Lake of Betrayal: The Story of Kinzua Dam
Kinzua Dam was a key part of an extensive flood control plan to protect Pittsburgh, an industrial powerhouse of the American economy that was under constant threat of flooding from its three rivers-th…
Lake of Betrayal: The Story of Kinzua Dam
Kinzua Dam was a key part of an extensive flood control plan to protect Pittsburgh, an industrial powerhouse of the American economy that was under constant threat of flooding from its three rivers-the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio. The St. Patrick's Day Flood of 1936 which devastates Pittsburgh, puts those plans in motion by the federal government and the US Army Corp of Engineers. But, standing in the way of Kinzua Dam, the largest piece of Pittsburgh's flood control plan, is the small nation of the Seneca Indians whose treaty-protected lands on the upper Allegheny River are needed for the reservoir and floodplain. When funding for Kinzua Dam is appropriated in 1956, the Seneca people come together as a united force to save their land, their culture, and their sovereignty. Their leadership is made up of working men such as George Heron, an ironworker and a decorated World War II vet who heads the fight to protect the way of life his people had known for centuries. He knows the taking of Native lands for dams had been recurring across county for decades, but he believes his people are protected by the 1794 Treaty of Canandaigua signed by President George Washington which guarantees them the "free use and enjoyment" of their lands forever. Playing in the background of the Kinzua Dam story is the federal policy of Indian termination that aims to strip all Native Americans of their sovereignty. Between 1945 and 1960, more than 100 tribes would be terminated and more than a million acres of Indian land would be taken. It's against this backdrop that George Heron and the Seneca Nation wage a nearly eight-year struggle that takes them to Congress, the federal courts, the White House, and the court of public opinion. On their side is the treaty signed by George Washington which guarantees them their lands forever. They also have viable alternatives to Kinzua Dam, plans developed by the Tennessee Valley Authority's first director, Dr. Arthur Morgan, which provide greater flood control protection for Pittsburgh and preserve their lands. And, they have the word of President John F. Kennedy who had written to George Heron in the run-up to the 1960 presidential election promising that in his administration there would be no change in treaties without the consent of the tribes concerned. But it would not be enough to overcome the business and political interests behind Kinzua Dam-and their hidden agenda for private hydropower. In 1964, as the US Army Corps of Engineers nears completion of Kinzua Dam, the Seneca are forcibly removed from their lands-over 10,000 acres, one-third of their land base representing most of the habitable land, is taken. The Seneca witness the torching of their homes and the bulldozing of their communities-places with associated rituals, traditions, and stories that had shaped their lives and were central to Seneca culture. George Heron and members of his administration negotiate a 15-million-dollar settlement with the US government, what he calls "conscience money," but it can't compensate for the intangible losses-their way of life and their sense of identity. What emerges, however, is a resolve of spirit to lay the groundwork for a stronger tribal governing structure that enables the Seneca Nation to move forward after the Kinzua Dam crisis. More than fifty years later, the Seneca people continue to hold an annual commemoration called "Remember the Removal." It reveals the depth of grief and anger that still exists but also the determination of the Seneca to protect and exercise their sovereignty. The tragedy of the Kinzua Dam story is not simply the lies and broken promises: It's that without vigilance, the Seneca believe something like this could happen again.
Lake of Betrayal: The Story of Kinzua Dam
Documentary
Film Details
Kinzua Dam was a key part of an extensive flood control plan to protect Pittsburgh, an industrial powerhouse of the American economy that was under constant threat of flooding from its three rivers-the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio. The St. Patrick's Day Flood of 1936 which devastates Pittsburgh, puts those plans in motion by the federal government and the US Army Corp of Engineers.
But, standing in the way of Kinzua Dam, the largest piece of Pittsburgh's flood control plan, is the small nation of the Seneca Indians whose treaty-protected lands on the upper Allegheny River are needed for the reservoir and floodplain. When funding for Kinzua Dam is appropriated in 1956, the Seneca people come together as a united force to save their land, their culture, and their sovereignty. Their leadership is made up of working men such as George Heron, an ironworker and a decorated World War II vet who heads the fight to protect the way of life his people had known for centuries.
He knows the taking of Native lands for dams had been recurring across county for decades, but he believes his people are protected by the 1794 Treaty of Canandaigua signed by President George Washington which guarantees them the "free use and enjoyment" of their lands forever. Playing in the background of the Kinzua Dam story is the federal policy of Indian termination that aims to strip all Native Americans of their sovereignty. Between 1945 and 1960, more than 100 tribes would be terminated and more than a million acres of Indian land would be taken.
It's against this backdrop that George Heron and the Seneca Nation wage a nearly eight-year struggle that takes them to Congress, the federal courts, the White House, and the court of public opinion. On their side is the treaty signed by George Washington which guarantees them their lands forever. They also have viable alternatives to Kinzua Dam, plans developed by the Tennessee Valley Authority's first director, Dr.
Arthur Morgan, which provide greater flood control protection for Pittsburgh and preserve their lands. And, they have the word of President John F. Kennedy who had written to George Heron in the run-up to the 1960 presidential election promising that in his administration there would be no change in treaties without the consent of the tribes concerned.
But it would not be enough to overcome the business and political interests behind Kinzua Dam-and their hidden agenda for private hydropower. In 1964, as the US Army Corps of Engineers nears completion of Kinzua Dam, the Seneca are forcibly removed from their lands-over 10,000 acres, one-third of their land base representing most of the habitable land, is taken. The Seneca witness the torching of their homes and the bulldozing of their communities-places with associated rituals, traditions, and stories that had shaped their lives and were central to Seneca culture.
George Heron and members of his administration negotiate a 15-million-dollar settlement with the US government, what he calls "conscience money," but it can't compensate for the intangible losses-their way of life and their sense of identity. What emerges, however, is a resolve of spirit to lay the groundwork for a stronger tribal governing structure that enables the Seneca Nation to move forward after the Kinzua Dam crisis. More than fifty years later, the Seneca people continue to hold an annual commemoration called "Remember the Removal." It reveals the depth of grief and anger that still exists but also the determination of the Seneca to protect and exercise their sovereignty.
The tragedy of the Kinzua Dam story is not simply the lies and broken promises: It's that without vigilance, the Seneca believe something like this could happen again..