FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Texas Institute of Letters expresses deep concern about a proposed high-voltage transmission line that could pass near or through Hard Scrabble, the former home and restored landscape of celebrated Texas writer John Graves, located north of Glen Rose along White Bluff Creek, which flows into the Paluxy River.
Oncor has proposed constructing a 765-kilovolt transmission corridor from the Comanche Peak area to West Texas to support expanding energy demands, including new industrial and technology development. One potential route would run alongside Dinosaur Valley State Park and through the Hard Scrabble property. The towers for this line would stand approximately 200 feet tall, the tallest transmission structures ever built in Texas.
John Graves (1920–2013) is widely regarded as one of the state’s most important literary voices. His classic book Goodbye to a River, still read decades after publication, helped Texans understand the ecological and cultural cost of altering the Brazos River through dam construction. After writing the book, Graves settled at Hard Scrabble, where he lived for roughly half a century, painstakingly restoring land that had been environmentally damaged. He chronicled this work in later books including Hard Scrabble and From a Limestone Ledge. His ashes were scattered on the property following his death.
Hard Scrabble is as a result not only a former residence but also a literary and environmental landmark, a place inseparable from the life and work of a writer whose influence helped shape modern Texas conservation thought.
The Texas Institute of Letters joins concerned citizens, conservationists, and former state park officials in urging that an alternate route be selected.
Statement of the Texas Institute of Letters:
“John Graves is one of the most important Texas writers ever, and his relationship with nature was profound. Beyond the three weeks he spent floating the Brazos for Goodbye to a River, he lived at Hard Scrabble for 50 years, working tirelessly to rehabilitate the damaged land and writing books that helped Texans better understand and value their natural heritage. His ashes were scattered there after his death in 2013. Oncor’s proposed route would have a devastating impact on the legacy of one of Texas’s most beloved and revered writers. Hard Scrabble should be spared and an alternate route chosen.”
Contact:
David Bowles
President
Texas Institute of Letters
president@texasinstituteofletters.org
