Led by john muir, the society believed that natural wonders should remain unspoiled. The visual effect suggested that the dam had cracked. The hetch hetchy reservoir, while providing water to millions of people in the san francisco bay area, also provides visitors with access to spectacular beauty and the wilderness of yosemite national park. Why hetch hetchy is staying under water under water. The city desperately needed water and power, and yosemites hetch hetchy valley, where two steep granite walls met in a narrow v, was perfect for anchoring a dam. Rick lehman, whose district then embraced hetchhetchy, steered legislation through congress prohibiting the construction of any more dams in yosemite or other national parks. 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. For now, the predominant sound in the great canyon will remain the lapping of the tamed waters of the tuolumne river muffling the cries of the ghosts of hetchhetchy.
Oshaughnessy dam was completed in 1923 and on october 24, 1934, water from the hetch hetchy project finally began pouring into san francisco. A map and guide to hetch hetchy reservoir at yosemite. No stranger to controversy, hetch hetchy, once a mirror image of yosemite valley, was john muirs favorite corner of the park. This trail continues past wapama falls to popular rancheria falls. Hetch hetchy reservoir and oshaughnessy dam youtube. How did the hetch hetchy project impact native americans. Hetch hetchy is an iconic, rare and spectacular landscape, hetch hetchy is part of yosemite national park and its damming and flooding is by far the worst destruction of our national parks have ever experienced. The progressive eras most controversial environmental issue was the 190819 struggle over federal government approval for building the hetch hetchy dam in a remote corner of federallyowned land in. You can walk on several trails, ranging from two to miles long. Hetch hetchy was a replica of yosemite valley in miniature. Located at 3,900 feet, hetch hetchy boasts one of the longest hiking seasons in the park and is an ideal place for thundering spring waterfalls and wildflower displays. Yosemite highway 120, california sierra nevada hikes, campgrounds, backpacking trailheads, yosemite pct, pacific crest trail, yosemite wilderness high country, grand canyon of the tuolumne river, lake hiking trails, granite peaks and gorges, alpine terrain. Hetch hetchy quotes rausser college of natural resources.
After a hike, a microbrew might hit the spot, so drive nine miles from the trail to evergreen lodge. Dam water, power, politics, and preservation in hetch hetchy and yosemite national park simpson, john w. At the hetch hetchy reservoir, you can walk across the dam and learn more about areas history from the interpretive signs. The hetch hetchy valley was within yosemite national park and protected by the federal government, leaving it up to congress to decide between 1908 and 19, congress debated whether to make a water resource available or preserve a wilderness when the growing city of san francisco, california proposed building a dam in the hetch.
In 19, however, work began on the oshaughnessy dam by government decree, flooding the valley to house water for the thirsty san francisco area. A painted crack and message on glines canyon dam foreshadowed its removal over. In 19, after more than a decade of debate, congress passed the raker act approving the dam. An environmental artist with the skills of a mountain climber painted a giant crack down the face of hetch hetchy reservoir dam, park officials said monday. History of the valley hetch hetchy was once a resplendent glacier carved valley, with towering cliffs and waterfalls cascading onto a serene valley floor. The glacial hetch hetchy valley lies in the northwestern part of yosemite national park and is drained by the tuolumne river.
S forest service to control the parks, but after his support to dam hetchy hetchy, congress voted in 1916 to to establish the national park service whose sole purpose was to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein and to provide for the. Frobish visitors to yosemites iconic hetch hetchy reservoir are doing a doubletake. Water supply implications of removing oshaughnessy dam. Lawsuit to drain hetch hetchy reservoir goes back to court. Hetch hetchy article about hetch hetchy by the free. I believe that the greatest threat to the survival of american indians more than the wars, the disease, the poverty, the discrimination, and the european occupation is the removal of the spiritual matrix of traditional life, the theft of the sacred. Tuolumne river bridge starting at hetch hetchy junction, at an elevation of 935 feet, the route leads across rolling country and descends into the. Hetch hetchy was once magnificent, unspoiled wild land. Dam water, power, politics, and preservation in hetch hetchy and yosemite national park.
