Description

In the aftermath of the disastrous 1906 earthquake and fire, the town of Bay Area desperately-needed supplies of energy and water. Its mayor, James Phelan, pushed for the damming of the Tuolumne River in the recently developed Yosemite National Park, leaving a firestorm of protest. For the very first time in American history, a substantial national resistance arose to guard and maintain character, brought by John Muir and the Sierra Club, who wanted to safeguard what they thought was the best of Americans to see natural splendor, specially the wonderful hills of the Yosemite area. The defenders of the area, while opposing the development of the reservoir and dam, didn't plan for this to be preserved as wilderness.