Neither the government or private enterprise could satiate this quixotic dream of the garden of eden. Thus many people began migrating west in the hopes of settling by a paradise surrounded by running water and fertile land. In the 1880's there was a terrible blizzard in South Dakota and other midwestern states that was later on followed by a severe drought.
When the dam broke hundreds of people drowned to death and Mulholland went from being admired to being hated by the people. Francis Dam was safe despite obvious signs that it would collapse at any minute. In his dehydrated state he claimed that the St. Mulholland was then made superintendent of the LADWP and he became water crazed, and his already prideful demeanor was increased. When Fred Eaton was denied the amount of money he wanted to sell his water rights to the city of Los Angeles, he became embittered and settled on a ranch with a reservoir.
In their quest to bring water to Los Angeles they began buying land and consequently water rights from the Owens river that they would divert through aqueducts. Fred Eaton was the superintendent of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, during his time there he became good friends with Mulholland and began to groom him to be his successor. William Mulholland was an Irish immigrant who made his home and fortune in Los Angeles, he became part of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. In this chapter Reisner describes the bitter battle for water between the Owens Valley and Los Angeles. Reisner explains the significance of the Homestead Act of 1862 that pulled people to the West, 160 acres of land for a minimum filing fee and 5 years continuous residence of that land. Reisner goes into detail about many of the hallowed pioneers of the west such as Jedediah Smith who was the first to open the doors to California and John Wesley Powell's insane scientific quest to explore the wild, wild West, an entire 12 pages are dedicated to Powell and his expedition. He explains how the fashion fad of beaver hats were a huge contributor to the settlement of the west, many mountain men trekked westward in search of the ever elusive beaver pelt that was for some reason the greatest fashion craze in the 1820's. Reisner gives insight into important historical figures such as Meriwether Lewis and William Clark and their expedition to explore the frontier. This chapter provides historical context into the settlement of California.
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