In the early 1900s, the city of Los Angeles needed a larger and more reliable water source. This led William Mulholland, the Water Bureau’s superintendent and chief engineer, to begin searching for suitable locations to build a dam.
Mulholland chose a location in the San Francisquito Canyon. The land was surveyed in December 1922. By July 1, 1924, the preliminary work was in place, and the dam was officially completed on May 4, 1926. Almost immediately, there were problems. Cracks started appearing in the concrete. Water seeped through some of the seams. Then the leaks began. Despite the problems, the structure was considered safe and doing well considering its size and the amount of water it was holding.
On March 12, 1928, a new leak was discovered. It was so large that the operators of the dam called Mulholland and asked him to come and take another look. For two hours, Mulholland and his assistant examined the dam and determined that there was no need for immediate work.
Twelve hours later, the St. Francis dam collapsed, sending a 140-foot (43-meter) wave flooding down the canyon, wiping out everything in its path. While no official death toll was ever established, it is known that more than 450 people lost their lives in the tragedy.
Here is the interesting part: The coroner’s inquest determined that Mulholland was right! There was nothing structurally wrong with the dam. The problem was not the dam, but rather its foundations! The canyon walls were not strong enough to hold that amount of pressure, so when the east wall gave out, the dam was washed downstream.
Foundations matter. Regardless of how well we build or how meticulous we are, if we are building on the wrong foundation, it will not last.
Jesus once said that listening to his teachings and putting them into practice is like building our lives on solid rock. Conversely, ignoring or discounting his instruction is like building on unstable sand (Matthew 7:24-27).
Most people spend a lot of time building their careers and lives, but they do not give much consideration to what underlies all that work.
What does your foundation look like?
“What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” (Mark 8:36)
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