Tocks Island Project Resistance Publications
The Minisink Bull was a periodic newsletter circulated in the area of Pennsylvania and New Jersey that would have been impacted by the proposed Tocks Island Dam construction. It was published by Joan Transue Matheson, a resident of Dingman’s Ferry, PA, with the assistance of unpaid local writers and supporters. The effort was aligned with the Delaware Valley Conservation Association, an organization created in 1965 to formally coordinate the opposition to the dam and to express local beliefs regarding the subsequent Delaware River National Recreation Area operated by the National Park Service.
There were 23 issues from Nov. 23, 1966 to Dec. 12, 1970, typically 8 pages long. It used techniques of criticism, rage, exposure and sarcasm as it endeavored to spread emerging facts regarding the activities of the Army Corps of Engineers, the National Park Service, Congress, and State and local governments, as well as focusing on the political and economic forces involved in promoting the project. Cartoons and hand-illustrations were often employed.
The newsletter was prepared and printed using locally available, non-commercial resources.
Joan Matheson and Sidney Marshall.
Both were eventually displaced from their homes by the Federal project.
In early 2021, these issues were scanned by Sidney Marshall from original prints. Marshall had become publisher in July 1969, and played a key role in the production of earlier editions, as well as being active in the resistance efforts. With considerable effort, he arranged for a limited print edition which is available at a modest cost by contacting him here. (Note that several university libraries have microfilm copies, which are not always readily accessible nor as usable as these scans.)
The resulting publication was converted by Jim Alexander to PDF format which is presented here. It can be searched with the PDF Find feature, and enlarged on screen as needed. Some browsers may make the Find feature available by clicking CTL + F. Please allow for download time of the large files.
The Delaware Valley Conservation Association later started its own newsletter. Only several are currently available here.