Timeline

The timeline of the fight to stop the damming of the Stanislaus River spans 20 years, but the history of the Stanislaus River started well before that and continues to this day.  This timeline features the early years of the plans to build New Melones Dam, as well as the core of the campaigns to save the river – and information about how the river conservation community responded to the loss of the Stanislaus with many more campaigns to save other rivers. The damming of the Stanislaus River was the last death of a major river in the U.S., partly due to the momentum that came out of the Stanislaus campaign.

Not included in the timeline are the creation of the canyon 9 million years ago (!), its naming in 1844 by John C. Fremont for a Native American resister of Spanish occupation, the Gold Rush in 1848 and beyond, and the construction of Camp 9 Road in 1905.

Tip: Drag your mouse over the timeline to zoom in to a section. Use the Reset zoom button to zoom back out.