Hetch Hechy Research Paper
Clint Mooney
Research paper
Lush green grasses that flourish using the water from a winding river sit in the middle of a colorful valley. It is a beautiful sanctuary where people come to visit and take in all it has to offer. A valley that will never be seen for the valley now sits under a reservoir. The image of a church under water is an effective way to persuade any audience that the damn built to flood Hetch Hetchy valley ruined one of nature’s beautiful sanctuaries.
Hetch Hetchy might have been one of the world’s natural wonders. There was a raging waterfall that poured into a calm river which meandered through the tall grassy fields. The tall conifer and oak trees that outlined the valleys edge were dominated by the colossal rock walls. Horses could be seen roaming free. It was home to many animals. Before the dam was built a beautiful cathedral once was there. John Muir said “Dam Hetch Hetchy! As well dam for water-tanks the people 's cathedrals and churches, for no holier temple …show more content…
Around the 1880’s, the city of San Francisco considered Hetch Hetchy valley as a place to build a reservoir. Yosemite became an enact national park in 1890 while the Sierra Club was formed in 1892 to fight San Francisco’s Mayor James Phelan who filed for water rights to build a dam in 1901 ("New York Times 1913 Editorials Opposing Damming of Hetch Hetchy"). Mayor Phelan request got denied in the following years, but argued that a reservoir would only complement the parks beauty. The earthquakes and fires that happened in San Francisco on 1906 supported the Mayor’s proposal of building the dam. His plans were approved on 1913 and one hundred million dollars and 67 lives later the O’ Shaughnessy dam was completed in 1923 ("New York Times 1913 Editorials Opposing Damming of Hetch Hetchy"). About ten years later water eventually filled the
Research paper
Lush green grasses that flourish using the water from a winding river sit in the middle of a colorful valley. It is a beautiful sanctuary where people come to visit and take in all it has to offer. A valley that will never be seen for the valley now sits under a reservoir. The image of a church under water is an effective way to persuade any audience that the damn built to flood Hetch Hetchy valley ruined one of nature’s beautiful sanctuaries.
Hetch Hetchy might have been one of the world’s natural wonders. There was a raging waterfall that poured into a calm river which meandered through the tall grassy fields. The tall conifer and oak trees that outlined the valleys edge were dominated by the colossal rock walls. Horses could be seen roaming free. It was home to many animals. Before the dam was built a beautiful cathedral once was there. John Muir said “Dam Hetch Hetchy! As well dam for water-tanks the people 's cathedrals and churches, for no holier temple …show more content…
Around the 1880’s, the city of San Francisco considered Hetch Hetchy valley as a place to build a reservoir. Yosemite became an enact national park in 1890 while the Sierra Club was formed in 1892 to fight San Francisco’s Mayor James Phelan who filed for water rights to build a dam in 1901 ("New York Times 1913 Editorials Opposing Damming of Hetch Hetchy"). Mayor Phelan request got denied in the following years, but argued that a reservoir would only complement the parks beauty. The earthquakes and fires that happened in San Francisco on 1906 supported the Mayor’s proposal of building the dam. His plans were approved on 1913 and one hundred million dollars and 67 lives later the O’ Shaughnessy dam was completed in 1923 ("New York Times 1913 Editorials Opposing Damming of Hetch Hetchy"). About ten years later water eventually filled the