The River Stops Here

The River Stops Here is an exhilarating tale of classic American heroism, the unforgettable story of one man's battle to save a valley and a way of life. Richard Wilson turned his back on a comfortable life in Southern California to settle with his wife and children in Round Valley, a remote miracle of nature in the mountains north of San Francisco. He built a cattle ranch there because he believed in the value of living on the land. He worked hard to be accepted by the valley's long-time farmers and ranchers because he knew he'd found a community where he wanted to stay. Then, in 1967, the State of California announced its plan to flood Round Valley - the farms, the town, the homes - under 11 billion tons of water, to turn it into a vast reservoir to feed the ever-expanding, always-thirsty south. Richard Wilson vowed to stop them. So began an extraordinary battle that pitted him and a small band of followers against some of the most powerful forces in the state: the great corporate farmers and developers and their legislators, the intransigent Director of Water Resources, and the hitherto unchallenged and seemingly invincible Army Corps of Engineers. Most powerful of all was the tradition of limitless growth and exploitation of natural resources that had been driving California's destiny for over a century. . As the rebels moved their fight from town hall meetings to the state legislature, then all the way to Governor Reagan's office, they galvanized thousands of citizens up and down California and across the nation to join them in one of America's first and most important environmental campaigns. The River Stops Here is about a man of vision who had the courage to stand up to the powers-that-be and inspire others to do the same. Bringing to life California's desperate wars over water, it provides an important commentary on the relationship of Americans to their land and resources.