The Owens Valley

This movement tells the story of William Mulholland and his mentor Fred Eaton’s 1904 journey from Los Angeles to the Owens Valley. Eaton convinced Mulholland to see the valley’s water supply firsthand, believing it could meet the growing needs of a rapidly expanding Los Angeles during a time of drought. The music reflects the vast landscapes they traveled through: open desert, snow-covered Sierra Nevada mountains, canyons, and dry riverbeds, before reaching the Owens River, a striking ribbon of water bringing life and green farmland to the valley. As the journey continues, the music acknowledges the farms, orchards, and communities already dependent on this water. It then turns darker as Mulholland realizes that taking the river south could help Los Angeles grow, but at the cost of an existing way of life in the Owens Valley and the parting of ways with his mentor, Fred Eaton.