The Porciúncula River, currently known as the Los Angeles River, is a major river in Los Angeles County, California.
Before channelization by the US Army Corps of Engineers, the LA River Basin was a dynamic system of floodplains and wetlands and the LA River would often shift around after major flooding events. During summer months the river would run dry then return with floods during winter.
The Los Angeles River was the main water source for the Los Angeles Basin. Indigenous communities adapted to the climate surrounding the river, maximizing agricultural crops by rerouting the natural flow of the river and constructing water wheels along the river.
The LA River provided water and food to the Tongva people, hunters and gatherers who lived primarily off fish, small mammals, and acorns from the oak trees along the river’s path. There were at least 45 Tongva villages near the Los Angeles River, concentrated in the San Fernando Valley and the Elysian Valley, what is now Glendale. After the Spanish established Mission San Gabriel in 1771, they referred to the Tongva living in that mission’s vicinity as Gabrieleño.
One-quarter of LA city’s residents live within a mile of the river.
pathways:
15.07.2024 / UC Davis / The Salmon Diaries: Life Before and After Klamath Dam Removal
17.05.2022 / Splice Today / Understanding Los Angeles: The L.A. River
02.22.2022 / NRDC / Developer Withdraws Casitas Project in Win For LA River