Customer Reviews

Dam!: Water, Power, Politics, and Preservation in Hetch Hetchy and Yosemite National Park

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Portions of this book will be of great value to anyone interested in the history of the environmental movement, and the shifting political realities that environmentalists have had to deal with over long periods. Simpson explores the history and issues surrounding the Hetch Hetchy dam at Yosemite National Park, which was built to supply San Francisco with water and power even though the site was already protected within the national park. The unsuccessful fight against the dam, which flooded a beautiful valley that was the near-equal to the tremendous Yosemite Valley nearby, was the first major battle conducted by the American environmental movement. Simpson starts with a history of the national park and the twisted politics that resulted in the construction of the dam and its reservoir. This leads to some real insights into environmentalist history in America and the politics of the early 20th century, when the fight for and against the dam took place over several contentious decades.

After this enlightening start, the majority of the book covers the politics and issues behind water and power utilities in modern San Francisco. There is much to be learned here, though the specifics on San Francisco's unique challenges and practices become rather tedious and may not be that enlightening for anyone outside of the region. However, one of the great insights of this book is how San Francisco behaves like an empire, controlling far-away colonies for the extraction of resources that it can't obtain locally, especially fresh water. All of this was accomplished through strong-arm political tactics and flaunting the wishes of both the Federal government and millions of affected citizens. [~doomsdayer520~]

In a short book (356 pages) the author covers a lot of territory all centered around the daming of Hetch Hetchy valley in Yosemite National Park. There is a brief but interesting account of the history of the National Park Service and Yosemite; a quick sketch of John Muir; and then a history of the politics of San Francisco as it relates to Hetch Hetchy and the city's water supply. And then to make it even more interesting the latter part of the book discusses the concept of wilderness. All in all it was a much better book than I thought it would be.

After the great earthquake and fire of 1906, San Francisco was in desperate need of a reliable water source - and proposals were made to damn the Tuolumne River and transform the Hetch Hetchy Valley into a giant hydro-electric supply for the city. Others protested the changes to the environment. The two groups sparked one of the biggest controversies in American environmental history, and Damn! Water, Power, Politics And Preservation In Hetch Hetchy And Yosemite National Park charts the conflicts and eventual resolution, from changing attitudes towards growth and water issues to the American public's evolving interest in preservation. A lively account of controversial battles which continue into modern times.

The problem with a lot of books written about Hetch Hetchy is that they leave out the original Native Americans of Hetch Hetchy Valley.

The Paiute Indian people were the original owners of Hetch Hetchy, but no one, especially the Yosemite National Park Service, does not want to mention that. Why is that?

Why do stories written about Hetch Hetchy always start AFTER the the Raker's Act. There were Indians in Hetch Hetchy before that. The Native Americans of Hetch Hetchy Valley were Paiutes.

Where is that in the story of Hetch Hetchy and Yosemite National Park? The story of Captain Jim of the Hetch Hetchy Paiutes. The story of Joseph Screech the first European to enter Hetch Hetchy Valley meeting Paiutes there.

In fact here is something the Yosemite National Park Service does want people to know. The original Indians of Yosemite and Hetch Hetchy ended up in Paiute areas.

The truth is out there, but the injustice continues. The history of the true Indians of Hetch Hetchy should be included in all stories of Hetch Hetchy...the Paiutes.

Dam! was required reading for one of my daughter's college classes. She felt it accomplished what the prof wanted the class to learn, but wasn't a book she would have chosen to read on her own.

I didn't read it myself, so I can't comment on my own feelings. I gave it 4 stars since it covered the necessary information, not 5 because it's somewhat dry (no pun intended). I will comment further once I have time to look the book over at the end of the quarter.