Inside the nine-year battle to save the bicentennial mural on Prado Dam

As thousands of Southern Californians drove to Fourth of July parties, they passed a patriotic display enjoying its own anniversary.

The 664-foot-wide by 120-foot-tall Prado Dam Bicentennial Mural, located near the intersection of the 91 and 71 freeways near Corona, turned 50. The mural message is easily seen from the highway roughly 750 feet away: “200 Years of Freedom, 1776-1976.”

“The fact it’s still here is a point of pride for many people in the Inland Empire,” said Peter Schaefer, who co-designed the mural along with the recently deceased Ron Kammeyer. “It’s our tribute to America.”

The one-time fading mural was saved from destruction after a nine-year battle by local residents, civic leaders, businesses and governmental agencies, who celebrated its restoration in 2023.

Several leaders from that movement reunited for the first time in three years, sharing memories along with the mural’s meaning this Fourth of July weekend.

Here’s a look at their efforts.

An aerial view of community coordinators visiting the Prado Dam Bicentennial Mural at Prado Dam.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Prado Dam

Inland Empire students, mostly from Corona High School, painted the bicentennial mural on the 1000-by-1000 Prado Dam Spillway in the lead-up to America’s 200th celebration in 1976.

The Dam and adjacent reservoir sit about two miles west of Corona and regulate the Santa Ana River, providing flood risk management.

The words “200 Years of Freedom” were painted in red, while the digits “1776-1976” included red, white and blue stripes with white stars at the top. The mural includes what Schaefer called the largest “depiction of the Liberty Bell in the United States.”

“If you grew up anywhere close to the dam, this was something you took pride in,” said Peter Usle, former president of the Bicentennial Freedom Mural Conservancy, a group tasked with saving the mural.

One drawback with outdoor art is decay, and the mural was fading into the 2000s.

“There was graffiti, and you couldn’t really make out most of the numbers and letters,” said Jim McCabe, a mural preservationist.

By 2014, the Army Corps of Engineers declared its intent to remove the mural with no immediate plans for restoration.

A community rallied around its monument

Shortly after, Usle, the McCabe family and other community members founded the Friends of the Prado Dam Mural, a group dedicated to the painting’s preservation.

Usle’s group created a petition in 2015, hoping to convince the Army Corps of Engineers and local politicians to halt the mural’s destruction.

That petition raised nearly 38,000 signatures and had hundreds of pages of supportive comments. The effort preceded several rounds of town hall meetings.

“Our lives were full of meetings,” Usle said.

Meanwhile, Kammeyer, the mural co-designer, sued the Army Corps of Engineers. But courts backed the plan to remove the mural on multiple occasions.

Then the tides seemed to turn: In 2015, a judge issued an injunction, preventing the mural’s destruction until all legal issues had been resolved.

But the victory didn’t last. The mural failed to gain historic status, and the injunction expired in 2019, leaving the mural subject to destruction.

An unexpected twist

In 2022, the Army Corps of Engineers reversed course. It agreed to restore the mural thanks to $2.5 million in federal funding that Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Corona) helped secure.

A recently created Bicentennial Freedom Mural Conservancy was tasked with raising an additional $140,000 for the restored mural.

Groups, businesses and several families sponsored individual parts of the mural. Letters were $2,000 each, while numbers were $10,000. The stars were $1,000, and the Liberty Bell was $12,000.

“Most of us weren’t around when the first mural went up,” Jim McCabe said. “This was our chance to join the legacy.”

A groundbreaking was held in September 2022, while the restored mural was re-introduced June 2, 2023.

“This was about celebrating our patriotism and joining with those who originally took part in this mural,” he said, “while also handing something down to the next generation.”

The week’s biggest stories

Michael Marshall, left, of Paso Robles, and Dalton Smith, center, of Templeton, watch the sky light up with fireworks over the ocean and pier in Huntington Beach on July 4, 2024.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Fireworks may bring ‘hazardous’ air quality to SoCal

• L.A.’s Fourth of July fireworks tradition is expected to push air pollution to hazardous levels across much of Southern California through Sunday afternoon, regulators warn.
• Here’s how to keep your pet safe at home during the holiday weekend, and what to do if you lose your pet or find someone else’s.
• Think twice before setting off illegal fireworks. A police drone might be watching.

SoCal’s housing market growth

• SpaceX’s record-shattering IPO has unleashed a wave of high-end home shoppers poised to reshape Southern California’s already tight coastal housing markets.
• Los Angeles approved a $2-billion mega development that will alter the downtown L.A. skyline.

LeBron leaves the Lakers

• The LeBron Era is over. After eight seasons, James parted ways with the Lakers.
• James is an unrestricted free agent, and the early timing of his decision allows the Lakers to approach free agency with an almost clean slate.

What else is going on

• California will return a stretch of coast to Indigenous tribes. “This is beyond huge.”
• Noncitizen voting was gaining steam in L.A. Then fears of a Trump backlash scuttled the plan.
• This California city has banned yoga classes at beaches and parks. One instructor is fighting back.
• A California HOA threatens fines for flying the U.S. flag. Some residents are fighting back.
• Are three City Council meetings a week too much? L.A. voters will decide.

Must-read

California

Faces and voices of Angelenos on America’s 250th

We asked people across Southern California what the milestone means to them — and about their hopes for the nation as it celebrates its independence.

July 2, 2026

Other must-reads

• Column: Mission San Juan Capistrano is also turning 250. It has lessons for America.
• Mel Brooks at 100: Eight scenes that define a comedy legend.

For your downtime

(Illustrations by Lindsey Made This; photograph by Richard Shotwell / Invision / AP)

Going out

• Sunday, Funday: Here’s how to spend your perfect, carefree Sunday in Los Angeles, according to actor Ken Marino.
• Movies: Here are the 10 movies you need to see in L.A. this month.
• Camping: Where to camp last minute near Los Angeles for Fourth of July weekend.

Staying in

• Books: A different path than beloved Bourdain: Eddie Huang is writing a fresh chapter.
• Movies and television: This Fourth of July weekend, take a closer look at America with these 9 movies and TV series.
• 🥗 Here’s a recipe for slow-roasted salmon with miso barbecue sauce.
• ✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and jigsaw games.

L.A. Affairs

Get wrapped up in tantalizing stories about dating, relationships and marriage.

Lifestyle

L.A. Affairs: He wanted L.A. I wanted New York. A panic attack changed everything

For my relationship, I agreed to move back to Los Angeles. Was I doing the right thing? At this point in my life, would Southern California be a good fit?

July 3, 2026

Have a great day, from the Essential California team

Hailey Branson-Potts, staff reporter
Hugo Martín, assistant editor, fast break desk
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Andrew J. Campa, weekend writer
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters

How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com. Check our top stories, topics and the latest articles on latimes.com.