1968 aerial photo of Savage Dam, a concrete arch gravity structure 149 feet high. The dam is named in honor of H. N. Savage, who directed its construction. Originally built in 1897 as an earthfill and steel structure called the Otay Dam, heavy rains in 1916 (ostensibly the work of the 'rainmaker' Charles Hatfield) caused the dam to burst. A wall of water 40 feet high went downstream, destroying buildings and bridges, and washing of tons of wreckage into San Diego Bay. The dam was rebuilt as Savage Dam in 1918, and has functioned properly since.