Last week, nouveau environmentalists rejoiced with wanderlust over the “discovery of a 400-foot waterfall” in Whiskeytown National Park in Northern California. And, as with other so-called discoveries, those celebrating this find seemed completely oblivious to the patent flaw in their claim that, even though (white)men had explored the area surrounding the falls for more than 100 years, “no one” knew of the existence of this natural wonder.
Indeed, as if to substantiate their historically fallacious claim, park officials presented a 92-year old prospector, Dick McDermott, who testified that he lived in the area for more than 70 years and confirmed his amazement as follows:
Sure, I was surprised…I’ve been all around that place, I never seen ’em.
Well, that settles it then!
But for the history books (and to complete this past is prologue analogy), park rangers announced that the “Dr Livingstone” who shall be credited with this find is Russ Weatherbee, a wildlife biologist. Indeed, with the help of 21st Century communications, the folklore of Weatherbee’s discovery was circulated worldwide within hours. According to the Associate Press release
Weatherbee was cleaning out a cabinet of old maps when he stumbled across one from the 1960s marked with a note reading “Whiskeytown falls” near Crystal Creek. [He] just decided to go looking for it….He was looking at global imaging system maps on his computer when he saw a stretch in the creek that dropped in altitude quickly with a sliver of white leading through it [and thought] ‘That looks like white water to me’.
Eureka?
Of course, Hollywood could not have cast a better protagonist for this story than a “wildlife biologist”. And, only a politically correct jerk would wonder about the Indians who may have bathed in the Crystal Creek below these falls centuries before Weatherbee’s arrival. (Besides, if they wanted credit for the find, they should’ve contacted CNN or National Geographic themselves….No?)
Nevertheless, may I mention The Wintu and other Indians tribes who are natives to this area and should be kept in mind as white men draw up plans to commercialize their find by grazing a path for eco-tourists to have easy access to commune with this new wonder of nature.
So, come on by and let the cash flow like the mighty Whiskytown falls…
News and Politics
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