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70

OF YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK

SPECIAL ISSUE

YOSEMITE NATURE NOTES

From the collection of the

y o s e m i t e

NATURK NOTF.S

Since 1922, the monthly publication of the
National Park Service and the Yosemite Natural
History Association in Yosemite National Park.

Vol. XXXV No. 5

By

Richard P. Ditton and Donald E. McHenry

soC\k^

In cooperation with the National Park Service.

CONTENTS

63 Welcome

64 A Brief Story of Yosemite

66 How To Use This Guide

Tours: (road pose indicator in parentheses)

67 Yosemite Valley from Park Boundary on Merced Road ("V")
79 Yosemite Valley to Wawona, and South Entrance ("W")

83 Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias ("B")

8 5 Chinquapin to Glacier Point ("G")

92 Yosemite Valley to Park Boundary at Carl Inn (Crane Flat Road) ("C")

95 Crane Flat to Tioga Pass ("T")

103 Interesting Points Between Merced and Yosemite National Park

108 Interesting Points Between Fresno and Yosemite National Park

1 1 1 Some Wildlife and Plants of Yosemite National Park

WELCOME

John C. Preston

On behalf of the National Park Ser-
vice I take pleasure in welcoming you
as a visitor to Yosemite National Park.
I know that your visit was planned to
afford you and your party a unique
and happy experience in this, one of
the world's outstanding scenic areas.
It is the purpose of this booklet to help
you realize to the utmost the pleasures
of this trip. Many will find time or in-
clination for seeing the park from auto
roads only. Under these circumstances
the use of this guide will bring a fuller
understanding and appreciation of the
essentials of the magnificent scenery
which can be seen from the highway.
For those who are disposed to explore the wonders of Yosemite further,
you are invited to travel along the high country trails and spend your
nights camping out under the stars. In this manner will you be able to
gain a more intimate knowledge of the park and its many superlative
features. By this experience one will more fully understand and ap-
preciate the fragile nature of a wilderness area. Detailed trail guides
and maps to help you are available in the park.

This booklet is intended to help you learn more about Yosemite.
It is based on the combined experience and knowledge of the park
gained by Richard P. Ditton of the Yosemite Park and Curry Company
through 14 years of residence in the area, and that of Donald E.
McHenry, Park Naturalist for over 9 years, assisted extensively by
members of the naturalist staff, especially Douglass H. Hubbard,
Wayne W. Bryant, Ruth Glass and Helen Doty as well as by Laurence
V. Degnan, and by helpful suggestions from National Park Service
and Company officials.

v«k c VTu\^r

t v

V \ John C. Preston, Superintendent

64

YOSEMITE NATURE NOTES

A BRIEF STORY OF YOSEMITE

Yoscmite National Park, one of our 28
scenic and scientific national parks and
one of some iso areas administered by
the National Park Service, is world fam-
ous for the scenic grandeur of Yosemite
Valley and its high Sierra country. It
embraces about 1200 square miles with
elevations ranging from foothills to al-
pine peaks over 13,000' high. Such differ-
ences in elevation account for the zone-
like distribution of the 17 evergreens and
18 broad-leaf trees making up Yosemite's
forests and to a degree its wildlife also.
Deer are especially abundant in Yosemite
Valley where they, with the bear, are
often mistaken for tame animals. They
are dangerous and park regulations for-
bid feeding them in the park.

Yosemite Valley was probably discov-
ered by William Penn Abrams in 1849
during the gold rush days. It later came
into national prominence through the
185 5 reports of Dr. Lafayette H. Bun-
nell of the Mariposa Battalion under
Major James D. Savage, and the extended
writings of James M. Hutchings, John
Muir, Starr King and many others who
worked for its preservation. Because of
growing public interest, John Conness,
Senator from California, introduced into
the Congress in 1864 a bill to set aside
Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove
of Big Trees as the Yosemite Grant. The
bill was passed and signed by President
Abraham Lincoln. Here was the first
practical application of what was to
grow into our great National Park Sys-
tem of today. It was given to the State
of California to administer until 190 5
when it was receded to the federal gov-
ernment for incorporation in Yosemite
National Park which had been established
in the surrounding country by Congress
in 1890. Yosemite National Park was
first administered by the U. S. Army
but with the establishment of the Na-
tional Park Service as a bureau of the

U. S. Department of the Interior in
1916, administration passed to civilian
hands. Today the visitors' contacts with
this Service are largely through uni-
formed park rangers and naturalists,
whose duties are to protect, preserve and
interpret the park under the supervision
of the park superintendent.

The story of the formation of Yosem-
ite Valley goes back some two hundred
million years when this land was beneath
the sea. As it subsequently arose out of
the sea it was covered with layers of
sediments many thousands of feet thick,
the remnants of which are seen today as
greatly changed rocks in the foothills
and on some of the park's highest peaks.
The granites which now make up most
of Yosemite National Park's rocks welled
up underneath this old sea deposit as
molten rock which cooled slowly as the
sea deposits eroded away. As the Sierra
tilted westward through three stages of
uplift, rivers established courses down
this slope wearing successively deeper
valleys into the granite. About one mil-
lion years ago the third and last deep and
steepsided "V"-shaped river valley was
invaded at separate times by three ice
age glaciers which carved the valley into
its present "U"-shaped form. The first
two glaciers were 3000 to 4000 feet deep
and extended as far as El Portal. The
third and last glacier, filling only about
a third of the depth of the valley, drop-
ped its load of rocks and debris at a point
between El Capitan and Bridalveil Fall.
This made a dam which backed up the
water from the melting ice to form
Ancient Lake Yosemite, 5*2 miles long
and perhaps as much as two thousand
feet deep in the area of Camp Curry. As
the lake filled with sediment the present
level floor of the valley came into being.

The first tourist party came to Yo-
semite Valley in 185 5 on horseback over
old Indian trails. It was not until 1874

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65

that a toll road, the Coulterville Road,
was built, allowing stage travel to the
valley floor. It was followed within a
month by a competing toll road, the old
Big Oak Flat Road. In the autumn of
1874 Washburn, Chapman, Coffman
and Company received permission to ex-
tend their toll road from Wawona to
the valley, thus completing the road from
Mariposa, the first from the south. In
1877 Coffman sold his interests and the
company became the Yosemite Stage and
Turnpike Company, the first organized
stageline in Yosemite. During the 1880's
the Nevada Stage Company ran stages
from Stockton to Yosemite Valley via
Milton and the old Big Oak Flat Road.
Scheduled stage runs over this route end-
ed in 188 8, although there was irregular
stage coach travel over this road past
the turn of the century.

The days of the stage coach were num-
bered with the building of the Yosemite
Valley Railroad in 1907 from Merced to
El Portal. Upl)irrts--e^mpletion^ the rail-
road company built a wagon roacTTror
the railhead to the Coulterville Road in
Yosemite Valley so that horse-drawn
stages could carry train passengers into
the park. This was when El Portal — the
portal — received its name.

In 1913 stage companies operating in
and to the park established the then
famous Horseshoe Route running from
Raymond to Yosemite Valley and return
to Merced. Another well-known stage
circuit was the Triangle Route, operated
from El Portal past Big Meadows to the
Tuolumne Grove of Big Trees and then

via the old Big Oak Flat Road to Yo-
semite Valley. These several stage routes
came to an end with the consolidation
and reorganization of transportation and
hotel accommodations in the park in 192 5
under a corporation that is known today
as the Yosemite Park and Curry Com-
pany. The transportation division of this
company operates bus stages throughout
the park and between the park, Merced,
Fresno and Lake Tahoe under franchises
with the U. S. Department of the Inter-
ior, the California Public Utilities Com-
mission and the Interstate Commerce
Commission. This division still uses the
old name, Yosemite Transportation Sys-
tem, formerly identified with the trans-
portation department of the old Desmond
Company.

The building of the Merced Ail-Year
Highway in 1926, the growth of mass
automobile travel and the subsequent
loss of. passenger and freight revenue,
led the Yosemite Valley Railroad to aban-
donment in 1945. In the travel year of
Imost a million visitors like your-
selves came to the park, mostly by pri-
vate automobile. For you there are some
217 miles of public roads to various parts
of the park and about 750 miles of trails
to permit you to enjoy the wilderness
features of Yosemite. It is with your
pleasure in mind that this self-guiding
auto tour booklet has been prepared, that
you may have greater opportunity to ap-
preciate, enjoy, and protect the unique
scenic wilderness values of Yosemite Na-
tional Park.

Early Touring in Yosemite Valley

66 YOSEMITE NATURE NOTES

HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE

This booklet describes the more important points along the high-
ways in Yosemite National Park and along the roads between Merced,
Fresno and the park.

To get the greatest enjoyment from this self-guided trip, travel
leisurely — drive slowly and carefully.

In the left hand margin of the text is a series of letters and num-
bers which correspond to post markers with white letters and numbers
identifying points of interest along the highway. The letters repre-
sent the particular roads as follows: "V" stands for Yosemite Valley.
"W" the Wawona Road to the South Entrance, "B" the Mariposa Grove
of Giant Sequoias, "G" the Glacier Point Road from Chinquapin, "C"
the Crane Flat Road to the park boundary at Carl Inn (Highway 120),
and "T" the Tioga Road from Crane Flat to Tioga Pass which leads
to the other side of the crest of the Sierra Nevada. Look at "Contents"
for the proper page. The mileage shown in parentheses between par-
agraphs gives the distance between successive points driving either
way. Using either or both systems will enable you to follow this guide
successfully. Where your travel reverses the order given in the guide,
remember that this will also reverse directions as given, i.e., right be-
comes left, ahead becomes behind, opposite side becomes near side, etc.

