Hetch Hetchy

“Carefully constructed, brilliantly brought together by design and expert commentary, this collection is a wonder. It will influence how I teach environmental history, the history of California, the history of conservation, and the history of water in the West…. This is what documents collections should all strive to be. Expertly edited, deeply researched, and cast out across thousands of years of history, this Hetch Hetchy collection is a must-have compilation of documents and images. In brilliant case-study fashion, the book works outward from a specific site to tell much broader stories about nature, landscape, and history.” — William Deverell, Director, Huntington-USC Institute on California and the West

“Hetch Hetchy: A History in Documents is a much-needed addition to any discussions of public lands in the United States. Char Miller has brought together an impressive collection of documents, not simply outlining the classic Muir-Pinchot debate that is so commonly referenced in environmental literature but also including the origin stories and other narratives of the valley’s original Indigenous inhabitants and the violent history of their expulsion to make way for Yosemite National Park. By encouraging readers to engage with the original materials, rather than simply read someone else’s analysis, the book encourages a renewed and more nuanced look at the Hetch Hetchy Valley and the controversies that continue to arise about the ‘best’ use of this place.” — Laura A. Watt, Sonoma State University

“A treasure of painstakingly gathered and annotated primary historical documents that animate the vibrant history of Hetch Hetchy Valley and Yosemite National Park in the words of those who lived it, this book serves as an invaluable resource for students of the park or of California or U.S. environmental history—or anyone interested in the turbulent history of the valley. The lives of the Indigenous inhabitants and their struggles to remain on the land, the park as tourist object, the landmark early twentieth-century battle between preservationists (chief among them John Muir, who would save the valley) and conservationists (who would dam and flood it), and more recent efforts to restore the valley by tearing down the dam, all come to light through contemporary writings, testimony, diaries, magazine articles, and photographs. Indeed, through this book Hetch Hetchy Valley itself emerges back into daylight. I am excited to use it with my students.” — Kenneth Worthy, University of California, Berkeley