hetch hetchy valley john muir summary

Hetch Hetchy was part of Yosemite National Park, which meant that it was federal property. Initial opposition came from the lightly populated eastern Central Valley where there were two irrigation districts in Modesto and Turlock with their own eyes on the Tuolomne River watershed. Muir … As the Merced flows in tranquil beauty through Yosemite, so does the Tuolumne through Hetch-Hetchy. Hetch Hetchy is the name of a valley, a reservoir and a water system in California in the United States. We are going to keep up the good fight without fear or favor, 'if it shall take until doomsday. John Muir won the crusade to get Yosemite National Park created, but lost the battle to save Hetch Hetchy Valley from being submersed by a reservoir for San Francisco. If we could return Hetch Hetchy to a more natural state — of the variety that stirred John Muir’s soul a century ago — would we be clearing a path for the emergence of Yosemite Valley 2.0? (op.cit. John Muir rallied other groups, such as the Appalachian Mountain Club and the Saturday Walking Club in Chicago, to oppose the plan, but lacking the active participation of California conservationists, the campaign was unable to derail the project. 1910 Map of Hetch Hetchy Valley and Surrounding Region, Giving a Dam; Congress Debates Hetch Hetchy. The women of the conservation crusade had worked hard to preserve the valley as an integral part of the park. ', For information about this website, e-mail: John Muir, who led the opposition, wrote beautifully about the valley, calling it “one of Nature's rarest and most precious mountain temples.” He appealed to the nation, asking what else might be at stake if we allowed the creation of a “water tank” in this national park. Although 2. For years, city officials had been wanting to dam the Hetch Hetchy Valley 167 miles away in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Hetchy-Hetch was used shortly after as a reservoir and water system for the Bay Area. Vineet N wrote a review Jun 2019. In the early 20th century, San Francisco flooded the Hetch Hetchy Valley, destroying "one of nature's rarest and most precious mountain temples." Hetch Hetchy valley is in Yosemite National Park, about 190 miles east of San Francisco in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. But there was a catch. — from The Yosemite (1912) "The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness." The Hetch Hetchy Valley, California, undated painting by Albert Bierstadt (black and white). Situated inside Yosemite National Park, the Hetch Hetchy Valley was described by John Muir as “ one of nature’s rarest and most precious mountain temples.” It was one of the most spectacular landscapes on earth, and it was protected for a reason. The City built a dam and reservoir, drowning this beautiful valley, even though other less-damaging sites existed. The battle for Hetch Hetchy was perhaps the first effort at what is now known as "grassroots lobbying," getting individual citizens to contact elected officials in support of or opposition to legislation. to Hetch Hetchy: "Let me assure you that we have only begun to fight, and we are not going to rest until we have established the principle 'that our National Parks shall be hold forever inviolate,' and until we have demonstrated to the satisfaction of every one, including yourself, that the American people stand for that principle. the Sierra Club lost that battle, the loss of Hetch Hetchy served to awaken The flooding of Hetch Hetchy valley is an enduring issue and there is currently a growing movement advocating for draining and restoring the iconic valley. As long as the busy public in general knew little or nothing about the Hetch-Hetchy Valley, the few cunning drivers of the damming scheme, working in darkness like moles in a low-lying meadow, seemed confident of success; but when light was turned on and the truth became manifest that next to Yosemite, Hetch-Hetchy is the most wonderful and most important feature of the great park, that damming it … The most outspoken opposition to San Francisco's plans came, however, from the nascent preservation movement, led in this case by the famous John Muir. Let us never forget what happened here. Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0. John Muir won the crusade to get Yosemite National Park created, but lost the battle to save Hetch Hetchy Valley from being submersed by a reservoir for San Francisco. Muir … . According to John Muir, the Hetch Hetchy Valley was once every bit as beautiful as neighboring Yosemite Valley to the southeast. Remembering the loss of Hetch Hetch Hetchy valley as painted by Alfred Bierstadt, 1890s. Hetch Hetchy Valley lies about 20 miles north of Yosemite Valley. We went a bit later in the day and barely saw anyone. Hetch Hetchy valley is in Yosemite National Park, about 190 miles east of San Francisco in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Our blog. By 1908 Roosevelt's Interior Secretary James R. Garfield reversed the earlier order, and issued a limited permit for the Hetch Hetchy project, in part to quiet critics who thought public resources should be developed rather than locked away. From 1908-1913, Congress debated legislation to supply the city of San Francisco with water by damming the Hetch Hetchy Valley. being built in Dinosaur National Monument and in Grand Canyon National Park. On the other side, preservationists, led by John Muir, argued that Congress should protect the Hetch Hetchy Valley from d… 2. The Hetch Hetchy Valley, located near Yosemite, has been described as being like a slightly lower, drier and warmer Yosemite. . To get to Hetch Hetchy, turn north off Highway 120 onto Evergreen Road about 1 mile (2.2 km) outside the Big Oak Flat Entrance gate, and 12.5 miles (20 km) east of the small community of Buck Meadows. A hydroelectric powerhouse was built and enough copper wire purchased to stretch from the Sierras to San Francisco. Hetch Hetchy proponents were quick to use the conflagration as proof of the necessity of new water supplies for San Francisco. From 1908-1913, Congress debated legislation to supply the city of … Muir referred to this valley to Yosemite Valley because of its glamorous views. After the dam was completed in 1923, waters flooded the valley, destroying Muir’s environmental muse. In 1923, San Francisco revoked Spring Valley Water Company's franchise and began rebuilding the water mains and plumbing for the citizens of San Francisco. In John Muir's eyes, the Hetch Hetchy Valley of Yosemite National Park was "one of Nature's rarest and most precious mountain temples." The arguments presented by the City and its paid engineers and lobbyists were also focused on public use, but instead of arguing for public recreational uses, they argued for a grand water-and-power system to supply water and electricity to San Francisco and the entire Bay Area for decades to come. Despite opposition from many citizens, including most of the nation's leading newspapers, Congress passed the Raker Act in 1913 allowing the city of San Francisco to destroy Hetch Hetchy. Notice the waterfall, center left. For thousands of years before the arrival of settlers from the United States in the 1850s, the valley was inhabited by Native Americans who practiced subsistence hunting-gathering. The Death of a Valley and its Protector. to the words William Colby wrote to Gifford Pinchot in 1909 with reference Soon after a city of San Francisco referendum in November 1903 favored construction of the dam, John Muir had taken the Hetch Hetchy issue to the nation. Hetchy, in the 1950s and 1960s, the Sierra Club successfully stopped dams from Existing as another spectacular example of a monumental ice-sculpture, Hetch Hetchy exists just below 4000’ elevation in the northwest corner of Yosemite National Park. "Dam Hetch Hetchy! The dam could provide sorely needed fresh water for the Bay Area along with an inexpensive supply of hydro-electric power. As well dam for water-tanks the people's cathedrals and churches, for no holier temple has ever been consecrated by the heart of man." From the turn-off, the road winds for 16.5 miles up the old Hetch Hetchy railroad grade (… The Progressive Era’s most controversial environmental issue was the 1908–1913 struggle over federal government approval for building the Hetch Hetchy dam in a remote corner of federally-owned land in California’s Yosemite National Park. http://foundsf.org/index.php?title=The_Hetch_Hetchy_Story,_Part_I:_John_Muir,_Preservationists_vs._Conservationists&oldid=25112. Summary: Students will study the Hetch Hetchy debate with primary sources from the records of Congress. More evidence that Hetch Hetchy is not the whole Tuolumne valley. 