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Thursday, February 2, 2012

WHEN TYRONE AVENUE BECAME A RIVER IN 1952

CHERISHING OUR VALLEY    2012

60 years ago, the San Fernando Valley was still drying out and cleaning up after a terrific rain storm. To make life more exciting, streets such as Tyrone Avenue had little in the way of flood control. Inevitably, people on one of Richard Hilton's Museum walking tour of historic Van Nuys will tell a Tyrone Avenue rainy day story.  These images are from the old time Valley Times newspaper.

United States Post Office Van Nuys, California  January 1952 - Sylvan Street just west of Van Nuys Boulevard - photograph taken at dawn.  (Click on images to enlarge them.)

Raging waters pour along Tyrone Avenue at Magnolia Boulevard in historic Van Nuys, January 1952. When Tyrone Avenue was flooded, students had the "perfect" excuse for a day off. Enlarge this image to see the steam coming out of one vehicle.

Sand bags hopefully protected the merchants on Van Nuys Boulevard. January 17, 1952 at the corner of Gilmore Street.
 Automobile trapped in a flash flood at Victory Boulevard in Van Nuys, January 1952.

 Bill Mulvihill at left and Bill Mathews right wade in flood waters on Van Nuys Boulevard - 21 January 1952 - Archives of The Museum of the San Fernando Valley

1 comment:

leemell said...

Tyrone IS a stream bed. The stream is still there, just re-channeled under Van Nuys Bl. in a 6' pipe. Between Valerio and Sylmar the stream goes under VNB and into the pipe. This was put in place just a couple of years later because of the flood and leveling of VNB taking the 4' crown off the street. Some day people living on Tyrone will find out when there is enough rain and the overflow follows the old bed.