The History of Huntington Lake

Read more about the history of Huntington Lake in California.

The Western Mono People

Upon first glance, you would never guess that  beautiful Huntington Lake is man-made. Before the lake was created, it was a basin used by the Western Mono people during the summer and fall seasons.

The original stream bed that ran through the basin provided a plethora of natural resources for the Native Americans in the area. Deer and fish were plenty, as were local berries and nuts such as strawberries, gooseberries, elderberries, pine nuts, and acorns.

The Big Creek Hydroelectric Project

In 1886, John Eastwood saw the plentiful water source and noticed the 4,500-foot drop in elevation from the basin to the San Joaquin Valley floor. He hoped to harness this natural element as a source of hydropower for Southern California.

It wasn’t until 1902 that Eastwood, working for Pacific Light and Power Company, selected Big Creek as the site for the hydroelectric project. Construction began in 1909 and continued until 1929 with a total of six dams, eight tunnels, three lakes (Huntington, Florence, and Shaver), five powerhouses, and 248 miles of steel tower transmission lines.

At the time, the “Big Creek Hydroelectric Project” was considered the greatest engineering achievement, second only to the Panama Canal.

The Creation of Huntington Lake

Three of the dams built during the Big Creek project were used to create the new man-made lake, with Huntington Lake itself being completed in 1913. In 1919, the height of the three dams was raised, increasing the lake’s storage capacity.

Today, Southern California Edison (SCE) operates the project’s dams and controls the water levels of the lakes. SCE lowers the water level of Huntington Lake in the fall after the peak recreation season to prepare for snowmelt and spring rains.

Huntington Lake and World War II

Huntington Lake was made famous when a World War II B-24 Liberator with six men crashed into the lake in December of 1943. Due to loss of hydraulic power, the pilot needed to make an emergency landing during a severe snowstorm and mistook the frozen lake for a mountain meadow. Two of the six men survived. Remains of the plane are still at the bottom of the lake.