Go As a River: Iola,Colorado Disappears

As a homesteader, this book was beautiful and brutal all at once. To cultivate a home – land – and have no control over its erasure is something I can’t fathom. For me personally, it was also a book about finding independence and freedom, a theme I resonate with deeply, as I believe all of us are searching for this in some shape or form. Independence and freedom come from both an internal place and an external place. As a homesteader, finding a space – a small plot of land to sink your hands, feet, and heart into – is something to be incredibly grateful for in today’s world. Finally, it is a story of holding onto history when it begins to disappear, whether that erasure happens physically or mentally.

Building the Blue Mesa Reservoir

The book takes place in Colorado, about an hour from my tiny town. The story centers around the creation of the Blue Mesa Reservoir, where I’ve spent many lovely days basking on a boat in the hot sun. Beneath this reservoir is one town in particular, named Iola, which is the setting for the story. The creation of the reservoir around 1960 submerged many ranches and small towns, ultimately providing water for farmers and ranchers downstream. It is impossible for me to sit on a boat and look at the water without thinking of the history below. In my picture, you can see that the water level was down during one of my visits in 2023.

Before the Blue Mesa Reservoir existed, the town of Iola sat along the Gunnison River in western Colorado, where I live. In the 1950s, planners proposed the Blue Mesa Dam project to create water storage and hydroelectric power. In order to do this, towns would vanish, drowned deep below the shiny glossy surface that I see as I drive by the reservoir today. Shortly after I moved to the western slope, there was a huge drought which dropped the water level of the Blue Mesa Reservoir, and families who had lived in Iola were able to walk on the land that was once their home. This article from the Colorado Sun details this story beautifully.

Upheaval of Lives

The book, Go As a River, explores the controversy surrounding the reservoir’s creation and the complete upheaval of families, farms, and history. The flooding of this land erased people’s lives – their culture and communities – all of it, now residing at the bottom of the largest reservoir in Colorado.

The story centers around the main character, named Victoria. It is a beautiful story about hardship and awakening, and pushing through obstacles that are continually placed in front of our feet. The author, Shelley Read, titles the book, Go As a River – in essence reminding us that there’s no stopping life, or water headed downstream. We ultimately must figure out a way to persevere and move with it.

There are also some beautiful passages in the book about Victoria’s family’s peach orchard, which hit home with me, as I buy peaches from a local orchard within walking distance of my house. I am fascinated by the skills required to cultivate a thriving peach orchard, because I know it is not easy. As all things in life, growing fruit encompasses a knowledge base filled with skill, practice, and patience, and ultimately an artistic soul at heart. Anyone who can create anything in life to share with the world, including a beautiful peach orchard, has given back to all of us in an artistic way.

Victoria is a character that I personally connected with and I am guessing many other readers will connect with her too. We are all navigating life, and Victoria symbolizes that process – sharing the beauty and the suffering that come with growth, change, and the many times we each find ourselves starting over, once again.

If you belong to a book club in your community, this book would fit beautifully!