People Gallery

CRA People

The Colorado River Aqueduct was the largest public works project in Southern California during the Great Depression. It employed more than 35,000 people during its 8 ½ years of construction. During the height of construction, as many as 10,000 people were on Metropolitan’s payrolls or those of its contractors. Here are some photos of the people who were involved in the building of this epic public works project.

Dr. Sidney Garfield and Nurse Betty Runyen at Contractors General Hospital, Desert Center, 1934; photo courtesy Kaiser Permanente.
Hospital
The Julia B on the Colorado River, near Parker, AZ with LA city surveyors, 1931.
LA city surveyors
San Jacinto tunnel, 1931.
San Jacinto tunnel, 1931.
Thousand Palms Siphon, 1935.
Thousand Palms Siphon
Eagle Mountain Pumping Plant construction, 1936.
Eagle Mountain Pumping Plant construction
Metropolitan's Ellis Davey and LADWP's B.W. Weaver turn valve to allow Colorado River water into LA city water system at Ascot Reservoir, June 17, 1941; photo courtesy LADWP.
Metropolitan's Ellis Davey and LADWP'
Utah Construction Company’s school at West Iron Mountain with Miss Alice McChesney, 1934.
Utah Construction Company’s school
Photographic party, including Mr. and Mrs. Fred A. Parrish, on banks of Colorado River, 1931.
Photographic party, including Mr
A heavy freeze at an early CRA camp, c. 1934.
A heavy freeze
Ben Arp’s West Iron Mountain Tunnel hole through cake, 1935.
Ben Arp’s West Iron Mountain
Faces of Colorado River Workers from the San Jacinto Tunnel Project, 1939.
Faces of Colorado River Workers from the San Jacinto Tunnel Project, 1939.
LA city survey team exploring possible CRA routes, 1927.
LA city survey team exploring possible CRA routes
Office staff for San Jacinto Tunnel construction workers at Banning Headquarters, 1935.
Office staff for San Jacinto Tunnel construction workers at Banning Headquarters, 1935.
X -ray machine to test welds on steel pipes, 1937.
Citizens for Colorado River Water Committee office
1000 Palms No. 2 Engineer using plumb bob for tunnel alignment check, 1934.
1000 Palms No. 2 Engineer using plumb bob for tunnel alignment check, 1934.
Motor room at Intake Pumping Plant, July 1938.
Motor room at Intake Pumping Plant
Wide Canyon Engineer Walt Ayers with model of transition structure built to scale, 1935.
Wide Canyon Engineer Walt Ayers with model of transition structure built to scale, 1935.
Early Greyhound bus travelling between CRA camps, c. 1935.
Early Greyhound bus travelling
First Metropolitan board meeting in Pasadena, Dec. 1928.
First Metropolitan board meeting in Pasadena
Pushwalla Camp mess hall kitchen staff, July 1933.
Pushwalla Camp mess hall kitchen staff
Berdoo tunnel workers firing last shot, 1936.
Berdoo tunnel workers firing last shot
Big band dance near Banning field headquarters, Nov. 1934.
Big band dance near Banning field headquarters
Locomotive and muck car in Little Morongo Tunnel, 1934.
Locomotive and muck car in Little Morongo Tunnel