The History of Yosemite National Park

Separated by about 35 miles, Mariposa Grove and Yosemite Valley played seminal roles in the history of America's national parks. Native Americans had known about the wonders of Yosemite Valley for centuries, but it was not discovered by white men until the mid-nineteenth century.

This startling piece of wilderness wonderland was probably first viewed from the rim as early as the 1830s, but the first Europeans to enter the valley were likely '49er miners. In 1851, an Army battalion entered the valley in pursuit of Ahwahneechee warriors, and by 1855 the first tourist wagons were creaking through the valley over old Indian trails. Soon afterward, toll roads and hotels were opened by local entrepreneurs.

In 1864, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Yosemite Land Grant giving Mariposa Grove and Yosemite Valley to the state of California to protect it in perpetuity. This was the first time any nation had established a wilderness preserve within its own boundaries. Following the creation of Yellowstone National Park in 1872, early conservationists, particularly John Muir, urged that Yosemite also be established as a national park.

Yosemite National Park was finally mandated in 1890, but it was administered as two separate state parks for 16 more years. Thanks to the foresight of President Lincoln, John Muir, and others, it remains sublimely beautiful, an incomparable masterpiece of nature.

The Pioneer Yosemite History Center
Spectacular geology notwithstanding, Yosemite has a fascinating history to tell. At Wawona, near the south entrance, the Pioneer Yosemite History Center gives visitors a real sense of the past. Restored buildings have the look and feel of the nineteenth century. Visitors can chat with costumed guides who portray homesteaders, cavalry officers, farmers, and mountaineers.

One of the stories you are likely to hear at the history center relates the origin of the name Yosemite. According to the tale, when the Mariposa Battalion tracked an Ahwahneechee war party accused of raiding nearby mountain trading posts into the valley, the warriors yelled something that sounded like "Yo Shay Ma Tee" or "Yo Che Ma Te."

The expression, meaning "they are killers," was usually reserved for grizzly bears, not other people. Apparently thinking this was the Ahwahneechee Indian name for the area, the soldiers gave an approximation of it to the glorious valley.

The mountains and mighty trees of Yosemite.
©2006 National Park Services
The mountains and mighty trees of Yosemite, according to naturalist
John Muir, are "open to the divine soul, dissolved in
the mysterious, incomparable spirit of holy light."

The Formatioin of El Capitan
Yosemite Valley was formed by glaciers during a Pleistocene ice age. At the beginning of the epoch, the terrain now occupied by the Sierra Nevada was covered with low ridges, hills, and valleys. An ancient predecessor of the Merced River flowed through this quiet landscape.

Over eons, a gradual upheaval powered by awesome geologic forces beneath the earth tilted the Sierra block. This caused the fledgling river to pick up speed and rush toward the sea. As its flow increased in velocity, the river began carving its way down through the bedrock. Eventually a 2,000-foot V-shaped valley was cut.

Millions of years later, the climate changed, and great ice sheets began spreading across the area and into the valley. Over time the glaciers ground the valley into a steep U-shaped defile, rounding peaks along its sides into great domes. Advancing and receding at least three times, the glaciers eventually melted, leaving a lake-covered valley. In time the lake disappeared.

The result of all this erosion is a flat-bottomed, forested valley floor with monumental monoliths rising above sheared canyon walls. The famous domed rock, El Capitan, is larger than the Rock of Gibraltar. Geologists believe it may be the largest single block of granite in the world. Its spectacular 3,000-foot face draws rock climbers from around the world.

From the valley floor, visitors often see the tiny figures of climbers making the daring ascent of the cliff. During the climb, which takes several days, they sleep in slings hanging from minuscule cracks or ledges in the cliff face.

Don't let famous writers, artists, and photographers be the only ones to experience and capture the beauty of Yosemite National Park. Visit this incredible land, and take away a lifetime of memories for yourself.

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