A Visit to Hetch Hetchy
Fireside Talk: A Visit to Hetch Hetch
J. William T. Youngs
October 14, 2012
In one of the most famous remarks ever made about an American natural wonder, Theodore Roosevelt said of the Grand Canyon: "Leave it as it is. You can not improve on it. The ages have been at work on it, and man can only mar it." This was the revolutionary new idea in the national parks: not only would they be for the people, but they would preserve the landscapes, so that Americans for centuries to come could come face to face with unadulterated natural landscapes and historic sites. The parks were new and the parks as a whole did not exist as a system at all when San Francisco began seeking to dam one of the two great canyons in Yosemite National Park, Hetch Hetchy. John Muir led a spirited but ultimately unsuccessful effort to block the dam. Some say that his struggle and loss actually shortened his life. Until recently, I questioned that statement as a sentimental exaggeration. After all, during the past century, environmentalists have blocked many subsequent efforts to alter the parks for utilitarian reasons. But here is the thing. The parks were new. So far opponents had blocked even the elevation of the Grand Canyon to National Park standing. For all that Muir knew, the Hetch Hetchy defeat was simply a harbinger of things to come. Perhaps even the Yosemite Valley itself would be dammed. When Muir died, the future of the parks looked perilous indeed. Having studied Hetch Hetchy for several decades, but never visited it, I was eager see first hand what the flooded valley looked like. I was "eager" but also apprehensive. When I drove my motorcycle some forty-five miles across the Yosemite National Park, I felt a certain reluctance. I knew that I should go, especially since I am now teaching a course on the History of the American National Parks. But as I descended a steep mountain road and saw the dam in the far distance, I felt apprehensive, as if I were approaching a morgue. Rather than tell you here in words what I learned, I have prepared four films, illustrating in different ways the experience of being at Hetch Hetchy.
(1) The first is a film where I am on camera recording some initial impressions.
J. William T. Youngs
October 14, 2012
In one of the most famous remarks ever made about an American natural wonder, Theodore Roosevelt said of the Grand Canyon: "Leave it as it is. You can not improve on it. The ages have been at work on it, and man can only mar it." This was the revolutionary new idea in the national parks: not only would they be for the people, but they would preserve the landscapes, so that Americans for centuries to come could come face to face with unadulterated natural landscapes and historic sites. The parks were new and the parks as a whole did not exist as a system at all when San Francisco began seeking to dam one of the two great canyons in Yosemite National Park, Hetch Hetchy. John Muir led a spirited but ultimately unsuccessful effort to block the dam. Some say that his struggle and loss actually shortened his life. Until recently, I questioned that statement as a sentimental exaggeration. After all, during the past century, environmentalists have blocked many subsequent efforts to alter the parks for utilitarian reasons. But here is the thing. The parks were new. So far opponents had blocked even the elevation of the Grand Canyon to National Park standing. For all that Muir knew, the Hetch Hetchy defeat was simply a harbinger of things to come. Perhaps even the Yosemite Valley itself would be dammed. When Muir died, the future of the parks looked perilous indeed. Having studied Hetch Hetchy for several decades, but never visited it, I was eager see first hand what the flooded valley looked like. I was "eager" but also apprehensive. When I drove my motorcycle some forty-five miles across the Yosemite National Park, I felt a certain reluctance. I knew that I should go, especially since I am now teaching a course on the History of the American National Parks. But as I descended a steep mountain road and saw the dam in the far distance, I felt apprehensive, as if I were approaching a morgue. Rather than tell you here in words what I learned, I have prepared four films, illustrating in different ways the experience of being at Hetch Hetchy.
(1) The first is a film where I am on camera recording some initial impressions.
(2) Then I've put together a slide show with some narrative illustrating Hetch Hetchy.
(3) Next I made a short movie with no narrative, intending to help you "visit" Hetch Hetchy and form some of your own impressions.
(4) And last but far from least, I've put together a film of a conversation I had last week with Jan van Wagtendonk, who was for more than three decades the reserach scientist at Yosemite. During that time, Jan has hiked every trail in the park. His love of Yosemite is palpable -- as is his deep-felt sorrow about the presence of the dam in Hetch Hetchy Canyon