Stehekin: A Valley in Time
-
-
4.0 • 1 Rating
-
-
- $9.99
-
- $9.99
Publisher Description
“Here is a warmly analytical true story of a group—not even a community—who managed, by not managing, to remain free and unfettered and admirably, strongly protective of a most precious natural territory.” -- the late Margaret E. Murie, author, environmentalist
This is the odd, funny, true story of a city couple who find themselves trying to fit into an isolated village, accessible only by foot or boat. Stehekin is a classic tale of resistance to the encroachment of modern culture, finding simplicity in life with less, and what it means to both live independent of mass culture and, yet, be dependent on the group you find yourself wi
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
It was just a dot on the map in the middle of a national forest; no roads led to Stehekin, at the upper end of Lake Chelan in central Washington. Inhabitants reached civilizaton (``downlake'') by ferry. Shortly after World War II, Grant McConnell and his wife Jane settled in the valley, among others who cherished isolation and self-sufficiency. It was a period of acculturation for the newcomers, for the community's internal economic system was one of need and barter: cash was for ``downlake'' and summer visitors. McConnell gives an entertaining picture of his friends and neighbors as he notes the creeping changes that came to Stehekin over several years. Ultimately, residents had to fight the Forest Service to prevent cutting the forest and development. Stehekin still has no roads leading out, and logging is forbidden. Nostalgic in tone, its story is a piece of timeless Americana.
