Los Angeles River
The Los Angeles River runs about 50 miles from San Fernando Valley to Long Beach before it flows into the Pacific Ocean. It drops 800 feet over the 50 miles before reaching the ocean, which is a steep drop. It is 30-60 feet wide, and in one area it goes up to 500 feet wide. The river was important to the history of Los Angeles because it provided food and water to the Native Americans. The river was the only source of water for Los Angeles until the Los Angeles Aqueduct was built in 1913.
The Los Angeles River flooded many times in 1914, 1934, and 1938 causing a lot of damage and deaths. As a result of the last flood in 1938, the Army Corps of Engineers lined the river with concrete and built the Sepulveda (lowest point) Dam to prevent further flooding.
La Brea Tar Pits
The La Brea Tar Pits, one of the largest finds of Pleistocene fossils, are in downtown Los Angeles. Pleistocene fossils are Ice Age fossils. Back in the Ice Age, tar came up from underground and formed pools of tar (black, sticky oil). When it rained the tar pits were covered with water. Animals thought it was a place to get a drink of water but they would get stuck in the tar instead. The tar pits looked like water holes when it rained. Then the animals died because they could not get out of the tar pit and could not get food or water. When animals lived in the Ice Age there were fossils from 59 species of mammals, 135 species of birds and tons of saber-tooth cat bones found in the tar. Wolves, bears, mammoths, camels, and lions were found. Up until 1901, all the scientists thought only cattle lived during the Ice Age. Animals like wolves, bears, mammoths, lions were found. Native Americans found the tar very useful. Tar helped them because they used it as a glue to make canoes and baskets. The tar made a tight seal and was waterproof. Early settlers used the tar as a roofing material, which people still do today. California's state fossil is a saber-toothed cat because that's what the scientists found the most of in the tar pits. The residents (animals) of Los Angeles back during the Ice Age were very different compared to the Los Angeles residents (humans) today!