The Silent Film Quarterly・!27
A Real-Life Cowboy: William S. Hart and the St. Francis Dam Disaster by E.J. Stephens In 1928, 40 miles northwest of Los Angeles, the St. Francis Dam burst less than two years after its completion. Claiming more than 600 lives, it was one of the deadliest disasters in American history until that time. The saga of the dam has been told many times—but in this article, film historian and author E.J. Stephens tells a lesser-known story about the small impact made by one of the silent screen’s biggest stars. ・・・ I download the directions and climb in the car. Soon, I find myself two miles north of Saugus, California peering to the west
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towards a clump of trees on the side of a barren hill. Squinting, I can just barely make out a white marker. This is the place. I follow a dirt driveway down into a driedup creek bed. A “Do Not Enter” sign momentarily halts my progress, but since there is no place to turn around, I cautiously proceed on up the hill towards a house where my car is immediately surrounded by several breeds of barking dogs. I think better about staying and throw the car into reverse just as a friendly woman opens the front door and assures me that my life is in no danger. I tell her I’m there to see the Ruiz Cemetery. “Are you a family member?” she asks. “No,” I say, surprised that there are still living Ruiz descendants after what happened in 1928. “I’ve just always wanted to see it,” I add.
