“Father of the Los Angeles Aqueduct” forever tied to Big Pine

Frederick Eaton, former Mayor of Los Angeles and known as the passed away March 11, 1934 and is buried in the Big Pine Crocker Cemetery. 

Mr. Eaton was born September 23, 1855 to Judge and Mrs. Benjamin Eaton. Mr. Eaton briefly attended Santa Clara College, but soon went to work of the LA City Water Co, and was its Superintendent by age nineteen. He then went to work as LA City Surveyor and was elected City Engineer. In 1899, when Los Angeles had a population of 102,479 persons, Mr. Eaton was elected Mayor and served for two years. Once public ownership had been secured, he proceeded to further develop his plan and design for a future aqueduct for Los Angeles. He invested his time and money in a detailed design outlining reservoirs and routes, electric power generation, and also future growth for the system extending North to the Mono basin. 

Now in his sixties, he then dedicated much of the remaining portion of his life to improving the Inyo Mono economy through the "Good Roads" program and building one of the largest poultry farms in the world outside of Big Pine. As local mining declined, he recognized the future of the area was tourism. Fred built the Whitmore Hot Springs for his daughter Helen to run as a resort to relax after fishing.  He ran for Mayor primarily to secure public ownership of the water system and had no interest in politics. Though as a Mayor, Fred was a social progressive and integrated African Americans into the LAPD and Fire Department, though the following Mayor reversed his policies. Fred and Helen Burdick married June 27, 1875 in Los Angeles, Ca.; they had 6 children.  Fred and Alice Slosson married June 23, 1906 and they had two children.