and 1915 the Panama Canal opened,
running 10 miles from the Atlantic Ocean south, and then
eastward to the Pacific. The passage of the first ship through the
canal took nine hours and forty minutes. George Washington
Goethals was instrumental in achieving the canals completion
two years ahead of schedule.

6. Los Angeles Aqueduct
The natural geography of the Los Angeles are did not
provide enough water for the rapidly growing city.
William Mulholland, after working with the City Water
Company and becoming superintendent, set out to
solve the problem.

7. Los Angeles Aqueduct
The Owens Valley River
seemed the best source, but
acquisition of the land would
prove troublesome. Many
who sold there land were
upset when they discovered
that it would not be used for
local industries, but would be
for the city of Los Angeles.
President Theodore
Roosevelt finally made the
decision that the rights to the
Owens River water should be
to Los Angeles.

8. Los Angeles Aqueduct
The construction which began in 1908 brought workers from all
over the world, breaking world records in construction and the
project was finished 20 months ahead of schedule.

9. Los Angeles Aqueduct
Mulholland with little-to-no
education oversaw one of the
greatest engineering feats of
all time. The Aqueduct
brought four times the
amount of water necessary to
Los Angeles, supporting the
rapid growth that followed.
The success of the project
was not shared by all. Owens
Valley residents tried to buy
as much neighboring land as
possible.