Kinzua Dam Essay

554 Words3 Pages

Our topic, the influence of the Kinzua Dam on the Seneca Nation, was chosen after weeks of deliberation. To begin finding a topic, we researched and bounced ideas off of each other to see what to consider more seriously later on. Our previous topics have been near the early 1900s, and we looked more closely at topics near there. However, despite a lack of specifics, the Native Americans began to interest us. In September, the Erie Times-News published an article for the 50 year anniversary of Kinzua Dam, including details of the Seneca Nation’s removal. This sparked our interest and seemed to fit the theme very well, so we soon settled on the Seneca Nation and Kinzua Dam. While searching for possible topics, we did basic research on the Seneca Indians and on the Kinzua Dam. After choosing it, we created a …show more content…

The idea of flood control in the area was explored first in 1936 after the ‘great St. Patrick’s Day flood,’ however Kinzua Dam was more specifically a result of the flood in 1952/1956 in Warren. This began the encounter between the Seneca Nation and the United States. However, this long encounter often took the form of small encounters, such as Dr. Arthur Morgan challenging the Corp of Engineers with an alternative plan. Another example of an encounter is Johnny Cash using “As Long as the Grass Shall Grow” to fight public support of Kinzua Dam. The Seneca Nation used the Treaty of 1794 to fight for their land, but encountered Eminent Domain. And although alternatives to Kinzua Dam were explored, they were also rejected because the United States couldn’t exchange taking the land of one people for taking it from others. Thus, when the land was taken, the Seneca Nation was forced to exchange their lifestyle for a new one. They encountered new difficulties and had to explore new concepts or exchange old