The guides to interesting points along the Merced Road and the
Fresno Road are on pages 103 and 108, respectively. Along these roads
outside the park you will be guided 6nly by the distances given between
points. A brief description of the wildlife and plants in the park is
given on page 110.

STOP ONLY AT PARKING AREAS OR OFF THE ROAD
AN AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENT WILL SPOIL YOUR TRIP

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67

YOSEMITE VALLEY FROM PARK BOUNDARY ON MERCED ROAD

(Total driving distance 30 miles)

Keep to tljc left at all major intersection!: in the valley.
Map of Yosemitc Valley pages 86 and 87.

Y PARK BOUNDARY. Yosemite Na-
- tional Park, like our other national
■ parks, was established to preserve
an area in as primitive a wilderness con-
dition as possible for the enjoyment by
the people for all time. Yosemite is fam-
ous for its glacier-sculptured scenery. In
contrast to the practices in national for-
ests, no lumbering, hunting or mining is
allowed in national parks. Yosemite is a
wildlife preserve where wild animals may
be seen roaming at large. Yosemite's
modern history began in the days of the
'49ers, although Indians lived here pre-
viously. The walls of the Merced Canyon
here, like the walls of Yosemite Valley,
are granite. This granite was originally
molten rock which was forced up be-
neath older rocks now worn away.

(For a guide to points of interest
along the road between Yosemite Nation-
al Park and Merced, see page 103.)

V
2

Sierra Black Bear

ARCH ROCK ENTRANCE STA-
TION. There are 4 entrance stations
in Yosemite where park rangers
furnish information and collect visitor-
use fees. This money is not used for op-
erating the park but is deposited directly
in the U. S. Treasury. Additional detailed
information is available at park head-
quarters and the Yosemite Museum.

OLD COULTERVILLE ROAD.

On the left the highway is joined
by the old Coulterville Road, the

first road into Yosemite Valley. (Read

description in W-4, page 80.)

V
3

V

4

California Mule Deer

CASCADE FALLS. In the spring
and early summer you will have
from here a fine view of Cascade
Falls. The falls have a drop of approxi-
mately 500 feet. (Read description under
C-3, page 93.)

68

YOSEMITE NATURE NOTES

V JUNCTION WITH THE BIG OAK
- FLAT ROAD. The Big Oak Flat

' Road which takes off here is des-
cribed under C-l, page 92. (Drive
straight ahead at next intersection)

Y VALLEY VIEW. From Valley View
you see the "gates" of the valley,

' formed by El Capitan and Cathed-
ral Rocks. In early summer the scene is
framed by fragrant blossoms of azalea,
the shrubs which line the river bank.
The trees of the forest in the valley are
principally two dominant evergreens, the
ponderosa pine and the incense-cedar,
with a scattering of white fir, Douglas-
fir and a few sugar pine. In the meadows
grow the California black oak (source of
food for the now departed Yosemite
Indians), black cottonwood and white
alder. The last two trees are common
along the streams together with the Pa-
cific dogwood. The rocky slopes at the
base of the cliffs are covered with the
evergreen live oaks, as well as a scattering
of bigleaf maples and California laurel.
Although the incense-cedar, because of
its red bark, is frequently mistaken for

"redwood," no giant sequoias grow native
on the floor of the valley. A few young
sequoias, notably a tree near the entrance
of the Yosemite Museum, have been
transplanted. (For further information
on trees read "Broadleaved Trees of Yo-
semite" and "Cone-bearing Trees of Yo-
semite" available at the museum and gift
shops.)

V EL CAPITAN MORAINE AND
_ JUNCTION OF OLD BIG OAK
' FLAT ROAD. The low ridge in
the forest extending towards the river is
a glacial deposit or "moraine" formed
by the most recent ice-age glacier. As
the ice melted back this moraine made a
dam to help form Ancient Lake Yosemite
which was between one and two thous-
and feet deep at the upper end of the
valley and was 5 Yi miles long. The lake
gradually filled in with sediments to
form the present level valley floor. The
road on the other side of the highway
is a section of the Old Big Oak Flat Road,
now abandoned.

Y EL CAPITAN. Read description
q under V-32, page 76.

Features seen from Valley View

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69

y OLD STAGECOACH ROAD.
_ You can turn back the pages of time
' by driving west over this section of
the original stagecoach road which skirts
the base of El Capitan. This is a one way
loop drive from this point on the oppo-
site side of the highway and continuing
for about Va of a mile back to the main
highway. Except for an oiled surface this
road is little changed from stagecoach
days.

V SENTINEL ROCK, THE THREE
- Q BROTHERS, AND EL CAPITAN.

' " As you pass El Capitan you will see
the Three Brothers on your left. The
highest of the rocks, Eagle Peak, is 3,773
feet above the valley floor, it being the
highest point on the north rim of the
valley. It may be reached on foot by way
of the Yosemite Falls Trail. (Read des-
cription of Sentinel Rock under V-30,
and of El Capitan under V-3 2, page 76.

Y ROCKY POINT. On the down-val-
. - ley side of the parking area is a rock
■ ' slide which occurred about 1922. The
scar is slowly being covered with vegeta-
tion. It tells the story of the geological
and biological forces that continue to
alter the landscape. Grooved and shiny
glacier polish left by Ice Age glaciers can
be seen about 2 5 feet above the base of
the cliff close at hand. This is one of the
few places where glacier polish can be
seen on the floor of the valley.

Y YOSEMITE LODGE. The Yosem-
m *y ite Lodge area was first developed

' ^ by the U.S. Army as an Army post
when it administered the park prior to
1916. In 1915 it was improved by the
Desmond Company which had a 20-year
franchise to provide hotel accommoda-
tions. During the period between 1920
and 192 5 a succession of reorganizations
brought the present Yosemite Park and
Curry Co. into being. The history of this
company is told under G-12, page 90.

Three Brothers

Today a new lodge replaces the old one
which originally was an Army barracks.
New modern cottages are taking the place
of the old redwood cabins. A gift shop,
grill, post office, swimming pool and
cafeteria are located at the Lodge. This
unit is open all year and is popular with
the winter visitors. The row of dwellings
across the road from the Lodge once
were Army non-commissioned officers'
living quarters.

Y YOSEMITE FALLS. The spur road
- _ to the left leads to near the base of
' <* Yosemite Falls, a distance of 0.2
of a mile. One of the highest free-
leaping waterfalls in the world, its total
drop is 2,42 5 feet. The great upper
fall is 1,430 feet, the middle cascade
675, and the lower fall 3 20 feet. The
top may be reached by a rather steep
but scenic trail which starts from Camp
4, which you passed just before reaching
Yosemite Lodge. The falls are full in the
spring and dry up in late summer. In
winter a large ice cone usually forms

70

YOSEMITE NATURE NOTES

Yosemite Falls

at the base of the upper fall by slabs of
ice formed from frozen spray falling off
the cliff. The combined height of the
falls is nearly twice that of the Empire
State Building, at present the world's
tallest man-made structure, while the
lower fall is twice the height of Niagara.

Y YOSEMITE VILLAGE. This in-

14

eludes the Park Service Headquar-

ters, Yosemite Museum, post office,
Western Union, photographic and curio
shops, residences of permanent employees
in the park, offices of the Yosemite Park
and Curry Company, a garage and ser-
vice station. Eventually the Village Store,
studio and grill, Degnan's restaurant and
store, as well as Best's Studio, will make
up the merchandising portion of the
village.

V LOST ARROW. INDIAN CAN-
, 5 YON. LEHAMTTE FALL. From
3 the plaza near the Yosemite Mu-
seum and Park Headquarters you can

see the Lost Arrow high on the cliff to
the right of the Yosemite Falls. This
slender shaft of granite is separated
from the main cliff and rises to a height
of several hundred feet. The Lost Arrow
was first climbed September 3, 1946, by
members of the Sierra Club, an ordeal
which took them nearly 5 days and
nights. The legend of the Lost Arrow
is told in "Yosemite Indians," available
at museums and gift shops. Indian Can-
yon is the deep ravine to the right of
the main cliff, so named from its use
by the Yosemite Indians as an escape
route when they were pursued by the
Mariposa Battalion in 1851. During the
early spring runoff Lehamite Fall drops
into a ravine on the right wall of this
canyon. Lehamite is Indian for "Ar-
row-wood."

i sill-

Yosemite Museum

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71

V LEWIS MEMORIAL HOSPITAL.
1 # The Lewis Memorial Hospital has
a capacity of 16 beds and is equip-
ped to handle most emergencies. It is
operated under government contract and
is staffed by competent doctors and
nurses. The park dentist has an office
in this building. The hospital was
named in honor of W. B. Lewis, an early
civilian superintendent of Yosemite Na-
tional Park. The houses across the road
from the hospital are residences of em-
ployees of the Yosemite Park and Curry
Co. This area is called Tecoya, from the
Indian word To-co-ya, "The Basket,"
said to be associated with an Indian
legend about North Dome.

