Wasn't there a big push to move LAX out there to the desert about the same time?
That article reminded me of the Lake Los Angeles scam I heard about a few years ago. The area is about 15 miles east of Palmdale, and in the 1960s water was pumped into a lake artificially while land was being sold. Once the initial developers sold all their holdings, the lake was allowed to dry up. Here's the Wikipedia page:
Lake Los Angeles, California
