River of Change: An Historic, Scientific, and Cultural Research on the Elwha Dam Removal Project - Paperback

by Curtis G. Smith (Author)

In 1910 on the remote Olympic Peninsula of Washington State, a small indigenous people called the Klallam were suddenly under attack. After living peacefully for millennia along the banks of the mighty Elwha River, they encountered an existential threat from the outside world. A hydroelectric dam was illegally erected on the river that created a lake which flooded their ancestral home, decimated the vital salmon runs, and relegated them to almost extinction. Almost a century later, the Klallam people have hope of resurrecting their vibrant culture. The most ambitious dam removal project in the world is underway. Can a dam this large be safely taken down? Will the salmon runs return? Can the lost ecosystem be restored? Most importantly, will the Klallam people persevere? This is their story.