Landmark #50
Landmark #50 in context, originally uploaded by lavocado@sbcglobal.net.
Tucked away on this suburban cul de sac is an historical landmark only a hydrologist would love, and only a Department of Water and Power employee gets to see. It is the well where the Mission San Fernando got its water. The location for the mission was chosen because of the wetland here. Missions San Gabriel and San Buenaventura had been built, and the missionaries wanted another one between the two. There was not enough water directly along the "Camino Real" which connected the missions, so they chose a place near here which is a little out of the way.
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power owns the land, and is still pumping water here. You have to peer through chain link fence even to see the historical marker, and you can't see the remnants of the well itself at all. I met a DWP employee at the gate and we talked a moment. He wondered why the site was not developed for visitors, and concluded that no one wanted to spend the money. There's so much more glamour in the mission itself, and plenty of money has been spent on it. In fact, it has been rebuilt twice. To me, the story of the water is many times more interesting. Another blogger's view of this great landmark can be seen at: http://bigorangelandmarks.blogspot.com/search/label/Sylmar He did not find it quite as fascinating as I do, but he found an interesting picture at the city planning department.
The olive trees you see are very old. The area was once the largest olive orchard in the world.