Editing Red River Gorge (section)

===History of the proposed Red River Gorge Dam===
The Red River's tendency to flood offered downstream residents much misery. In 1962 the "Great Flood of [[Clay City, Kentucky|Clay City]]," the worst seen in 102 years, moved both government officials and local communities to lobby the Kentucky State Legislature and the [[John F. Kennedy|Kennedy]] administration for immediate construction of a flood control [[dam]]. The United States Congress ultimately approved the measure and provided funding. The [[United States Army Corps of Engineers|Army Corps of Engineers]] set about their business of making the structure a reality; however, many felt that such actions would destroy the unique ecosystem residing in the dam inundation area. The [[Sierra Club]] spearheaded the formation of a group opposed to the construction of the dam. This group obtained the help of [[United States Supreme Court|Supreme Court]] Justice [[William O. Douglas]] by participating in a Dam Protest Hike which drew local and national attention to the situation. The Dam Protest Hike took place on November 18, 1967, at the Clifty Wilderness area junction of Swift Camp Creek and the Red River, Highway 715.

In 1971, the [[University Press of Kentucky]] commissioned [[Wendell Berry]], a Kentucky native farmer and author to write a book, ''The Unforeseen Wilderness'', advocating the preservation of the gorge in its natural state.

The struggle of wills lasted several decades, involved two proposed dam sites and finally concluded with Red River's entry into the [[National Wild and Scenic River]] system on December 3, 1993, when President [[Bill Clinton]] signed "H.R.914 - Red River Designation Act of 1993," into law. The bill was sponsored by U.S. Representative [[Hal Rogers]] and provides federal protection for a {{convert|19.4|mi|km|adj=on}} section of the river.<ref>{{cite web | title = H.R. 914 - 103rd Congress (1993-1994): Red River Designation Act of 1993| website= congress.gov| publisher= Library of Congress| date= 2 December 1993| url= https://www.congress.gov/bill/103rd-congress/house-bill/914}}</ref> This legislation precluded the construction of any dam on the Red River, helping to preserve the Gorge as it exists today.<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.redriversaga.com/rrvd.html | title= RRS: History of the Red River Valley Dam| website = redriversaga.com| publisher =| accessdate =}}</ref>