The dam in the Hetch Hetchy valley of Yosemite National Park, first proposed in 1908, was intended to create a reservoir that would provide water and electricity for the burgeoning city of San Francisco. A national debate ensued between the preservationist and conservationist factions of the young environmental movement. Preservationists, led by John Muir, believed the valley should be preserved for its inherent aesthetic beauty. However, conservationists, such as Gifford Pinchot, believed in a utilitarian ideal of using natural resources for the “greatest good for the greatest number for the longest time.” Since Hetch Hetchy valley was protected within a National Park, congress had the authority to accept or reject the proposal. After numerous letters were written and petitions filed, congress passed legislation that was signed into law by Woodrow Wilson on 19 December 1913, allowing construction of the O’Shaughnessy Dam. About a year later John Muir passed away. After the dam was completed in 1923, waters flooded the valley, destroying Muir’s environmental muse. 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.
Contributed by Gregory Hitch
Course: Modern Global Environmental History
Instructor: Dr. Wilko Graf von Hardenberg
University of Wisconsin–Madison, US
- Dunaway, Finis. "Hetch Hetchy and the Meanings of American Conservation." Reviews in American History 34, no. 2 (2006): 214–21.
- Righter, Robert W. The Battle over Hetch Hetchy: America's Most Controversial Dam and the Birth of Modern Environmentalism. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.