1. John Muir (1838-1914) was the leader of the movement to save the Hetch Hetchy Valley from despoliation at the hands of the City and County of San Francisco, which wanted the valley for a municipal water supply. New York Times 1913 Editorials Opposing Damming of Hetch Hetchy, Privacy Policy/Your California Privacy Rights, 1908 Congressional Hearing About Hetch Hetchy. This is the story of water, a valley, and a city. Hetch Hetchy Cañon in 1890 by Landscape Artist Albert Bierstadt. They will analyze petitions, resolutions, and telegrams sent to the United States Senate. , animation: John Muir on Hetch Hetchy by Jim Swanson. In 1912 John Muir published his collection The Yosemite, which included “Hetch Hetchy Valley,” his essay singing the glories of the “other” Yosemite Valley and an argument against the construction of a dam that would flood the basin in order to provide water for San Francisco. A~thor of "The Mountains of California," " Our National Parks,'' etc. The Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, which holds 117 billion gallons of water behind a 312-foot dam, drowned a glacial valley that early conservationist John Muir … Study for "The Hetch Hetchy Valley, California" painting by Albert Bierstadt (black and white). 48 (2). The city of San Francisco, rebuilding after the devastating 1906 earthquake, believed the dam was necessary to meet … The city's line ended a few hundred yards from PG&E's Newark substation on the eastern side of the south bay, conveniently close to PG&E's just-completed high-voltage delivery cable from Newark to SF. Students will study the Hetch Hetchy debate with primary sources from the records of Congress. The Sierra Club today still holds fast the Hetch Hetchy Valley, a part of Yosemite National Park, from being filled How do those positions inform today’s environmental debates? The floor of Yosemite is about 4000 feet above the sea, and that of Hetch-Hetchy about 3700, while in both the walls are of gray granite, very high, and rise precipitously out of flowery gardens and groves. Please consider a year-end contribution to Restore Hetch Hetchy. O'Shaugnessy oversaw the gradual construction of the network of dams, reservoirs, tunnels, and powerhouses to deliver water and power to SF. John Muir, in Chapter 16 of his book The Yosemite (chapter titled "Hetch Hetchy Valley"), writes The floor of the Valley is about three and a half miles long, and from a fourth to half a mile wide. Mini-Course: Can We Afford the Wilderness? As well dam for water-tanks the people's cathedrals and churches, for no holier temple has ever been consecrated by the heart of man . Photo: San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. After the Ice Age glaciers retreated, the freshly excavated gorge was utilized by the Tuolumne River… In January 1910, the City held a bond referendum in which voters approved a $45 million bond to build the first phase of Hetch Hetchy, but rejected a $35 million bond to buy out the Spring Valley Water Company's facilities. The city was San Francisco, the valley was Hetch Hetchy, and the waters were from the Tuolumne River watershed, located within Yosemite National Park. The glacial Hetch Hetchy Valley lies in the northwestern part of Yosemite National Park and is drained by the Tuolumne River. harold.wood@sierraclub.org. In 1925, it was abruptly announced that San Francisco had run out of money and could not complete the power lines into the city. Larodge Johnson Living in the environment Movie summary In this assignment I am supposed to watch and summarize the movie “Discover Hetch Hetchy with Harrison Ford”. Although it was once known for its natural, beautiful valley, for the past 90 years or so, it has provided the San Francisco Bay Area with hydroelectricity and serves as its main water source. The valley, they thought, would be an ideal place for reservoir that would provide water for the city forever. from private Phelan papers, Bancroft Library, UC Berkeley). ." Given the era and the prevailing pro-development values (hardly changed to this day, after all), it is not surprising that the congressional committees created to analyze the controversy opted to allow the city to build the Hetch Hetchy dam. . The arguments of the preservationists were focused on saving Hetch Hetchy Valley for public use. . See our library that includes videos, music, and books inspired by the story of the Hetch Hetchy Valley. Hetch Hetchy—whose name is likely derived from a Miwok phrase meaning “edible grasses”—is essentially a carbon copy of the popular pilgrimage site Yosemite Valley, complete with its … - The Hetch Hetchy Valley was "uncommon feature" not found often in nature - Submerging Hetchy Hetchy would NOT enhance its beauty by creating a crystal-clear lake - Damming Hetch Hetchy would come at a universal public loss for the private gain of a few - John Muir thought Hetch Hetchy Valley was a gift from God that shouldn't be destroyed It was the first time the young national park system had been so violated. Siding with the conservationists, San Francisco citizens argued that the reservoir was necessary for the health of their city. The plan languished throughout the first decade of the century, in part due to the corrupt regime of the Union Labor Party under Boss Abe Ruef, which attempted to strike a deal with the Bay Cities Water Company in exchange for a million dollar bribe. the nation in defense of its national parks. 