Posted: March 30th, 2005

Construction crews working for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) near the future Los Angeles River State Historic Park (the Cornfield) have unearthed portions of the Zanja Madre, the “Mother Trench” that first brought water from the Los Angeles River to El Pueblo de Los Angeles beginning in 1781. The Center has sent a demand letter asking MTA to halt construction so as not to jeopordize the Zanja Madre. To view the letter click here.

The importance of the Zanja Madre to the history of early Los Angeles is detailed in our report The Cornfield and the Flow of History: People, Place, and Culture.

Pictures taken at the seen of the construction site document the damage done to this important symbol of Los Angeles history.