Chester Larson

Chester “Chico" or "Chet" Larson (1935 - January 20, 1969) was a that died in 1969, while trying to rescue hikers during a flood. Chico Larson Road in Lockwood Valley is named for him.
Biography
Larson worked in oil fields prior to joining the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department in 1964. He married Pat Larson and had two sons, Mark and Steve. In 1967, Larson was assigned to the remote Lockwood Valley substation, nearly thirty air miles from the sheriff’s headquarters in Ventura, California, where he lived with his family in the provided quarters.
Death
In mid-January of 1969, a massive storm lashed Southern California, dumping record amounts of rain on Ventura County. A group of campers became stranded at a cabin in Cottriel Flat, located on the Sespe Creek deep within the Los Padres National Forest. Robert Samples, of Canoga Park, led a group of six neighborhood boys camping in the forest. Samples and his group were met by Scott Eckersley, of Ojai, who after enduring the cold and rain, broke into a cabin to take shelter from the storm. After Samples failed to return from the camping trip, the sheriff’s department began a search Monday afternoon, January 20, 1969.
Larson was sent to assist Deputy Gary Creagle, meeting him at the Lion’s Camp campground. Larson was joined by Chief Petty Officer Robert Sears, a US Navy Seebee, and Ranger James Greenhill of the US Forest Service. Together, the three men rode a Navy bulldozer, from the Navy’s Rose Valley Test Site, across the Sespe Creek, making 18 crossings through the raging waters. Late Monday night, Larson radioed that he made contact with the campers. For unknown reasons, Larson and the rescuers made the decision to leave the safety of the cabin to walk out.
Around midnight, after struggling through mud, freezing wind, and torrential rainfall, the group reached one of the last crossings, near Bear Canyon. The group climbed on the bulldozer as it entered the creek. Initially shallow, the creek suddenly got deeper and the bulldozer partially sank. Water began to be thrown over the dozer blade and on to the engine, stalling the bulldozer mid-stream. Sears was unable to re-start the engine. He then lost his grip against the pull of the water, and was the first one to be drug from the bulldozer. The rest of the boys and men on the bulldozer were pulled off by the force of the raging creek until only Eckersley and Larson remained.
Larson fired his gun to attract any potential rescuers nearby and both men had a brief conversation about death. Then the strap holding both men broke and both Eckersley and Larson were swept into the creek. Eckersley was washed ashore just downstream while Larson was carried along by the water and drowned.
Out of the party of ten that attempted to cross the creek, only Eckersley survived, being rescued by a helicopter camera crew on January 21. Larson’s body was never recovered, along with three others. Also drowned were Robert and Ronald Cassol, Frank Donato, Frank Rauh, Daniel and Edward Salisbury, Robert Samples, Robert Sears, and James Greenhill.

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