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Last River Lost

The Sacrifice of the Stanislaus

A pile of gravel and dirt rising 625 feet high between the walls of remote Iron Canyon, the NEW MELONES DAM would flood an area the size of Santa Barbara, and back up 24 miles of river. Gone would be the historic river crossings where the 49ers explored the Gold Country. Gone would be the ageless petroglyps of the canyon's earlier residents, mute testimony to a lost history. Gone would be the caves, and gone would be the rapids. But most of all, gone would be the magic.

Dubois, and his compatriots in F.O.R. (FRIENDS OF THE RIVER) worked to preserve the currents and canyon of the Stanislaus for years, but as the gates of the dam closed and the waters began to rise, Mark realized he needed to take dramatic, personal action. Early one May morning, alone, he chained himself to a rock in a secret canyon far from the key that could free him. He sent word to the world that if the waters rose any more, Mark Dubois would drown with his river.

Clipping from the L.A. Times, May 26, 1979

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