Rivers in the Desert: William Mulholland and the Inventing of Los Angeles

Interesting history of Los Angeles "water wars" in the early 20th century, casting William Mulholland as the flawed but heroic inventor of modern LA. His long tenure as the head engineer for the LA water department included the successful design and construction of a 290-mile aqueduct system from Owen Valley to LA, which unfortunately culminated in the collapse of one of the dams in the system, which killed 500 people and led to Mulholland's official blame. Fast-moving and timely history, given the ongoing problem of water in the population-exploding West.

Fans of the movie "Chinatown," Roman Polanski's classic detective melodrama, will love this true account of how desperately needed water was brought hundred of miles to Los Angeles, where growth in the early 20th century was rapidly outracing the city's meager water supply. Like the 1974 movie with John Huston and Jack Nicholson, the real story has villains and heroes worthy of the big screen. Fortunately, according to Hollywood Reporter, the book has been optioned by film writer/director Frank Darabont, who directed "Shawshank Redemption" and "The Green Mile." With any luck it will come to your theater one of these days. Liam Neeson would be perfect as William Mhulholland, the steely self-taught Irish immigrant who concocted a plan to-let's face it-steal an ocean of fresh water from unsuspecting farmers and ranchers in a pastoral valley far north of the thirsty city. "Rivers in the Desert" author Margaret Leslie Davis brings the struggle to build the giant aqueduct back to life with vivid word pictures and smart details. Scheming politicians, manipulative newspaper editors and the hard-drinking roustabouts who made them rich by digging deep channels and laying gigantic pipes under impossible conditions are all part of the story. Davis's crisp writing style carries the reader effortlessly through this saga of betrayal, triumph and finally disaster. This is a masterful description of one of history's greatest engineering feats and the real people who pulled it off. Though Muhlholland's reputation was unjustifiably sullied by the tragic collapse of one of his many dams, his incredible aqueduct is still a critical source of water for Los Angeles. This is one of only a handful of books that should be considered essential to anyone who wants to understand the creation of Southern California and all its attending myths.

The water we drink in Southern California still comes from the aqueduct built by Irish immigrant Mulholland. What is amazing is how Ms. Davis brings Mulholland to life; from his stubborn fights with politicians when building the Owen Valley aqueduct to his last tragic days after the St. Francis dam disaster (when he literally pulls out all his teeth with a pair of pliers)! Ms. Davis proves that Mulholland was not responsible for the St. Francis dam collapse. Culpability lies with politicians and graft which forced Mulholland to pick a reservoir site not to his liking. This biography shows that this entirely self-educated Irishman was one of the greatest engineers of his time. The men and women of the East coast get plenty of print; this book is about the American West and specifically about one the engineering marvels of the 20th century--an aqueduct still in use, the largest and longest in the country. Mulholland is more than just a scenic drive. Without him there would be no Los Angeles (for better or for worse!) It is impossible to even begin to understand Los Angeles without first reading this book. By the way, Ms. Davis writes marvelously.

This is the real story behind the movie "Chinatown." If you're interested in Los Angeles's history, this is an entertaining way to get it.