V CHURCH BOWL AND GLA-
- - CIER POINT VIEW. In a natural

' * amphitheater at the base of the cliff
is the Church Bowl where religious
gatherings are held during the summer.
Across the meadow Glacier Point rises
3215 feet above the valley floor. From
here is one of the best views of the fire-
fall. (For a description of the firefall
read G-12, page 90.)

V THE AHWAHNEE. The Ahwah-

lO nee was opened in 1927. It has 115
rooms and cottages decorated in an
Indian motif. Rooms of special note are
the dining room with its lofty massive
construction and tall windows which
frame the scenic views; the great lounge,
a room of cathedral-like proportions, and
the El Dorado Diggin's, a cocktail
lounge reminiscent of a street in an early
California mining town. Ahwahnee is a
native Indian word meaning "deep
grassy valley" — the Yosemite Valley.

Y HALF DOME. .Dominating the
m q upper end of the valley is Half
Dome, hallmark of Yosemite Na-
tional Park. It marks the junction of

Half Dome

Tenaya Creek (left) and the Merced
River (right). Rising nearly one mile
above the valley floor it is one of the
most majestic rock forms known. On
clear days it can be seen from places
along Highway 99 in the San Joaquin
Valley. Half Dome was climbed for the
first time in October 1875 by George G.
Anderson. Today hikers reach its 13 -acre
top in summer by a trail up the far
(east) side with the aid of cables. The
likeness of a great face on the 2000-
foot high sheer surface gives rise to an
interesting Indian legend, told in "Yo-
semite Indians."
(Take left-hand turn at intersection.)

Y SUGAR PINE. The largest of the
<yfi few sugar pines on the valley floor
is the tree growing to the left of
the far end of the Sugar Pine Bridge. So
highly regarded was this tree that in
18 84 James M. Hutchings, then guardian
of the Yosemite Grant, built the first

72

YOSEMITE NATURE NOTES

stone work seen along the river to protect

the bank from erosion and saves the tree.
Sugar pines are normally found at a
higher elevation. Their cones have been
known to grow up to 26" in length.

V INDIAN CAVES. Indian Caves
<%m are the site of an old Indian camp
Z ' known as either HOL-LOW or
LAH-KOO-HAH. See if you can find
the flat rock near the caves where In-
dian women pounded acorns from the
black oak, their principal food. The
caves were used for temporary shelter
during severe weather, for refuge from
enemies, and for storage. The Indians of
Yosemitc normally dwelt in wigwam-
like structures of incense cedar bark call-
ed "uma-chas," described more fully in
"Indians of Yosemite."

V MIRROR LAKE, is at its best in

*%«% spring and early summer when the

absence of wind during early morn-

ing hours makes perfect reflections pos-
sible on its surface. This lake was
formed by rock slides from the cliff
wills which dammed Tenaya Creek
some years ago. Filling in rapidly (as
did ancient Lake Yosemite which formed
the valley floor), Mirror Lake will prob-
ably disappear within a decade or so.
Even now it all but dries up every au-
tumn. Tenaya Creek, which feeds this
lake, starts above Tenaya Lake near Tu-
olumne Meadows, and cascades from
that lake into the upper part of the Te-
naya box canyon. Annual Easter Sun-
rise services are held on the shore of
Mirror Lake.

CLOUD'S REST is the steep-sided
mountain just beyond towering Half
Dome.

MT. WATKINS across the canyon from
Cloud's Rest is the peak which is reflect-
ed in Mirror Lake. The peak is 4,23 5 feet
high and is named for Carleton E. Wat-
kins, a pioneer Yosemite photographer.

Mirror Lake in spring

*num*

Royal Arches, North Dome and Washington Column

BASKET DOME, farther to the left, is
3,5 00 feet. Its name came from an In-
dian legend.

(Take left-hand turns at next two
intersections.)

y GLACIAL MORAINE. The low
<__ hill at this intersection is one of
^~ the few morainal ridges still exist-
ing on the valley floor. It was formed
when two glaciers came together. This
is known locally as "Ski Hill" because
here began Yosemite's skiing.

V HAPPY ISLES. The spur road
24 leaves the highway junction and
leads up to the Happy Isles and
Nature Center. The Merced River at
this point branches into several chan-
nels forming two main islands. Some 15
species of trees — practically every kind
found on the valley floor — grow at
Happy Isles. The great white blossoms
of the Pacific flowering dogwood may

be seen at their best here during early
spring. This is also an important start-
ing point for many High Sierra trails,
including those to Vernal Fall, Nevada
Fall, Little Yosemite, Half Dome, and
the high Sierra camps.

HAPPY ISLES NATURE CENTER —

To help you see and enjoy Yosemite
this visitor and information center sup-
plements the museum in Yosemite Village
and serves as the "key" to your trips into
the back country. For 30 years the
building was operated as a hatchery by
the California Department of Fish and
Game, raising fingerling trout for Yo-
semites' lakes and streams. Starting in
195 7 the trout were supplied from new
hatcheries near Fresno and Sonora. An
outdoor pond displays large trout. Ex-
hibits in the building will be of interest to
the entire family. As you leave Happy
Isles, traveling down-valley, Camp 1 1 is
on your right. This is one of six free pub-
lic campgrounds in Yosemite Valley main-

74

YOSEMITE NATURE NOTES

Scene in Old Village c. 1903

tained by the National Park Service for
visitors who have their own camping
equipment.

w CAMP 14. Continuing westward
* you see Camp 14 on your right. Be-
25 yond and across the Merced River
are Camps 1 5 and 7. In the summer
months interesting outdoor campfire
programs are given by National Park
Service ranger-naturalists nightly at
Camps 7 and 14, (except Sunday when
evening church services are conducted).
Before approaching the Camp Curry
intersection you will see an apple orchard
on your left. It was planted in the
1860's by James Lamon (pronounced
le-mon), one of the first homesteaders in
the valley. This relic of pioneer days is
now used as a parking area for Camp
Curry. In winter part of the parking
area is flooded and frozen over for a
skating rink.

y CAMP CURRY. Camp Curry, one
m g of the most popular valley accom-
^® modations, was founded by Mr. and
Mrs. David Curry in 1899. A grocery

store, gift shop, cafeteria, dining room,
swimming pool, bicycle rental stand,
dance pavilion, garage and service sta-
tion, and sleeping accommodations are
located here. Camp Curry is open from
approximately May 15 to September 15.

GLACIER POINT. Directly above Camp
Curry is the Overhanging Rock at Gla-
cier Point, 3,2 54 feet up from the valley
floor. There are three trails to Glacier
Point, 1 Vi miles, 5 miles and 11 miles in
length. By road it is 32 miles. In the
spring Staircase Falls can be seen cas-
cading from one ledge to another on the
cliff above.

Across the valley the great granite
arcs are the exposed edges of rock shells
known as the ROYAL ARCHES. Streak-
ing down over the Royal Arches to the
left are ROYAL ARCHES CASCADES,
a striking 1000-foot springtime water-
fall. Above the Royal Arches is
NORTH DOME, 3,571 feet high. To
the right of the arches WASHING-
TON COLUMN rises like a tall sky-
scraper 1,912 feet above the valley. Less
spectacular than some other rock forms,
the Washington Column is still nearly
four times as high as the Washington
Monument.

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75

y LE CONTE MEMORIAL LODGE
4^— Down-valley from Camp Curry,
^* directly across the road from the
Housekeeping Camp, is the LeConte
Memorial Lodge built in 1903 by the
Sierra Club, first at Camp Curry, but
later moved to its present site. The me-
morial commemorates the work of Joseph
LeConte, a famed geologist. Here the
Sierra Club maintains a mountaineering
and conservation library and exhibits
and furnishes information about rock
climbing.

V OLD VILLAGE. The Old Village
<~q started in the late 1 8 50's and was

" the center of activity prior to 1916.
It boasted such enterprises as photo-
graphic studios, general store, post of-
fice, church, park headquarters, resi-
dences, hotels and saloons. At the pres-
ent time (1959) the Old Village has a
church and movie pavilion. It is planned
to remove all man-made structures
eventually and return the area to its
natural state. Historical markers will
then show former building sites.

1 -Cavagnaro's warehouse

stables
2-Cavagnaro's store, previously
owned by Harris, later ac-
quired by Garibaldi.
3-Degnan's log stable
4-Johnny Finch's _ blacksmith

shop
5-Degnan's original residence
6-J. J. Westfall's meat market
7-Stables for Westfall's meat

market
8-State barn when California

administered the area
9-Fagersteen's Photographic

Studio
10-Chapel (still standing)
1 1 -Living quarters
1 2-Mess tent

13-Stark's woodworking shops
14-Work shops
15-Pillsbury Picture Studio
1 6-Tents
.''^7-Bath and garage
<* j-8-Storage
^-'19-Tents

20-Residence of Mrs. John Deg-

nan (still standing)
21-Degnan's Restaurant and

Store (still standing)
22-Residence (part still stand-
ing)
23-lcehouse

24 and 25-Government residen-
ces

26-Village Store (still standing)

27-Ganbaldi's "new" store now
incorporated in the Village
Store (1956)

28-J. T. Boysen Studio (photo-
graphic)

29-fosemite Falls Studio (D. J.
Foley)

30-Early National Park Service
Headquarters

31 -Best's Studio

32-Residence

33-Pavilion (dancing, then mov-
ies and church services)

34-Cosmopolitan Saloon

35-The New Saloon

36-The River Cottage

37-Sentinel Hotel

38-Rock Cottage

39-Oak Cottage

40-Cedar Cottage

41 -Bath house (approximate lo-
cation)

42-Laundry and Chinese help
quarters

43-Sinning woodwork shop, later
Sierra Club headquarters in
Yosemite

44-State tool house and carpen-
ter shoo

45-Dynamite storage

46 and T-Tents

47-Sentinel Bridge

76

YOSEMITE NATURE NOTES

Y YOSEMITE CHAPEL - Except
<2Q for the iMountain House at Glacier
^* Point, built one year earlier, the
chapel is the oldest structure in use in
Yosemite National Park. It was built in
1879 from funds collected from Sunday
school children all over the country.
Erected originally near the foot of the
Four Mile Trail, the chapel was later
moved to its present site. This chapel
is unique in that it serves all faiths.

y VIEW OF YOSEMITE FALLS.
_fh Along the edge of the meadow
*" down-valley from the Old Village
vou will have one of the finest distant
views of Yosemite Falls. Detailed de-
scription under V-13, page 69.