Despite muirs appeal to president roosevelt to save hetch hetchy, pinchots view eventually prevailed. On june 25 19 the house committee on the public lands opened hearings on the hetch hetchy issue, with gifford pinchot as the star. It was really a work of artit wasnt just graffiti, said dean coffey, general manager with the hetch hetchy water and power district, which provides water to san francisco and surrounding communities. But hetch hetchy reservoir remains as a scar upon yosemite and our national park system. Head to hetch hetchy for a new perspective of yosemite. Hetch hetchy reservoir is accessed from sr 120, just w. This trail takes you through forest and meadow to smith peak, where you get great. Hetch hetchy environmental debates national archives. Hetch hetchy valley was considered by many to be the twin to yosemite valley and some, like m. Please only call if your checkin date is on or before may 31.
Full text of hetch hetchy water supply internet archive. The ghosts of hetch hetchy, by gene rose, part of restore hetch hetchy, by the sierra club hetch. Crack in hetch hetchy dam supertopo rock climbing discussion. The unfortunate story of the clearcutting, damming and flooding of hetch hetchy valley has been told many times in books and film. Channeling john muir in hetch hetchy national geographic. Ben knight films the former elwha dam before its removal. Because of its lower elevation, hetch hetchy has the parks longest hiking season in the area. Water managers drop the ball on hetch hetchy california. Muir, that a climber painted on the dam in 1987 are still sort of visible. When the oshaughnessy dam was built on the tuolumne river in the 1920s, the valley was flooded. Rock climbing in hetch hetchy, yosemite national park. This created the hetch hetchy reservoir which is eight miles long and the largest single body of water in yosemite.
To get the electricity they would need, they first built a smaller dam at lake eleanor. In 1924 the hetch hetchy railroad ceased operations as a common carrier. Hetch hetchy reservoir yosemite national park 2020 all. Dam water, power, politics, and preservation in hetch. Yosemite national parks hetch hetchy valley was filled with water from.
The group restore hetch hetchy, the sierra club and other supporters of draining the reservoir say most of its 360,000 acrefeet of water storage can be. The hetchhetchy valley, by john muir, sierra club bulletin, january, 1908 hetch hetchy valley by john muir from his 1912 book, the yosemite. The first phase of construction on the oshaughnessy dam named for the chief engineer was completed in 1923 and the final phase, raising the height of the dam, was completed in 1938. Petition from the society for the preservation of national. Many conservationists were outraged at the prospect of building a dam in a federally protected park. Introduction oshaughnessy dam, located in the hetch hetchy valley of yosemite national park, was built by the. Hetch hetchy valley, by john muir, boston weekly transcript, march 25, 1873. Nonetheless, hetch hetchy is well worth a visit by you, your partner and your gear if you are looking for something different. Dam officials quickly painted over the crack, which included. Hetch hetchy water reaches san francisco peninsula. Before they could break ground at the oshaughnessy dam, more infrastructure was required. Secondly, when you drive into hetch hetchy, your license plate number will be recorded for national security purposes, being that the dam is a potential post911 terrorist target. The hetch hetchy railroad, 68 miles in length, connects with the sierra railway at hetch hetchy junction, 26 miles from the town of oakdale, and extends to oshaugh nessy dam.
Today the 117billiongallon reservoir supplies pristine drinking water to 2. After hetch hetchy, many realized the national parks needed more protection. During the construction of the dam, the hetch hetchy railroad carried 400 tons of cement each day to the site. Hetch hetchys hh turnoff is about a mile from the highway 120 gate and about 10 miles in. The battle over hetch hetchy is something beyond merely the best book anyone has ever written on confluence of canyon, dam, and city that so shaped the story of the modern american west. A paved road leads 7 miles from mather to the 312foot dam, which impounds san franciscos water supply. The society for the preservation of national parks submitted this petition to congress in order to urge them to defeat the raker bill, a bill to grant san francisco the right to dam the hetch hetchy valley. It impounds the tuolumne river, forming the hetch hetchy reservoir at the lower end of hetch hetchy valley in yosemite national park, about 160 miles 260 km east of san francisco. A view of the hetch hetchy valley as it would be without the oshaughnessy dam. The ghosts of hetchhetchy by gene rose damming hetch hetchy by john muir, unpublished journal entry, c. Washington the house has torpedoed a proposal to allow limited boating on hetch hetchy reservoir in yosemite national park.
