Since I started scanning and documenting the huge collection of Glass Plate Negatives (GPN) at work, there has always been a few that really caught my eye and became my favorites. Such being the one below. I would take the 8″ x 10″ GPN out of its falling apart sleeve, hold it up to the light and see what it was and in which collection it belonged. Most of these negatives were in the original boxes. Some not, just thrown into other boxes. I had to take a second look at this one. Is that a foot I see? I scanned it and blew it up and it sure does look like a foot! And a couple of workers taking a smoke break.

The original 1881 tunnel from the first dam to Lake Montebello was dug through rock. The new dam of 1915, just upstream from the old dam, was connected to the old tunnel by a steel conduit. The second picture below shows the steel conduit dropping down to meet the old one.

I enlarged the center section and superimposed onto the corner.

Workers posing, which makes me wonder how much work would slow down if the cell phone/selfie was around back then?