SENTINEL ROCK — From here Sen-
tinel Rock can be seen to your left and
slightly down-valley rising some 3,000
feet above the valley floor. It was named
from its fancied likeness to a gigantic
watchtower. Although Sentinel Rock
has been climbed many times by various
routes, it was not until 1949 that the
face was scaled in a feat of skill and en-
durance which took 5 days.

Y FOUR-MILE TRAIL. Beginning
~« at the far end of this parking area
and at the base of Sentinel Rock
is the Four-Mile Trail, the most popular
trail to and from Glacier Point. It
presents fine scenic views especially at
Union Point. The original trail, com-
pleted in 1872, was the first to the val-
ley rim and, as the name implies, was
about four miles long. Later rebuilding
has lengthened it to about five miles.
The first tourist accommodations were
built at the foot of the Four-Mile Trail,
of which the Lower Hotel erected in
18 56 was the earliest. In 1869 "Black's"
was constructed on the site of the Lower
Hotel and "Leidig's" was built nearby.
Here, too, the chapel was built in 1879.
All that remains today are the locust

Sentinel Rock and Sentinel Falls in Spring

trees planted at the site of the old well.

SENTINEL FALLS is on the right as
you face Sentinel Rock. Prominent only
in the early spring and summer, they
start in the highest hanging valley in
the vicinity. The water cascades down
the face of the cliff some 2,000 feet in
a series of spectacular leaps and drops.

Y VIEW OF EL CAPITAN. El Capi-
oo tan is one of the largest exposed
monoliths of granite in the world.
The sheer cliff is about 3,000 feet high
and the summit of the rock is 3,5 64 feet
above the valley floor. Look for the
dark mass on the face of the cliff which
suggests the map of North America. An
80-foot pine tree many hundred years
old is rooted in cracks on the face of El
Capitan and can be located by follow-
ing the "map" downward through Cen-
tral America to an overhanging ledge.
El Capitan was named for its imposing
position and dominating si/e among the
valley cliffs.

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77

V
33

VIEW OF THE THREE BROTH-
ERS. Read full description under
V-10, page 69.

Y CATHEDRAL SPIRES. N a m e d
n m for an obvious likeness, these two
* giant shafts of granite are far
larger than any real cathedral spires.
The right hand spire is some 2,100 feet,
the other about 1,900 feet above the val-
ley floor. Both spires have been climbed
by expert rock climbers but the ascent
is very difficult. Cathedral Spires were
named by James M. Hutchings in Sep-
tember 1862.

Y MERCED RIVER. There are fine
^C views of the Merced River as you
drive between Cathedral Spires and
Bridalveil Fall. Starting among the
snowfields in the High Sierra, the Mer-
ced River drops 11,000 feet in its run
to the sea. The name Merced has been

shortened from its original — El Rio
de Nuestra Senora de la Merced —
River of Our Lady of Mercy. It was
named by Gabriel Moraga in September
1806 during his expedition in the San
Joaquin Valley because of its refreshing
water after seeing only muddy streams
during his journey.

El Capitan

Bridalveil Fall

BRIDALVEIL MORAINE — As you

approach the widened part of the
highway in front of Bridalveil Fall,
the road cut through a bank on
your left reveals a section of Bridalveil
Moraine, a pile of coarse and fine-ground
rock left by Yosemite Valley glaciers.

Y BRIDALVEIL FALL. Bridalveil
~ g Fall, a drop of 620 feet, runs all
<"' year diminishing in late summer. In
the afternoon rainbows in the spray may
be seen from the base of the fall and
from the parking area at the east en-
trance of the Wawona Tunnel. The In-
dians called the fall Pohono which
means "puffing wind.." It is this same

78

YOSEMITE NATURE NOTES

wind which creates the s p r a v that
caused the white man to name the fall
Bridalveil. For closer views of the fall,
enter the parking area ahead and follow
the footpath to the base.

LEANING TOWER — To the right of
Bridalveil Fall is a towering pinnacle of
granite rising about 1800 feel above the
valley which, from this angle, appears
to be leaning outward from the cliff
below.

RIBBON FALL — Across the valley
and to the left of El Capitan is Ribbon
Fall, 1612 feet high. It flows only in
spring and is the highest single drop in
Yosemite though not leaping free of
the cliff surface.

y ORIGINAL WAWONA ROAD.
-_ The old road leaving the highway
*' uphill from the left, with a chain
across it is part of the old Wawona
Road and is used today as a fire road.
(Read description under W-10,
page 81.)

V TUNNEL VIEW. From the Park-
~o ing area at the east end of the Wa-
wona Tunnel is the most pictures-
que and most photographed general view
of Yosemite Valley. This point is con-
fused frequently with the historical In-
spiration Point which is on the old Wa-
wona Road some 900 feet above you.
Evidences of the geological forces which
formed the valley — stream erosion
and glacial ice — can be seen from
this point: the sheer glacial-plucked
cliffs, the stream-cut valley of Bridalveil
Creek left hanging by glacial action,
and the flat floor of the valley. William
Abrams in 1849 was probably the first
white man to see Yosemite Valley- In
1851 the Mariposa Battalion, while
chasing the Yosemite Indians along the
cliffs above you, entered the valley and
became the first "effective" discoverers.
The barely discernible line part way up
and crossing the broken rock slope on
the other side of the valley is a part of
the Old Big Oak Flat Road described
under C-l, page 92.

Yosemite Valley from Wawona Tunnel Overlook

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79

y CROSSING THE VALLEY ON
* THE POHONO ROAD. As you

* ' start across the valley from the in-
tersection near Bridalveil Fall parking
area you will pass through a small grove
of trees. On the right side of the road
in this little grove is a marker on the
site where two prospectors were reported
killed by Indians on May 2, 1852. In-
dians found later wearing the prospect-
ors' clothing were executed by soldiers.

Y PRESIDENT THEODORE
ACi ROOSEVELT AND JOHN MUIR
W CAMPSITE. "On this site Presi-
dent Theodore Roosevelt sat beside a
campfire with John Muir on May 17,

1903 and talked 'forest good.' Muir
urged the President to work for preser-
vation of the priceless remnants of
America's wilderness. At this spot one of
our country's foremost conservationists
received great inspiration." In this
meadow the Mariposa Battalion also had
camped at the time of their entrance into
Yosemite Valley on March 27, 1851. It
was then that Dr. Lafayette H. Bunnell,
surgeon of the battalion, proposed the
name Yosemite, a corruption of
"O-ham'i-te" or "Oo-soo'-ma-te," (In-
dian f°r 'grizzly bear.') , a term he picked
up from the Indian guide Bunnell did
not know that this name applied to only
those Indians in the valley who lived
north of the river and that all the Indians
referred to themselves as Ahwahneeches,
people of Ahwahnee, the deep grassy
valley.

YOSEMITE VALLEY TO WAWONA AND SOUTH ENTRANCE

(Total driving distance 25.4 miles)

w

WAWONA TUNNEL The Wa-

wona Tunnel, blasted out of granite
in 1933 to avoid a roadcut which
would deface the landscape, is four-
fifths of a mile long 28 feet wide and
19 feet high. There is a maximum of
5 50 feet of rock above the tunnel and
a maximum of 503 feet to the edge of
the cliff. The tunnel was drilled entirely
from the east side under government con-
tract; it took almost 2 years to complete
and cost $847,500. One of the amazing
facts is that not a single person was
killed or seriously injured in the con-
struction of this tunnel. Automatic
fans in the tunnel exhaust carbon mo-
noxide. When 1 part gas to 20,000 parts
of air is registered, the controls turn
the fans o'n low and as the ratio of car-
bon monoxide increases they gradually
increase the speed. At full speed impure
air is exhausted at a rate of 300,000
cubic feet per minute. Grade in the
tunnel is 5%, approaching 6% at the
west end.

yy EXFOLIATION. As the road here
^ passes under Turtleback Dome, it
™ is cut through solid granite expos-
ing layers or "shells" of rock. These are
caused by an expansion process called
exfoliation, the same which has caused
the curved, smooth surfaces of domes
such as North Dome and Half Dome,
and the Royal Arches. The black
splotches in the rock are concentrations
of diorite, a type of granite in which
the dark materials (black mica and
hornblende) predominate. The white
streaks running through the rock are
quartz and felspar, the two light-colored
minerals found in granite.

yj VIEW OF CASCADE FALLS.

