Archived Story
Tuesday, May 4, 2004
One of the most fun aspects of writing this column for the past three years is that I never quit learning about some of the columns after they are printed. A good example of my continuing education is the subject of my first column, the flood of 1938.
The flood hit our area in late February. It was just one aspect of a flood that affected all of Southern California. The Los Angeles River was converted into the cement lined flood control channel it is today because of the flood. The Academy Awards were postponed for the first time also. By the time the flood was over it affected everything from the coast to Afton Canyon. In total the flood accounted for 79 deaths and $79 million in damage.
In our area the flood almost completely cut off the High Desert from the rest of Southern California. It washed out Route 66 near Helendale.
In town the flood was a fast moving juggernaut that cut off a number of people on a temporary island that was formed by water that branched the Mojave River around Buzzard Rock. It was estimated the flood made close to 600 people homeless. Despite all the property damage there was only one casualty.
The flood didn't completely bring bad news. After the water in the Mojave receded a large portion ended up in Silver Lake, an ice age era dry lake north of Baker. It was estimated that the water was 8-16 feet deep, 2.5 miles wide and 12 miles long. Some estimates said it would take two years for the water to completely dissipate. I have yet to find exactly how long Silver Lake held water.
L.L. Hardy of Baker saw the lake as an unique opportunity: motor boat races. On March 31 another Baker resident, Joe Gray, brought Hardy's idea to the Barstow Chamber of Commerce. Besides the newly filled lake, the location was ideal for the race because the hills nearby formed an natural amphitheater.
By the next meeting the chamber had approved the idea and appointed Joe Gray and the editor of the Barstow Printer-Review, Caryl Krouser, to head the effort.
The race was set for May 8. It was co-sponsored by the Barstow Chamber of Commerce, the City of Baker and the Southern California Outboard Racing Association. Two Baker residents, L.L. Hardy and G.C. Delgrado were brought in to help.
On May 5 it was announced that the "newest sport of water skiing" would be demonstrated. Water skiing got its start in the mid '20s in Wisconsin but obviously it was still new in Southern California. Some of the best boat racers in Southern California also promised to race.
To prepare for the races new piers were constructed at the north end of the lake and a parking area was graded. The organizers of the event were quite media savvy also. They got Fox Movietone News and Universal News to shoot newsreels of the races. They also invited Life Magazine and March of Time newsreel service to cover it, but there was no mention whether they showed up.
The event was free, but parking cost 50 cents. It was expected that race fans from as far as away as Los Angeles and Las Vegas would come to Baker.
As it seemed to be an almost mandatory custom at the time, a dance was held the night before the races to kick off the event. This dance was held at L.L. Hardy's place in Baker.
The day of the races brought an audience of 1,500 to 2,000. For some reason the expected Los Angeles and Las Vegas fans did not materialize. The event was hosted by "Commodore" Jack Taylor. His commentary and announcements were broadcast on a state of the art public address system that was lent by the Los Angles Bureau of Power and Light. The races were considered a big success.
This was just one of the big events of the spring of 1938. On April 3 the Pittsburgh Pirates came to town to play a local team. The weekend after the boat races, our community tried a new celebration called Calico Days.
This column marks the end of my third year of writing about the colorful history of our area. Thanks to everyone who reads Backward Glance and stops me at supermarket to suggest ideas. Thanks also to the many people who have helped write this column every week. Stay tuned! There is definitely some good stuff coming up.
STEVE SMITH is vice president of the Mojave River Valley Museum, (760) 256-5452. He can also be contacted at barstow@verizon.net