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Lost LA
The Firefall: The Yosemite Tourist Attraction That Couldn’t Exist Today
If the idea of a waterfall made of fire seems too good to be true, that's because it is. The firefall — which was a virtual waterfall but made of fire — was a completely artificial construct created as a gimmick using bonfire embers thrown over a cliff to entertain the crowds of Yosemite. But the crowds it drew for nearly a century was also the reason it came to an end; the throngs of visitors were damaging the delicate meadow adjacent to Camp Curry in order to view the Glacier Point spectacle. Park Ranger Scott Gediman was a young boy when the nightly event stopped but still vividly recalls it as "the coolest thing I've ever seen in my life!"
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26:50
American history has long been told as a triumphant march westward from the Atlantic coast, but in southern California, our history stretches back further in time.
28:32
In this episode, "Lost LA" examines how the modern metropolis has reshaped its own topography. The program explores downtown L.A.'s lost hills and tunnels, as well as the vanished canals of Venice Beach.
20:57
In this episode, "Lost LA" explores the various ways Southern California's inhabitants have used the hills around Dodger Stadium.
