Expropriation

Whenever I encounter one of these spaces the land feels wrong, disturbed, haunted.  And so it is.

Fifty years ago the government forcibly acquired these lands from their owners.  They were paid according to what the government decided, but were given no choice in the sale. The tenants were required to immediately leave their homes, their livelihoods and dreams.

Ansel Adams famously said that ‘It is horrifying that we have to fight our own government to save the environment.’ These tenants fought the government for their right to remain in the wilderness.

This tension between private ownership, access and preservation has been central to the formation of parkland across North America.  This issue is still with us; private land within park boundaries is seen as anathema to its purpose and a threat to its existence.

I have met the previous tenants and their descendants as they visit the land that was once theirs.  They talk of the trauma of being made to leave and of their past lives.  The bond of those who return to the land has not been broken. Ansell recognized that ‘once destroyed, nature’s beauty cannot be repurchased at any price.’ But neither can a displaced persons’ untethered sense of belonging be healed after they have been forced to leave.

The forest has not reclaimed these spaces.  They remain wrong, disturbed, and haunted.

The government achieved its aim of ensuring that the lake did not become commercialized.  It did successfully create a larger park that has made possible a wilderness experience for many people.  But at a high cost to the previous tenants.  We should remember this when we use the park, because amongst the serenity and wildness, the scars are there to be seen.