And, youll be handed a brochure produced by the san francisco public utilities commission espousing the breathtaking utility of hetch hetchy reservoir and its dam. But restore hetch hetchy is campaigning to tear down the dam, drain the valley. As described by robert redford, hetch hetchy s damming turned into the defining struggle of the conservation movement. Captured in old photographs and paintings, hetch hetchy valley was a scenic landscape that rivaled nearby yosemite valley before congress approved construction of oshaughnessy dam in 19. Oshaughnessy dam is a 430foot 1 m high concrete archgravity dam in tuolumne county, california, in the united states. It is both a wellargued history and a beautifullywritten testimony of hubris and loss, even possible redemption. Spend the night so you can roast smores under the stars at the. Top 10 groveland hotels near hetch hetchy reservoir. Instead of seeing the majestic backdrop of the sierra nevada reflected in the pristine mountain water, they are now greeted by millions of black balls that cover the surface. Hetch hetchy is the name of a valley, a reservoir and a water system in california in the united states. Hidden in yosemite national parks peaceful northwest corner, hetch hetchy valley is a treasure worth visiting in all seasons. The morning of november 6, 2012, dawned with high hopes among the band of preservationists hoping to restore the hetch hetchy valley in yosemite national park. After four years of recordsetting drought and statewide low reservoir levels. Many hiking trails begin from oshaughnessy dam and some of hetch hetchy s most beautiful features are easily seen from the top of the dam.
As well dam for watertanks the peoples cathedrals and churches, for no holier temple has ever been consecrated by the heart of man. The 38mile drive from the valley can be covered easily in 2 hours. The dam and reservoir are the source for the hetch hetchy aqueduct, which provides water. Hetch hetchy politicspreservationist, provincial, personal, and perhaps postpartisanin the 2000s by rick heide author, editor. Usgs current conditions for usgs 11275500 hetch hetchy. Yosemite national parknational parksdeep sea fishingjohn muircommunity artrivers outdoor. Rosekrans is the executive director of a group called restore hetch hetchy, which actually advocates tearing down oshaughnessy dam and. Pioneer conservationist john muir called it a remarkably exact counterpart to the now worldfamous yosemite valley 15 miles to its south. Federal government for permission to build a dam in hetch hetchy valley. Once again, hetchhetchy was on the tongues of the american people. Hetch hetchy valley, in yosemite national park yosemite national park, 748,436 acres 302,881 hectares, e central calif est. Day hikes in hetch hetchy yosemite national park u.
The battle over hetch hetchy reservoir in judges hands. An environmental artist with the skills of a mountain climber painted a giant crack down the face of hetch hetchy reservoir dam, park officials. Groups pushing for more public access to hetch hetchy reservoir. In 19, president woodrow wilson signed the bill approving the dam into law. Climbers seldom venture here, opting instead for the mecca that is yosemite valley. Many hiking trails begin from oshaughnessy dam and some of hetch hetchys most beautiful features are easily seen from the top of the dam. A cluster of ramshackle cabins built for the hetch hetchy dam workers in 1920, it is now a woodsychic cottage resort with a tavern, restaurant, and saltwater swimming pool. Easy hike to wapama falls in hetch hetchy valley my. The vandal painted the 40foot crack on the 312foothigh o shaughnessy dam, in yosemite national park, in the darkness thursday night. In 1908, san francisco voters approved building a dam at hetch hetchy. Critics feared the plan could introduce contaminants to the. Today, the reservoir and dam dominate the character of hetchy hetchy valley. The mission of restore hetch hetchy is to restore the hetch hetchy valley in yosemite national park to its natural splendor while continuing to meet the water and power needs of all communities that depend on the tuolumne river. From the road, you can see the reservoir and along the reservoir are three hiking trails.
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