HONORING HEROES OF 1928 FLOOD; PLANS UNDER WAY TO MEMORIALIZE EVENTS, SURVIVORS.

Byline: Don Holland Daily News Staff Writer

In the predawn darkness of March 12, 1928, two motorcycle officers raced along the Santa Clara River, warning the slumbering residents of the approaching wall of water from the collapsed St. Francis Dam.

A few miles away in Saticoy, switchboard operators, uncertain whether they would survive the flood, feverishly telephoned those in harm's way.

Despite the sentinels' warnings, the deluge killed an estimated 450 people as it swept down from remote San Francisquito Canyon, through the valley below, finally into the Pacific Ocean.

Although the failure of the St. Francis Dam remains California's second-deadliest natural disaster ever - behind only the toll of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and fire - it has remained cloaked in relative obscurity, along with the extraordinary deeds of ordinary people.

Now, in preparation for the disaster's 75th anniversary in four years, communities devastated by the dam's breach are planning a series of outdoor sculptures to recognize the survivors and those who gave of themselves during the region's darkest hour.

``We could have put up a monument that was just a plaque with the names of the victims on it,'' said John Nichols, creative consultant on the project. ``But we thought about taking the heroic acts that occurred that evening and memorializing the disaster through something that was dramatic and artistic.''

Sculptor Eric Richards has completed a model of what will be Santa Paula's offering: a steel sculpture of the two police officers racing through town.

``I grew up here in the Santa Clara Valley, so I was very aware of the flood and knew of the people on the motor bikes long ago,'' said Richards, a Santa Paula resident. ``I concluded that the motorcyclists represented specifically Santa Paula's contribution to the heroic endeavors.

``Because we were really trying to focus on the heroes rather than on the tragedy, it seemed that these two individuals really did save quite a few people, and they came from Santa Paula.''

Titled ``The Warning,'' Richards' sculpture features the two officers as they were stopped by floodwaters. Rather than casting the larger-than-life-size piece in bronze, Richards decided to fabricate the sculpture from steel. Not only is the steel fabrication less expensive, but repairing damage caused at any time by vandals is easier and less costly.

Mary Alice Orcutt Henderson, chairwoman of the Santa Paula Historical Society, said the memorial project is a team effort by cities, historical societies and other organizations, from Santa Clarita, near the dam site, to Ventura. Even the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, which built the St. Francis Dam, is behind the project.

Each community along the 54-mile path of destruction will select its own local heroes for the project.

Later this month, the St. Francis Dam Memorial Executive Committee plans to launch its first major solicitation for money. Each of the sculptures is expected to cost between $30,000 and $50,000. Organizers hope all pieces will be completed by March 2003.

``One of the major concepts is to make this a tourism enhancement project,'' said Nichols, who is preparing a small exhibit of the disaster for his Santa Paula photo gallery. ``In addition to being something about history and a memorial and an art project, it's also something to enhance the experience of driving up and down the Heritage Valley.''

Nichols, who last year curated a special St. Francis Dam exhibit at the Santa Paula Union Oil Museum, said despite the death toll and widespread destruction, the disaster nevertheless has remained in relative obscurity. Some, he said, blame the Department of Water and Power for keeping it out of the spotlight of popular knowledge.

``When I first heard about the St. Francis Dam, I thought, Why didn't I hear more about this? It's a major event in California history, and yet, it's so under-recognized,'' Nichols said.

``For a while, there was just nothing about it. No books in print. . . . I think it's because this happened in a rural area, and things that happen in rural areas just don't get as much attention.''

HOW TO CONTRIBUTE

Tax-deductible donations to the project will be held by the Ventura County Community Foundation. Donations may be sent to the St. Francis Dam Memorial Project, c/o Santa Clara Valley Bank, 901 E. Main St., Santa Paula, CA 93060.

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos, Box, Map

PHOTO (1) The St. Francis Dam lies in ruins after its collapse on March 12, 1928. The ensuing flood took an estimated 450 lives as it swept down from the San Francisquito Canyon through the valley below.

Delmar Watson Photography Archives

(2) Eric Richards works on the model of a steel sculpture of the two officers who raced along the Santa Clara River warning residents.

BOX: HOW TO CONTRIBUTE (See text)

MAP: DAM COLLAPSE