^ Just beyond the west end of the

* tunnel you can see Cascade Falls

on your right and on the opposite side

of the valley. They drop about 500

feet.

80

YOSEMITE NATURE NOTES

Exfoliating granite of Turtleback
Dome west of Wawona Tunnel

YV COULTERVILLE ROAD. The de-
m scending scar along the wooded
^ slope opposite is the old Coulter-
ville Road, first wagon road into Yo-
semite Valley. This toll road, built with
private capital, reached the valley floor
June 17, 1874, one month before its
competitor the old Big Oak Flat Road.
The latter is located along the wooded
heights somewhat above the present Big
Oak Flat Road. The Coulterville Road is
narrow with an 18'^ grade in the last
1000 feet as compared to a 6% maxi-
mum on modern mountain roads. It
still receives limited use today.

W RAVAGES OF FOREST FIRES.

w. Across the canyon you can see the
^ results of forest fires. One fire,
which occurred in 1941, was started
when electrical transmission wires were
blown down on dry underbrush. The
area is now being reseeded through the
action of the prevailing winds blowing
from the southwest. A five-year study
has shown remarkable recovery of
growth without the help of man. At a
greater distance and across the canyon
you can see dead trees from a Septem-
ber 195 3 fire when a series of dry light-
ning storms started different fires.

MERCED ROAD Paralleling the

Merced River below is the Merced Road,
called the 'All-Year Highway," leading

in the town <>t Merced in the San Joa-

iinin Valley some 80 miles distant.

TREE ZONES — Between the tunnel
and Chinquapin you pass through zones
where the ponderosa pine and oak trees
give way to the sugar pine, Jeffrey pine
and lodgepole pine. Of special interest
is the sugar pine, a tall shaft frequently
clear for a hundred feet or more, its
arms flung wide. At certain seasons long
cones hang from the end of its branches.
The Pacific dogwood adds beauty
to this forest drive, especially in spring
when it is white with blossoms and in
autumn when the foliage turns red or
pink. (More can be learned about trees
in "Cone-bearing Trees of Yosemite"
and "Broadleaved Trees of Yosemite,"
available at museums and gift shops.)

W CHINQUAPIN. Chinquapin, 6,03 9
O feet in elevation, receives its name
from a flowering shrub common in the
area. This shrub grows in the Sierra at
an elevation from 3,000 to 8,000 feet.
It is from 1 to 8 feet tall and has a
smooth brown bark with a yellow un-
derside on the leaves. Related to the
now almost extinct American chestnut,
it bears burr-like fruit which may
sometimes be seen. Chinquapin, the
place, has been an important road and
trail junction since the 18 5 0's. Across
the highway from the service station is
the District Ranger's headquarters.

yy HENNESS RIDGE. A fire lookout
— operates on a point on this ridge
* during the fire danger period.

Visitors are welcome.

LOGGING RAILROAD — About a
half-mile along the Henness Ridge road
are the remains of an old railroad bed
constructed and used by the Yosemite
Lumber Company between 1912 and
1924 before private lands within the
park were acquired. Running from El
Portal up to an area called Empire

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81

Meadows, the winding road bed spanned
a distance of some 2 5 miles. It is now
fairly well covered with undergrowth,
but most of it can be traveled on foot.

W VIEW OF SOUTH FORK CAN-
8 YON. The canyon below is that of
the South Fork of the Merced River
which joins the Main Merced River
about 12 miles down stream. This high-
way crosses the South Fork at Wawona.
Signal Peak is the point to the right at
which the level ridge of the mountain
across the canyon drops off.

W WAWONA CAMPGROUND.

q Originally known as Camp A. E.
Wood, after the first superintendent
of Yosemite National Park, this camp-
ground has been extended downstream
some distance and is now one of the most
modern campgrounds in the park. It is
distinguished by individual campsites

screened from one another by natural

forest growth. (Read details in W-ll,

page 82.)

W THE WAWONA ROAD. Up
. ^ stream is the only covered bridge
'"in the entire National Park System
and is now preserved as an historical
structure. Across it ran the original
Wawona Road into Yosemite Valley.
Interest in building this first road
into the valley from the south be-
came active in Mariposa in 1874. The
road crossed the Chowchilla Mountain
to the west and followed the road which
is seen emerging from the forest on the
far side of the golf course. The original
Wawona Road came in from the south
as far as Alder Creek. In the early
1870's a desire to have a road into Yo-
semite Valley was expressed by the
Guardian of the Yosemite Grant. A
contract was given to a company of
Chinese to complete a road from Alder

Covered bridge over South Fork of Merced River at Wawona

82

YOSEMITE NATURE NOTES

General view of Wawona and Wawona Hotel

Creek to Yosemite Valley for a sum of
$10,000. The work was started Decem-
ber 4, 1874, with 50 men and at times
the crew numbered 300. By April 18,
1875 a road had been completed to near
the present Camp Curry. (Read also
V-37, page 78.)

W WAWONA. Wawona, which in
I | the Indian tongue meant 'big
tree," was first a camp on the
Mann Brothers trail through the high
Sierra. Later Galen Clark, Yosemite
Grant's first guardian, acquired the Wa-
wona area, built a cabin and it became
known as Clark's Ranch. Clark enlarged
the building to accommodate travelers
and it became an important stopping
place for early Yosemite visitors. In
1890 a law was enacted setting aside a
part of the Wawona area as reserved
forest lands. Capt. A. E. Wood became
the first superintendent of the area in
1891. With detachments from the

Fourth Cavalry he made a determined
effort for many years to keep sheep
and cattle grazers and poachers out of
the park.

In 1875 the Washburn Brothers pur-
chased the Clark ranch and over a per-
iod of years built most of the buildings
known as the Wawona Hotel. Following
purchase by the U. S. Government in
1932, the Yosemite Park and Curry Co.
assumed, under contract, management
of the hotel at Wawona.

W SOUTH ENTRANCE. Here at the
1^ southern gateway to the park, form-
erly known as "Four Mile," is one of
the four entrance stations where control
of travel in and out of Yosemite is main-
tained by National Park Service rang-
ers. A short distance from this station
is the south boundary of Yosemite Na-
tional Park which adjoins Sierra Na-

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83

tional Forest. National forests and na-
tional parks differ in that national for-
ests, under the U. S. Department of Ag-
riculture, manage forests for such eco-
nomic and recreational uses as lumber-
ing, grazing, hunting and resorts, while
national parks, under the U. S. Depart-

ment of the Interior, are responsible for
preserving their lands as primitive wil-
derness areas and game sanctuaries for
the enjoyment of all people for all time.
(For a guide to points of interest along
the road between Yosemite National
Park and Fresno, see page 108.)

MARIPOSA GROVE OF GIANT SEQUOIAS

(Total driving distance 4.5 miles)

B GIANT SEQUOIAS. The giant
I sequoias (Sequoia gigantea) , popu-
larly known as "Big Trees," are
probably the largest and oldest living
things in the world. Although they are
related to the coast redwood (Sequoia
sempervirens) , there is a striking dif-
ference in general appearance and fol-
iage. The giant sequoias are more mas-
sive, while the coast redwoods are taller.
The bark of the giant sequoias is a
golden brown while that of its relative is
darker. The burls of redwood souvenirs
seen in gift shops are from the coast
redwood; burls do not grow on giant se-
quoias. Flowering of giant sequoias takes
place from February to April, the pol-
len being carried by the wind. In con-
trast to the great size of these trees,
their cones are only lVi" to 25/i" in
length. Both male and female cones
grow on the same tree. After maturing
for two years on the tree, the female
cone may drop from 150 to 300 seeds.
Cones, however, may remain unopened on
the trees for as long as 20 years. Usual
methods of determining age of trees with
boring instruments are not possible in
the giant sequoias because of their great
size. Accurate age dating in sequoias may
be done only by counting the annual
rings in fallen trees. Some sequoias have
been estimated to be as much as 4000
years old. The wood contains no resin
ducts but has a high percentage of tannin
This chemical gives the red appearance to
the bark and heartwood and turns black

Grizzly Giant

on exposed ends of fallen trees, giving
them the appearance of being burned.
Tannin resists insect and fungus attack,
the great enemies of many other trees
and thus aid longevity of the sequoias.
Since sequoia wood is very brittle, light,
and weak, with up to 80% waste for
large trees when felled, it has little value
as lumber although on occasion it has
received some limited use as grape
stakes. (For more information we
recommend "A Guide to the Yosemite

YOSEMITE NATURE NOTES

Sequoias," available at museums .ind gift

shops.)

B MARIPOSA GROVE. The giant
»% sequoia is native only on the west-
ern slopes of the Sierra Nevada,
and occurs in scattered groves for a dis-
tance of 250 miles, mostly at elevations
of 5 000 to 8400 feet. Of the three
groves in Yosemite the Mariposa Grove
is the largest and best known. It was
probably discovered in 1849 by Major
Burney, the first Mariposa County
sheriff, and John McCauley. Measure-
ments were taken and reported in the
town of Mariposa but they were consid-
ered just another "tall" story of those
pioneer days. In 18 57 this grove was
thoroughly explored and brought to
public attention by Galen Clark, one of
the first visitors to the region. He named
it after the County of Mariposa in
which it is located. In 1864 President
Lincoln signed an act setting aside the
Mariposa Grove and Yosemite Valley as
the Yosemite Grant, the first State Park
of the nation. It was administered by the
State of California with Galen Clark as
first guardian. The grove is about four

square miles in area and includes about
200 mature trees.

