Fight for the Heart of Dinosaur
"Echo Park Dam would back water so far that ... Echo Park and its magnificent rock formations would be submerged. Dinosaur National Monument as a scenic spectacle would cease to exist."
Shall We Let Them Ruin Our National Parks
Bernard DeVoto, Author and Historian, 1950
In 1950, a plan to build a 550 foot high (168 m) dam on the Green River near Echo Park threatened to forever change the character of Dinosaur National Monument. Another dam was planned downstream in Split Mountain Canyon. The dams would have inundated much of the monument's dramatic canyon scenery. Fremont cultural sites, historic homesteads, spawning beds for native fish, along with habitat for bighorn sheep, elk, and other wildlife and plant life would have been submerged.
Some people advocated in favor of the dams for water storage and recreation. Others were concerned about the sanctity of national parks and stepped forward to explain and defend the special values that define Dinosaur National Monument as one of America's treasured, wild places.
After more than five years of heated debate, President Eisenhower signed legislation for the Colorado River Storage Project on April 11, 1956- without the proposed Echo Park and Split Mountain dams. Citizens from all walks of life succeeded in preserving
this page online
Canyon Warriors
The confrontation over dams in
Dinosaur National
Monument rallied
a diverse coalition of people and
organizations
including the
General Federation
of Women's Clubs,
the American
Nature Association,
the Conservation Foundation, the
National Parks Association, the Isaak Walton
League, and the Wilderness Society. The Sierra
Club joined the cause after David Brower became
the executive director in 1952.
Using his background in publishing, Brower swiftly rushed to press This is Dinosaur: Echo Park and Its Magic Rivers, featuring photographs by Martin Litton and Philip Hyde, and edited by Wallace Stegner. Every member of the US Congress received a copy of the book along with a brochure titled What is Your Stake in Dinosaur?
Meanwhile, Howard Zahniser from the Wilderness Society negotiated with members of Congress behind the scenes. The success of these organizations in defeating proposed dams in Dinosaur National Monument demonstrated their ability to confront perceived threats to conservation on a national scale.
Caption:
Pamphlet by the
Upper Colorado River
Commission highlighting Echo Park Dam benefits.
Erected by National Park Service.
Topics. This historical marker
Location. 40° 30.842′ N, 109° 2.02′ W. Marker is near Dinosaur, Colorado, in Moffat County. It is on Harpers Corner Road, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Maybell CO 81640, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Western Slope. It is also in the American Mountain West. Globally, it is in North America, the Rocky Mountains, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once Mexicos Alta California.
Other nearby markers. At least 5 other markers are within 14 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: What Makes a Wilderness? (approx. 4.4 miles away); Twentieth Century Homestead (approx. 9.6 miles away in Utah); A Real Pioneer (approx. 9.6 miles away in Utah); A Fremont Mystery (approx. 10½ miles away in Utah); Are We There Yet? (approx. 13.8 miles away).
Credits. This page was last revised on January 7, 2021. It was originally submitted on December 27, 2020, by Connor Olson of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 392 times since then and 38 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on December 27, 2020, by Connor Olson of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
