The Terrible Greatness of Rivers

Have you ever stood on the banks of the river in the first light of morning while the fog drifts like a wide

raft along the current? Have you ever seen a rushing wall of water descend on what was a trickling stream just

moments before? If so, you know that rivers are an inspiration to many because they are magical, terrifying and

essential to all life. This theme, at times seeming discordant, can be clearly seen in John Grave’s memoir

Goodbye to a River, The Infamous Stringdusters’ song “Tears of the Earth”, and the documentary DamNation

directed by Ben Knight and Travis Rummel.

In the early 1950s, a series of dams were proposed on the Brazos River—thirteen man-made structures

that would inextricably alter the river forever. To John Graves, who spent much of his life canoeing, fishing, and

camping in that area, this would prove to be worse than the loss of his dearest friend. Graves was clearly

uncomfortable with the technological “advancements” of the mid-20th century, saying, “[S]trangeness and

change are so familiar to us now that they are getting to be normal.” In the end, though, he resigned himself to

the likelihood of losing his old friend and set out on a three-week canoe trip, alone except for a six-month-old

dachshund. What unfolds, like the ever-winding Brazos, is the tale of a goodbye journey fraught with danger

from a wild river, as well as a history of many of

the river’s inhabitants from across centuries. “I

didn’t want to see it dammed,” he wrote, “but it

was going to be.” Yet it wasn’t. John Graves’

memoir captured public interest with its beautiful

descriptions of the river entwined with a

passionate plea for protecting our natural

environment, and in the end, very few of the

originally planned dams were erected. The stretch

where the author traveled is now called “The John

Graves Scenic Riverway”. John Graves Scenic Waterway on the Brazos River -

glenrosecurrent.com

There may be no other band that expresses its love for rivers as earnestly as The Infamous Stringdusters

from Colorado. In 2013, the band toured river towns across the Rocky Mountains, all while donating a large

portion of their ticket sales to river conservation organizations. The band incorporates their passion for rivers

into their lyrics as well. In “Tears of the Earth”, the band illustrates conflicting views of rivers, singing, “I've

known rivers ancient and deep/I've seen the ripples in the moonlight, and the secrets they keep/Rushing like a

torrent, and carving the land.” The speaker in the song has a deep connection to rivers, but he respects them

simultaneously, knowing their power. The chorus concludes with the lines, “Where I clean my soul and get

carried away/Let me stay in the valley by the river one more day.” Unlike lakes, oceans, or dry land, rivers have

an ever-changing quality that will wash away the worries of anyone willing to enter its current. They are essential

not only for their life-giving quality, but also because of their ability to rejuvenate weary souls.

While rivers are essential to all life, providing drinking water, irrigation, and many other benefits,

mankind’s ability and desire to control them creates barriers, both real and imagined, that threaten people and

the environment alike. The documentary Damnation asserts that there are 75,000 dams at least 3 feet high in

the United States. “That’s the equivalent of building one everyday since Thomas Jefferson was president,” says

one scientist interviewed for the film. Yet many of these dams are necessary structures that provide flood

control and hydroelectric power, reducing the need for fossil fuels. In the documentary, the directors, Ben Knight

and Travis Rummel, reveal the conflicting views of dams, and in the end make the case for the removal of those

dams that are no longer necessary nor active. In one example involving the Snake River in Idaho, the filmmakers

show how a series of dams have turned a wild, majestic river into a tepid, slow-moving canal. The dammed river

is not used for power or irrigating crops, and the products that are shipped via barges on the tamed waterway

could just as easily be transported by the train tracks that run adjacent to the entire body of water. The dams do,

however, restrict the travel of massive

quantities of salmon that have

historically provided food and

recreation to countless people and

animals. This has negatively affected

many, from Native American tribes

with cultural and historical links to the

fisheries, to the bears and other

wildlife that depend on salmon as part

of their diet. In the end, the filmmakers

make a convincing argument that

magical and terrifying rivers must be

allowed to do what they do best: run wild. An image from the documentary Damnation. The filmmakers

argue for the removal of unnecessary dams.

Those who have been blessed to spend time on the banks of wild rivers, who have seen them and their

more magical and terrifying states, know that they are essential to life, not just for the water they provide but

for the therapeutic effect they have on one’s soul. As the reservoirs that provide water to Austin and its

surrounding communities continue to recede, the importance of rivers seems more apparent than ever.

Community leaders and the public at large must decide if they are worth protecting; the thought of future

generations not knowing the wonder of rivers is too terrible to imagine.