Ahead you will see a sign pointing to
the GRIZZLY GIANT, named by
James M. Hutchings in 1859, the fifth
largest giant sequoia known and the
largest in Yosemite. It may be the old-
est of all giant sequoias, estimated age
3 800 years. The blackened places on the
giant sequoias are burns from forest
firs of the last few centuries. These trees
arc amazingly resistant to fire, insects
and fungus attack and usually die only
when roots are disturbed and they fall.

B YOUNG SEQUOIAS. Although
^ millions of seeds, each less than
" 1 672th of an ounce when dry,
may be dropped by a single mature tree,
only about 15'' ever germinate and
onl\r then when the seeds can reach min-
eral soil. In spite of this low viability
our giant sequoia groves are not
dying off. In addition to this cluster
numerous young sequoias have sprung
up in front of the Big Trees Lodge
where the soil was disturbed in the
building of the parking area.

Mariposa Grove Museum and Giant Sequoias

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85

B MARIPOSA GROVE MUSEUM.

a This museum, devoted exclusively
to the story of the sequoias, marks
the site of the original cabin built by
Galen Clark in 18S7, shortly after he
first visited the grove. The original cabin
was destroyed about 30 years later. In
18 8 5 the State Board of Commissioners
in charge of the Yosemite Grant built
a second one on the same site, enlarging
it in 1902. In 193 0 the present cabin,
a replica of the former structure, was
constructed as a museum. The tallest
sequoia in the Mariposa Grove, the 2 86-
foot-high Columbia Tree, can be seen
across the meadow from the museum.
Its height is almost equal to the length
of a football field. This museum is open
during summer only.

B THE WAWONA (Tunnel) TREE.

|- Probably the most photographed
and certainly one of the most fa-
mous trees in the world, the picture of
this "tunnel" tree has appeared in geo-
graphy texts the world over. In 1881 the
Yosemite Stage and Turnpike Company
hired the Scribner Brothers for $75 to
enlarge an old burn to the present size
of 8 feet wide, 26 feet long, and 10 feet

high. The tree is 234 feet high, 19.8
feet in diameter at 10 feet above mean
base. The name comes from the Miwok
Indian word, "Wall- wo-nah," meaning
"big tree." There are two other tunnel
trees in Yosemite; the California Tree
within a few hundred yards of the Griz-
zly Giant and the "dead tunnel tree" on
a loop just off the road through the
Tuolumne Grove. The Wawona tunnel
tree may now be dying from the tramp-
ing of millions of human feet on its
delicate roots and the former depreda-
tion of man in cutting the tunnel.

B WAWONA POINT. The spur
m road leads a short distance to Wa-
wona Point. From this point you
will have a fine view of the canyon of
the South Fork of the Merced River, the
meadow and golf course in front of the
Wawona Hotel. To the eastward, near
the headwaters of the south fork, you
can usually see Gale Peak, 10,693 feet in
elevation, beyond which lies the drain-
age system of the upper San Joaquin
River. To the west (left) beyond the de-
scending hills is the lower San Joaquin
Valley, part of the great Central Valley
of California. This is a choice spot from
which to see colorful sunsets.

CHINQUAPIN TO GLACIER POINT

(Total driving distance 18 miles)

G GLACIER POINT ROAD. The
0 original road to Glacier Point, built

in 18 82, was acquired by the Federal
Government in 1917 along with the
old Wawona Road, at which time tolls
were abolished. The present road was
completed in 193 6 and follows the
original road bed in many places.

(J MERCED CANYON VIEW. Be-
low is seen the gorge of the Merced

River winding through the foot-

hills with the Merced Road paralleling
it. Near where these disappear beyond a
bend are buildings of El. Portal just
outside the west boundary of Yosemite
National Park. On a clear day you can
see the San Joaquin Valley where the
town of Merced is located and on the
other side of the valley the Coast Range,
about 12 5 miles distant. The Wawona
Road passes directly beneath you at this
viewpoint. In front of you is a sugar
pine with its typical ungainly branching
form.

HIGHWAY DISTANCES FROM Y05

Yosemite Valley Area (see above map)

Ahwahnee Hotel
Bridalveil Fall .._
Camp Curry

8 mi.

4.5 mi.

1.4 mi.

Camp 4 (public campground) .8 mi.

Camp 7 (public campground) _ 1.0 mi.

Camp 9 (organization camp) 1.5 mi.

Camp 11 (public campground) 1.8 mi.

Camp 12 (public campground) __ 1.9 mi.

Camp 14 (public campground) .--. 1.8 mi.

Camp 15 (public campground) __ 1.0 mi.

Housekeeping Camp 1.0 mi.

El Capitan Bridge 3.5 mi.

Happy Isles 2.5 mi.

Mirror lake 2.5 mi.

Old Village (store, etc.) 7 mi.

Pohono Bridge 5.6 mi.

Curry Company stables 1.9 mi.

Wawona Tunnel (east portal) 6.0 mi.

Yosemite Falls parking area .7 mi.

Yosemite Lodge .6 mi.

Reproduction of this map courtesy of tl

copyri

y

m ', Upper Yosemite Fall
S/'n *jL**)T>Kik. yosemiie Pt. Sit

-j««><J-'' | \Lovier YokjmU FallP.r.
Coium6,'o~Rock _,-'&rp4?"'Li YOSEMITE ««"f.

YDSEMITE VALLEY

LEGEND

J3 INDICATES SIGN ROUTE NUMBER IN YOSEMITE VALLEY
(9) NUMBERED CIRCLES DENOTE FREE PUBLIO CAMP SITES

»|5. INDICATES MILEAGES BETWEEN POINTS

SCALE IN MILES
I

— '

COPTRI8HT BY

CALIFORNIA STATE AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION

150 VAN NESS AVENUE SAN FRANCISCO, I, CALIF

.ITE MUSEUM, YOSEMITE VALLEY

Points Outside Yosemite Valley Area

Arch Rock Ranger Station 11.0 mi.

Badger Pass (winter ski area) 20.0 mi.

Fresno (via Wawona Road) __ 94.0 mi.

Glacier Point 30.0 mi.

Hetch Hetchy (via B.O. Flat Rd.) 38.0 mi.

Los Angeles (via Wawona Road) 313.0 mi.

(via All-Year Highway) 356.0 mi.

(via Tioga Pass) 418.0 mi.

Mariposa (All-Year Highway) ... 44.0 mi.

Merced (via All-Year Highway) 81.0 mi.

Mariposa Grove (Wawona Road) 36.0 mi.

alifornia State Automobile Association,
owner

Mono Lake 76.0 mi.

Reno (via Tioga Road) 218.0 mi.

(via All-Year Highway

and Sacramento) 334.0 mi.

San Francisco (via All-Year

Highway) 211-0 mi.

(vie Big Oak Flat Road) — - 195.0 mi.

South Entrance Ranger Station 31.0 mi.

Tioga Pass Ranger Station 62.0 mi.

Tuolumne Meadows 55.0 mi.

Wawona - 27.0 mi.

YOSEMITE NATURE NOTES

-

<*

Merced Canyon and foothills westward from Glacier Point Road

G BADGER PASS. This is Yosem-
o ite's principal skiing area where as
many as 3000 visitors ski on a
busy Sunday. The ski runs are tailored
for the entire family, small beginner's
slopes progressing to steeper terrain for
the better skiers. The runs vary in length
from one-half to two miles. There are
two T-bar Constam lifts and one rope
tow. Badger Pass has a cafeteria, sales
room, and ski school. During summer
Badger Pass is one of the park's most
beautiful wildflower gardens where such
flowers as blue camas, brodiaea, leopard
lily, western blue flag, columbine, lark-
spur, wild strawberry, various lupines,
wild geranium, cow parsnips, Sierra
shooting star, various pentstemons, mi-
mulus, asters, daisies and the blackeyed
susan provide an unusual display.

G MERCED PEAK. This is the peak
<3 you see as you look directly ahead,
J elevation 11,722 feet. It is so

named because it is the culminating
point of the Merced River whose head-
waters originate on nearby mountains.

G PEREGOY MEADOW. The large
a meadow which extends on both
sides of the road just before you
reach Bridalveil Creek is Peregoy Mead-
ow. The horse trail from Clark's Station,
which eventually became part of the
original Wawona Road to Yosemite Val-
ley, ran through this meadow and it was
here that in 1869 the Mountain View
House, one of the first hostelries in the
park, was built. The Mountain View
House flourished until 187 5 when the
old Wawona Road became a reality. The
meadow was named for Mr. and Mrs.
Charles Peregoy who operated the hotel.

G

5

BRIDALVEIL CREEK. This creek
forms the beautiful Bridalveil Water-
fall. In the Bridalveil basin the
creek winds through a series of delight-

AUTO TOUR

89

ful meadows which abound with wild-
flowers in mid-summer. The stream is
stocked with eastern brook and rainbow
trout. A public campground borders the
creek for a mile or so on the right of the
highway and is reached by a narrow
road leading off to the right.

G HORSE RIDGE. To the right on

m the horizon is Horse Ridge, a point
famous for winter ski trips. Horse
Ridge, 9000 feet in elevation, is directly
above Ostrander Lake on the shore of
which is Ostrander Ski Hut. This hut
is open approximately February 15 to
April 15, and is reached either on skis
or by weasel trips operating out of Bad-
ger Pass. Overnight reservations must
be made in advance.

