Description Former farmhouse of "Hart" owned by the City of Los Angeles. Unidentified mountains in background. Dilapidated fence with gate in front of farmhouse. Text on back of photograph in hand of J. D. Black: "Formerly Hart Home city Purchased 1923." Title supplied by cataloger.
Historical Background To meet the need for water of its growing population, the City of Los Angeles began buying land and corresponding water rights in the Owens Valley in 1905, starting the famous Owens Valley Water Controversy. In 1913, the great Los Angeles Aqueduct was completed to bring Owens Valley water to the city. In the 1920s, the City of Los Angeles began additional large-scale purchases of land in the valley to increase its supply of water from the valley, resulting in the city's almost complete control of the valley's agricultural land. This led to a decline in the valley's agricultural infrastructure. A resident of Big Pine and leader of resistance against Los Angeles, J. D. Black (1893-1960) used such photographs as these to document the deterioration of the valley under Los Angeles rule.