3 of 22 June 25,, 1913 article on the John Muir and the Sierra Club fighting to prevent the creation of Hetch Hetchy Reservoir on National Park land John Muir Contests the Hetch-Hetchy Dam. Hetch Hetchy: Can the Splendid Wild Return? The federal Right of Way Act of 1901 provided the legal basis for the city to acquire rights to national park land, but the then-Secretary of the Interior Ethan Allen Hitchcock refused to give SF a permit, preferring to protect Yosemite's natural wonders. John Muir wrote to his friend Robert Underwood Johnson: "We held a Sierra Club meeting last Saturday--passed resolutions and fanned each other to a fierce white Hetch Hetchy heat. 19th century oil painting of Hetch Hetchy Valley. Pleistocene glaciation had carved this spectacular canyon westward from the Sierra crest, its icy thrust waning approximately where Hetch Hetchy valley now exists. About a year later John Muir passed away. Contributed by Gregory Hitch The Sierra Club, still in its infancy, found itself divided over the Hetch Hetchy proposal with a strong proponent in one of its founders, Warren Olney. In late October 1934, the system finally brought water into the city, but its power transmission lines never reached beyond PG&E's Newark substation on the eastern side of the south bay. At the heart of the debate was the conflict between conservationists, who held that the environment should be used in a conscientious manner to benefit society, and preservationists, who believed that nature should be protected, saved from human interference. From 1901 - 1913, John Muir led the Sierra Club in a campaign to protect When Ruef and the ULP were exposed and put on trial soon after the earthquake of 1906, the water issue re-emerged in the glaring national spotlight that followed the spectacular destruction and fire. The name of this valley is derived from Miwok word hatchhatchie, meaning edible grass (tchistory). ... Hetch Hetchy is perfect if you want a little more seclusion. Stir up all other park and playground clubs, women's clubs, etc...". The battle for Hetch Hetchy was perhaps the first effort at what is now known as "grassroots lobbying," getting individual citizens to contact elected officials in support of or opposition to legislation. All reviews evergreen lodge san francisco yosemite valley clean water john muir hiking trails valley floor tunnel drive road miles controversial groveland bear ranger hikers june restrooms. Although Hetch Hetchy is included within the boundaries of Yosemite National Park, the entrance is separate from the rest of the park. Since the 1880s, the city of San Francisco had been raising the possibility of constructing a dam on the Tuolumne River at Hetch Hetchy Valley. animation: John Muir on Hetch Hetchy by Jim Swanson. Hetch-Hetchy Valley was first discovered in 1871 by John Muir. Echoing contemporary struggles over the environment, President Theodore Roosevelt's early initiatives in parkland creation and wilderness preservation were under attack. Our flagship blog features analysis of news from our staff and announcements of upcoming events. I particularly urged that we must get everybody to write to Senators and the president keeping letters flying all next month thick as storm snow flakes, loaded with park pictures, short circulars, etc. However, the renowned conservationist ultimately lost his struggle to save the slightly smaller Hetch Hetchy Valley from development and, in … Hetch Hetchy is located in Yosemite National Park and is part of the Tuolumne River watershed. Finally, President Woodrow Wilson signed the Raker Act on December 19, 1913. Dam Hetch Hetchy! "Let Everyone Help to Save the Famous Hetch Hetchy Valley and Stop the Commercial Destruction Which Threatens Our National Parks" by John Muir (San Francisco: 1909); cited in "Politics and the Park: San Francisco's Fight for Hetch Hetchy, 1908-1913" by Kendrick A. Clements in Pacific Historical Review May 1979 vol. The city had originally requested permission from the federal government to build a dam within the boundaries of Yosemite … In 1902, ex-Mayor James Phelan of San Francisco filed a claim with the federal government for the water from the Tuolomne River, which would be gathered by damming the mouth of the Hetch Hetchy Valley. From 1901 - 1913, John Muir led the Sierra Club in a campaign to protect the Hetch Hetchy Valley, a part of Yosemite National Park, from being filled by a reservoir.
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