G CLARK RANGE VIEW. Directly
7 across the canyon is the Clark
Range. Mt. Clark, the peak at the
right -center, is 11,506 feet
in elevation and was named after Galen
Clark, the first guardian of the Yosem-
ite Grant. This peak normally retains
some snow throughout the year. The
prominent sugar-loaf shaped peak is Mt.
Starr King, named for a well-known
Unitarian pastor whose writings in the
1860's called attention to the wonders
of Yosemite.

G POTHOLE MEADOW. Pothole
q Meadow on the left derives its name
from large depressions in the form
of circular pools about five feet in diam-
eter. Deep under the ground are hollows

in the solid rock which were formed dur-
ing the Ice Age. The hollows fill with
water and form the pools. Here is one
of the few definite evidences that gla-
ciers reached such elevation. In summer
a beautiful display of wildflowers grows
in this meadow. In season the shooting
star, corn lily and the rarely-seen marsh
marigold are prominent.

G VIEW OF SENTINEL DOME.
q looking ahead and slightly to the
left you will see Sentinel Dome.
The tree on the very summit is the
world-famous Jeffrey pine which grows
out of solid rock. A side road leads to the
point about 200 feet below the summit.
From there you can reach the summit
of the dome on foot.

G SWITCHBACKS, This road fol-
- ^ lows much of the original road of

'" 1882. Surprisingly you drop down
600 feet to reach Glacier Point. The
downhill bend of the lower part of tree
trunks is the result of snow pressure on
the hillside during winter when these
trees were young.

0 WASHBURN POINT. In the

__ 1870's and 1880's the Washburn
* ■ Brothers drove their visitors from
their Hotel Wawona either to Glacier
Point or to the turn-around at the pres-
ent Washburn Point, thus accounting
for the name. Even without the view of
Yosemite Valley the sweeping scene of
the high Sierra from this point is most
impressive. Some visitors today believe
that they are at Glacier Point and re-
turn without going any farther.

Clark Range from Glacier Point Road

90

YOSEMITE NATURE NOTES

G GLACIER POINT. From Glacier
12 Point, approximately 300 yards be-
yond the hotel, you can see one of
the most inspiring views possible in the
park. From here you may look at Yo-
scmite Valley, 3 214 feet below, Yosemite
Falls, North Dome, Basket Dome, Te-
naya Canyon, Half Dome, Liberty Cap,
Nevada Fall (upper) and Vernal Fall,
as well as many peaks of the high Sierra.
These may be identified with the aid of
the accompanying sketch. The sketch
on the opposite page will locate features
seen in Yosemite Valley below. About 7S0
miles of trails wander through this coun-
try within the park. (Further informa-
tion in Clark's Trail Guides, available at
museums and gift shops.) A path
swinging off towards Half Dome leads
to an overlook station where the geo-
logic story is shown. No glaciers can
be seen from this point. There are more
than 20 glaciers and remnants of glaciers
in the park, but all are located on the
shaded, far sides of the high peaks. Only
snow fields are to be seen from here.
The name Glacier Point comes from the
fact that during the glacial period two
trunk glaciers, one in Tenaya Canyon
(left of Half Dome) and the other in
Little Yosemite Valley (right of Half
Dome) joined in one huge glacier rising
some 700 feet above this point.

The small Mountain House with cafe-
teria beside the Glacier Point Hotel is
the reconstructed original one-story Gla-
cier Point Hotel built by C. E. Peregoy
of Peregoy Meadows and Mountain
View House, probably about 1872. Dur-

ing the first winter it was crushed flat
by snow. James McCauley then gave
Peregoy $600 for the wreck and con-
structed the present two-story Mountain
House from its materials. It is the old-
est structure still in use in the park.
The hotel was built in 1917 by the Des-
mond Company which, following re-
ceivership, emerged as the Yosemite Na-
tional Park Company and in 192 5
joined with the Curry Camping Com-
pany to become the Yosemite Park and
Curry Co. of today. This company now
operates the Glacier Point Hotel. Dur-
ing the summer naturalist-guided walks
about Glacier Point start near the com-
fort station. A man-made spectacle
which attracts considerable interest is
the FIREFALL. Produced nightly dur-
ing the summer and on special occasions
during the remainder of the year, it
consists of a cascading stream of burn-
ing embers from a fire built at the tip
of Glacier Point. The fire burns about
one-half a cord of bark taken from
dead-and-down red fir trees. When a
signal is given from below, an employee
of the hotel pushes the embers slowly
over the cliff, using a long-handled rake.
The coals drop almost 1000 feet to a
ledge where they die out. The firefall
is thought to have been originated by
James McCauley in 1871 or 1872. After
years of intermittent firefalls the prac-
tice was eventually abandoned for a
time. In 1899 David A. Curry revived it
as a regular feature of camp entertain-
ment, and now it is admired by thou-
sands who view it from many vantage
points.

The Yosemite High Sierra from Glacier Point

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92

YOSEMITE NATURE NOTES

Exhibit and overlook at Glacier Point; Yosemite's high Sierra, Nevada and Vernal Falls

YOESMITE VALLEY TO PARK ENTRANCE AT CARL INN

(Total driving distance 17.5 miles)

C THE BIG OAK FLAT ROAD.

1 This road leads to Crane Flat junc-
' tion in the park where you may
either continue ahead to Manteca and U.
S. Highway 99 or, turning to the right
over Tioga Pass, to Highway 3 95. The
Big Oak Flat Road was named for the
small community of Big Oak Flat 45
miles distant where an unusually large
and beautiful oak tree once grew. The
original road ran along the wooded slopes
above. It was a toll road completed on
July 17, 1874, one month after the
completion of its competitor, the Coul-
terville Road. These were the first
roads into the valley. The Big Oak Flat
and Yosemitc Company, with a 5 0-year
franchise, organized in 1867 to build a

wagon road from Colfax Springs to Yo-
semite Valley, engaged a company of
Italians to construct the road down the
cliffs. No cement was used — the rocks
being wedged in such a way that it was
rare for any part of the road to slide.
However, a big rock slide where switch-
backs descend the rocky slope into the
valley closed the old road permanently
in the spring of 1945. The present high-
gear Big Oak Flat Road, dedicated
June 1940, was built at a cost of $1,-
200,000 as compared with $40,000 for
the original road.

Q VIEW OF COULTERVTLLE
~ ROAD. Below you along the wood-
™ ed slope down-valley is the scar of

AUTO TOUR

93

the Coulterville Road. Park off the road
just ahead if you stop here. (More about
the Coulterville Road under W-4, page

Q CASCADE CREEK - TAMA-
- RACK CREEK. Both creeks drain
• a relatively small forested area
northwest of the valley. The two creeks
join to form Cascade Falls which can
be seen from the valley floor (V-4) and
from the Wawona Road (W-3). Both
streams are stocked with eastern brook
trout. "Tamarack" was the local name
given to the lodgepole pine, the tree
common to the headwaters of the
streams.

WILDCAT CREEK — Flowing in the
spring and early summer only, this
stream drains a small area to the south-
west of Tamarack Creek.

C VIEW OF HALF DOME, EL
d CAPITAN AND THE WA-
* WONA ROAD. From here is one
of the impressive views of Yoscmite Val-
ley with El Capitan in the middle left
foreground, Half Dome in the middle
background, and the Wawona Road cut
through the forest on the slope across
the gorge. Below is the Merced River
with the Merced Road paralleling it.

C BIG MEADOW. The small open
C area in the forest below is known
as Big Meadow. It is (in 1956) a
privately owned area within the na-
tional park. Ponderosa' pine, incense-
cedar and black oak, typical of medium
elevations on the west slope of the
Sierra, make up the forest surrounding
the meadow. These same 3 trees are the

Old Big Oak Flat Road c. T900

94

YOSEMITE NATURE NOTES

most common ones immediately around
vou here. The old Coulterville Road
(W-4) into Yosemite Valley skirts the
left margin of this meadow. Over the
ridge beyond Big Meadow is the Merced
Canyon.

C CRANE FLAT. Crane Flat w

Q HODGDON MEADOWS. In the
q early 1860's the Hodgdon family
• operated an overnight stopping

place here for stage coach passengers.

This enterprise continued until the late

1890's.

6 named from reported cries of sand- Q THE ROCKEFELLER SUGAR

hill cranes said to have been sur-
prised in this area in early days, prob-
ably a mistaken observation. The great
blue heron is seen here occasionally to
this day. Upon leaving Crane Flat en-
trance station you will be on a road
which is steep, narrow and full of
curves. In a 2 mile stretch you will
drop from an elevation of about 6,5 00
to 4,800 feet.

C TUOLUMNE GROVE OF BIG
j TREES. The giant sequoias are
thought to have been seen first by
white men when this grove was discov-
ered in 183 3 by Joseph Walker .expedi-
tion seeking a route across the Sierra
Nevada. The grove covers about 20
acres and has approximately 25 large
trees. The spur road to the right passes
through the tunnel cut in the Dead
Giant in 1878, one of 3 tunnel trees in
the park.

PINE FOREST PURCHASE.

* 193 9 the Rockefeller Foundation,
with matching funds from the Federal
Government, purchased this, one of the
world's finest remaining virgin sugar
pine forests for $3,200,000 and added
it to Yosemite National Park. Its 20,000
acres also included practically all of the
Tuolumne Grove of giant sequoias.

