It’s hard to believe Los Angeles has a river. A water way that cuts right in the middle of the urban jungle it’s developed to be. Most would think the 405  as the city’s life line, but in fact LA has a stream of water that is vital and active with wildlife, decorated with interesting graffiti, and a subculture all on its own.

river biseceted by man

A brief history:

The river was a source of water and sustenance for the Garielino Indians that lived in the LA Basin. Villages were formed near the riverbanks and boats were used to travel from one village to the next. The river provided fish, small animals, and native oaks grew along the river’s pathway. Since then, the LA river has been a source of water for the LA basin and stays dry for most of the year except for winter when it’s the cities rainy season.

Like the city itself, the rivers path was once unpredictable and unstable constantly changing the location where it discharged. The mouth of the river would move between Long Beach and Ballona Creek. In the 19th century, river’s mouth changed direction once again, “turning southwest after leaving the Glendale Narrows, where it joined Ballona Creek and discharged into Santa Monica Bay in present Marina del Rey,” (Wikipedia)

Catastrophic floods still continued well into the 20th century which lead officials of the city to take drastic control measures. “The Army Corps of Engineers began an ambitious project of completely encasing the river’s bed and banks in concrete, with only a trickle of water usually flowing down its middle,” (Wikipedia)

Since then, the mighty river has been reduced to a flood control channel, fed by storm drains.LA River