Land and Water
Controversies over land and water resources have been a part of California history since at least the days of the gold rush. One of the earliest struggles was between the hydraulic mining industry and the state's farmers. In the matter of miners v. farmers, the farmers emerged victorious.
Scottish immigrant John Muir was an eloquent defender of California's natural resources against unrestrained development. He worked tirelessly but unsuccessfully to halt the transformation of the Hetch Hetchy into a reservoir for the city of San Francisco. The farmers of the Owens Valley waged an equally unsuccessful battle to halt construction of the Los Angeles Aqueduct.
Serious efforts were undertaken such as the Central Valley Project, a system of dams and canals designed to move massive amounts of California water from north to south.