Significant Individuals Within Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water Marc Reisner

Essay by DuVc2002High School, 11th grade September 2004

download word file, 1 pages 3.0

Downloaded 27 times

Wayne Aspinall

Congressmen from Colorado who served as chairman of the House of Interior Committee in the late 1969

Denied California & Arizona water projects because they voted against his Colorado projects

David Brower

As a devote conservationist, Brower strongly opposed dams and repeatedly fought the Bureau of Reclamation.

He battled then-Commissioner Floyd Dominy over Grand Canyon dams, and won.

Edmund G Brown Sr.

Brown became the California State governor in 1958

Him and his son Jerry also helped put together the State Water Project, California's most expensive water system.

Jimmy Carter

President Carter developed a "hit list" of water projects he wanted Congress to eliminate, clearly a non-advocate of federal funded state water systems

He made many enemies, including the press and as a result he couldn't get reelected

Jim Casey

Deputy chief of planning for the Bureau of Reclamation in the 1960's.

Crucial in the Texas Water Plan

First to realize the danger of overusing the Ogallala Aquifer and recruited Texan Bankers to support his conservation efforts.

Henry Chandler

Came to Los Angeles for his health and discovered money-making opportunities.

He became Harrison Otis's circulation manager for the Times

Used his power in media to help run the scam that brought water from the Owens River to Los Angeles

Floyd Elgin Dominy

Commissioner of Bureau of Reclamation from 1959 - 1969

Ruthless, powerful, manipulative

Was the agency's contact man for Congress members desiring water projects in their states

As time went by, he began losing many battles with environmentalists and was fired from the Bureau

William Mulholland

Replaced Fred Eaton as superintendent of the Los Angeles Water Company.

Helped buy enough land in the Owens Valley to build an aqueduct.

Built the Saint Francis Dam in 1928 which later collapsed destroying the San Francisquito Canyon

General Harrison...