Love this story. 1948 seems early in a way, as it anticipates the arguments of later dams and Burec plans. Makes me want to know more...and to go find this lake.
David Brower always made it seem like Echo Park was the first dam controversy since Hetch Hetchy. But I wonder if he was a bit self-absorbed... and if Marc Reisner (like so many others) just didn't happen to hear about this project.
In all the years I spent in Big Horn County, including a lot of interaction with the people of the Paint Rock Valley, I never heard this story. Thanks.
Lake Solitude is beautiful and would not have been improved by having road access, though by the time I first packed in (mid-70s), it was already too popular to offer much solitude. I understand that overuse is a serious issue now, prompting stringent regulations.
Many thanks to the folks at WyoHistory for reprinting this essay on their blog https://www.wyohistory.org/blog/class-struggle-over-nature
Love this story. 1948 seems early in a way, as it anticipates the arguments of later dams and Burec plans. Makes me want to know more...and to go find this lake.
David Brower always made it seem like Echo Park was the first dam controversy since Hetch Hetchy. But I wonder if he was a bit self-absorbed... and if Marc Reisner (like so many others) just didn't happen to hear about this project.
In all the years I spent in Big Horn County, including a lot of interaction with the people of the Paint Rock Valley, I never heard this story. Thanks.
Lake Solitude is beautiful and would not have been improved by having road access, though by the time I first packed in (mid-70s), it was already too popular to offer much solitude. I understand that overuse is a serious issue now, prompting stringent regulations.