Homer
Hamlin was born August 27, 18642 in Pine Island,
Minnesota. He attended public schools of the state,
taught country school, and had one year of college
at Rochester, Minnesota.
At
twenty two years of age he moved to San Diego,
California, where, after some time spent in the
city engineering department he was employed by
various private engineering enterprises.
In
1894 Mr. Hamlin removed to Los Angeles and spent
the next seven years in the departments of the
County Surveyor and the City Engineer.
January
1899 he was appointed Chief Deputy of Field Forces,
City Engineer, and served the following three
years. Upon leaving this position in 1901 Mr.
Hamlin joined the United States Reclama¬tion
Service where he was engineer for the Yuma project
during the construction of the Laguna Dam across
the Colorado River.
In
August of 1906 Mr. Hamlin was appointed City Engineer
of Los Angeles, and served in this office to July
1917. During his terms as City Engineer he completed
the Outfall Sewer, a series of tunnels in water
bearing formation which had been abandoned as
unfeasible by previous contractors. He served
on the Aqueduct, and supervised notable engineering
and construction works of this locality. Among
these were professional services on the Los Angeles
Harbor; the Hill Street Tunnel; and the adoption
of the Trilby rail under his technical advice.
In
1909, Mr. Hamlin actively campaigned for acquisition
of a strip of land known as the Shoe String, connecting
Los Angeles with San Pedro and Wilmington.
Upon
leaving the office of City Engineer Mr. Hamlin
engaged in private practice of his profession
of civil and con¬sulting Engineer.
Homer
Hamlin was largely a self educated engineer. Studiously
disposed he made extensive and specialized researches
in geology, and technical phases of his profession.
His report on the Salinas Valley water resources
was one of his important geological studies. At
one time Mr. Hamlin was identified with the development
of Southern California oil fields.
A
few months prior to his death he made an expedition
down the Colorado River to Yuma, Arizona to study
the possibilities of the great storage enterprise
at the lower end of the Grand Canyon at Boulder
Canyon, While a delegate of the Association of
Water Users of the Salt River Valley, in connection
with the Salt River Irrigation Project, Mr. Hamlin
died May 14, 19201 in Washington, D. C.
During
his tenure as City Engineer motion picture production
began in Hollywood. The first municipal wharf
at Port Los Angeles was completed.