Hetch Hetchy paintings

Some months ago, I wrote about the hike you can do in the Crystal Springs Watershed. The gorgeous blue water in Crystal Springs comes from the Hetch Hetchy and supplies San Francisco as well as other Bay Area communities with water. The story behind the damming of the Hetch Hetchy is fascinating as a case study of environmental conflicts, but following the narrative of Yosemite's sister valley simultaneously tells you the story of John Muir, a man who still haunts the Bay Area with an almost palpable presence. Just take a walk in Muir Woods.

Well, in reading about the fight over the Hetch Hetchy, I found out that William Keith, a painter of the time (late 1800s, early 1900s), had captured the valley on canvas before it was flooded. I went to the de Young museum hoping to see it, but was disappointed. I thought that surely the de Young had one of the canvases, but just wasn't displaying it. Sure enough, I discovered these photos on their web-based gallery. Now you can see what you're missing.