L. W. Currey, Inc.

HARPER, JOHN L. Mineral King public concern with government policy [by] John L. Harper illustrated by Genia Kungel Wheeler and Mary Paradise. Arcata, California: Pacifica Publishing Company, [1982]. 21.5x18 cm, pp. [i-x], [1], 2-223 [224: blank], 17 illustrations, 17 maps and diagrams, original pictorial wrappers, perfect bound. First edition. A detailed account of the opposition to Disney's proposal to make the Mineral King Valley into a giant ski resort, by a conservationist who was personally involved in opposing the development as a Sierra Club volunteer. Briefly describes the geology of the Mineral King area and its human history. Coverage of the controversy begins with the first surveys of the area's winter sports potential, done in the 1940s by the Sierra Club itself (which was looking for an alternative to a development being proposed for the San Gorgonio wilderness), and concludes with the addition the Mineral King Valley to Sequoia National Park in October 1978, which effectively quashed the resort project. Provides firsthand information on the Sierra Club's role in stopping it. Stresses the importance of the State of California's decision to withdraw state funding for construction of a new access road. Argues that this action, taken by the state legislature in August 1972 and ratified by Governor Ronald Reagan (who supported the proposal), made the project financially unattractive to Disney. Note: Harper's Mineral King collection, 1947-1995, 3 feet, is in a library collection somewhere. The collection contains background information, government documents, Sierra Club materials, files from the Walt Disney Company, maps, photographs, and artifacts. Most of it was collected by John Harper, a geography professor at Humboldt State University, as research for this book. OCLC does not record a location. A nearly fine copy. (#166181).