![American Experience](https://image.pbs.org/contentchannels/zoZJOtC-white-logo-41-2rEQNrf.png?format=webp&resize=200x)
Chapter 1 | Flood in the Desert
Clip: Season 34 Episode 3 | 10m 34sVideo has Closed Captions
Watch a preview of Flood in the Desert.
Explore the 1928 dam collapse, the second deadliest disaster in California history.
Corporate sponsorship for American Experience is provided by Liberty Mutual Insurance and Carlisle Companies. Major funding by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
![American Experience](https://image.pbs.org/contentchannels/zoZJOtC-white-logo-41-2rEQNrf.png?format=webp&resize=200x)
Chapter 1 | Flood in the Desert
Clip: Season 34 Episode 3 | 10m 34sVideo has Closed Captions
Explore the 1928 dam collapse, the second deadliest disaster in California history.
How to Watch American Experience
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![When is a photo an act of resistance?](https://image.pbs.org/curate/portrait_thumbnail_a-2-qk5s8o.jpg?format=webp&resize=860x)
When is a photo an act of resistance?
For families that just decades earlier were torn apart by chattel slavery, being photographed together was proof of their resilience.Providing Support for PBS.org
Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipBeginning in the 1930s, large dams were built on important watersheds. (1m 48s)
The Paiute people built sophisticated irrigation canals to channel water in California. (55s)
Explore the 1928 dam collapse, the second deadliest disaster in California history. (1m 51s)
In 1922, Mulholland began building the St. Francis Dam to meet the needs of Los Angeles. (52s)
Providing Support for PBS.org
Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipCorporate sponsorship for American Experience is provided by Liberty Mutual Insurance and Carlisle Companies. Major funding by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.