£ CARL INN. In the large meadow
1 0 t0 tne right just before you leave
the park was Carl Inn, a popular
resort owned and operated by Donna
Carlon. It was a regular stop on the
Hetch Hetchy Tour. The Inn was pur-
chased and razed in 1940 by the gov-
ernment after being destroyed twice by
flood, once by fire, and once by snow.
Cross the bridge over the South Fork of
the Tuolumne River just beyond the
park boundary you can follow the road
to the Hetch Hetchy section of Yosem-
ite National Park.

Hodgdon's historic ranch and stage coach stop on old Big Oak Flat Road (running along
fence) present Crane Flat Road runs at right angles to it at lower right.

AUTO TOUR

95

Carl Inn before its removal in 1940

CRANE FLAT TO TIOGA PASS

(Total driving distance 48 miles)

J THE TIOGA ROAD. This

A road climbs about 48 miles up the
western slope of the Sierra, becom-
ing the highest highway in California
at Tioga Pass, elevation almost 10,000
feet. For the first 3.4 miles it follows
generally the old Big Oak Flat Road
which it crosses at right angles at Gin
Flat. Twenty-one miles of the Tioga
Road, located approximately in the mid-
dle, is the old steep, winding, narrow
road built in 18 83 by the Great Sierra
Consolidated Silver Company. Although
improved today this road still retains
much of it's old character and charm.
Slow and careful driving along this sec-
tion is safe. The improved road on either
side of the 21 -mile stretch was completed
in 193 8. Negotiations are under way
for a new section to replace the old
road but portions of the old road will be
preserved as an historical exhibit. Along
this road you will pass successively
through forests of sugar and Jeffery
pine, red fir and lodge-pole pine, with
the limber-branched western whitebark
pine at Tioga Pass. In winter the Tioga

Road is closed by snow.

(Additional information under T-7,
page 97.)

J CRANE FLAT. During the days

of the original Big Oak Flat Road,

a Mr. Gobin operated a hotel and
Mr. Hurst a saloon here at Crane Flat.
Very little was known about these op-
erations but diaries of early day travel-
ers mention them. The hotel was built
on the approximate location of the
present Blister Rust Control Camp.

J GIN FLAT. Scattered all through
*% the high Sierra are meadows known
as flats, since most of the sur-
rounding country was very hilly and
steep. Cattle and sheepmen used these as
pastures before the park was established.
Apparently there was considerable activ-
ity at Gin Flat in the summertime while
John B. Curtin, once state senator and
cattleman, headquartered there. A por-
tion of the ruins of a cabin back from

96

YOSEMITE NATURE NOTES

I ■

Former Gobin's Hotel, building on left with porch/ ond Hurst's Saloon, shake-roof beyond

team. Road from lower left is the Old Big Oak Flat Road with the

Coulterville Road cut-off running off lower right.

the road consists of parts of the old
Tamarack Lodge, moved by Curtin
from Tamarack Flat and parts of the
original cabin of 1882. Robert A. Cur-
tin, brother of John, reports that the
name Gin Flat was given to this mead-
ow after the first freight team over the
Big Oak Flat, presumably heading for
Yosemite Valley, lost a barrel of gin
here from the wagon. As a result the
cowboys and road workers became
gloriously "ginned up," thus establish-
ing the name. Contrast the mignificent
Jeffrey pine near the road with the
wind-swept Jeffrey pine on top of Sen-
tinel Dome.

To the right of Gin Flat is a portion
of the original Big Oak Flat Road. It
can be traveled about 2V2 miles farther
to Tamarack Flat and Tamarack Creek
campground, and another 2V2 miles to
Cascade Creek. Both of these creeks are
stocked with eastern brook trout. If you
follow this road another couple of miles
you will find the site of Gentry, a for-
mer toll station at the head of the grade
on the old Big Oak Flat Road.

The roadside from Gin Flat to the
White Wolf junction has a fine growth

of red fir. In this area you will also no-
tice some evidence of glacial polish.

J SOUTH FORK OF TUOL-
- UMNE. The South Fork of the
** Tuolumne River starts some 5
miles beyond the place where the road
crosses it. It usually dries up in late
summer or shortly thereafter.

J SMOKY JACK CAMPGROUND.
m This beautiful, small, wooded camp-
™ ground bears the nickname of an
early sheepman who, prior to the estab-
lishment of the park, became known as
a character in this region. Smoky Jack,
whose real name was John Connel,
started with a few sheep which he
herded personally until he became sheep-
rich. "He lived mostly on beans. In the
morning after his bean breakfast he
filled his pockets from the pot with
dripping beans for luncheon, which he
ate in handfuls as he followed the flock.
His overalls and boots soon, of course,
became thoroughly saturated and in-
stead of wearing thin, wore thicker and
stouter and, by sitting down to rest

AUTO TOUR

97

from time to time, parts of all vegeta-
tation, leaves, petals, etc., were em-
bedded in them, together with wool fib-
rs, butterfly wings, mica crystals, frag-
ments of nearly everything that part of
the world contained — rubbed in, em-
bedded and coarsely stratified, so that
these wonderful garments grew to have
a rich geological and biological signifi-
cance . . ." (John Muir)

Siesta Lake on Tioga Road

T SIESTA LAKE. This spring-fed

C little lake encircled by lodgepole
pine and red firs is not over 5 feet
deep and hence any fish which might be
planted in it would be subject to winter-
kill. No live fish have been seen in the
lake since 19S4. The name is unofficial
and is probably given because it makes
a delightful spot along the Tioga Road
for rest or picnic. The road was di-
verted at this point to avoid despoiling
the charm of this lake. The rare Arctic
three-toed woodpecker nests here occas-
ionally.

J WHITE WOLF. About 18 50 John
g Meyer, a cattleman, while leading
a posse to recover horses stolen by
Indians, came upon this lovely Alpine
meadow. An Indian encampment, whose
chief was White Wolf, had stopped here
for a short time. Meyer named the place
in honor of the chief. This is near the
junction of the new and old Tioga
Roads. The White Wolf Lodge is about
1 mile off the main paved road on the

old Tioga Road. This popular high
Sierra camp, at an elevation of about
8,000 feet, is open from approximately
July 1 to September 1.

J OLD TIOGA ROAD. Between
_ White Wolf junction and Tuol-
' umne Meadows you drive along a
section of the old Tioga Road. Twenty-
one miles of this road remains in public
use and has been only slightly improved
since 1883 when the Great Sierra Con-
solidated Silver Company built
it for an access to their headquarters at
Bennettville near Tioga Pass where they
were driving the famed Sheepherder
Tunnel. It cost over $64,000. This old
mining road was purchased by Stephen
T. Mather and some friends and pre-
sented the National Park Service in
1915. A short distance beyond the junc-
tion starts a downgrade of some five
miles which drops about 1,300 feet and
terminates at Yosemite Creek. The name
Tioga comes from the Tioga Mining
District which may, in turn, have re-
ceived its name from Tioga County N.
Y. Tioga is an Iroquois Indian name
meaning "where it forks."

Old Tioga Road - 1956

98

YOSEMITE NATURE NOTES

J LUKENS LAKE TRAIL JUNC-
q TION. This trail, near Dark Hole
Meadows, is part of the park's trail
s\ stem. Wooden directional signs form-
erly used along these trails were for
some unknown reason often destroyed
by bears. The metal trail sign seen a
little back from the road to the right is
made by cutting with an acetylene torch
and is considered "bear proof."

New metal trail signs replacing
wooden signs destroyed by bear

J YOSEMITE CREEK. Yosemite

0 Creek is the stream that creates
* Yosemite Falls. Like many streams

in the Sierra, Yosemite Creek dries up in
late summer after all snow in its drain-
age basin has melted. This basin faces
the sun so that snow here melts sooner
than on the more protected slopes. Be-
cause of the granite structure of the coun-
try and thin soil coverage, springs are
uncommon and contribute little or no
water to Yosemite Creek. At this loca-
tion are a summer ranger station and
public campground. The campground,
at an elevation of 7,200 feet, accommo-
dates approximately 30 camps, has out-
door tables and benches. A trail fol-
lows down the creek 6.3 miles to the
top of Yosemite Falls thence into Yo-
semite Valley.

J TOP OF YOSEMITE CREEK

1 f% GRADE. Leaving the campground

you start up the Yosemite Creek
grade. Here in a distance of about 2V2

mdes you climb from 7200 to 8200 feet.
This road climbs up the side of a mo-
rune pded up by ancient Yosemite Gla-
cier. I lere you will pass through one of
the most beautiful groves of quaking as-
pens in the park. The quaking aspen rare-
ly grow below 5 000 feet elevation al-
though it is said to be the most widely
distributed tree in the world. The tree
has a smooth white or cream colored
bark covered with black markings. The
leaves are shiny, smooth, roundish, and
their characteristic fluttering accounts
for the name.

J PORCUPINE FLAT CAMP-
I , GROUND. One of the smaller

campgrounds is situated in the de-
lightful flat meadow surrounded by a
red fir forest through which runs Por-
cupine Creek. 1.2 miles along the road
towards Tuolumne Meadows is the en-
trance to Porcupine Creek Campground,
an old Indian campsite, located down-
stream from Porcupine Flat. From here
a trail leads into Yosemite Valley and to
North Dome. Elevation at this place is
8,01 J feet.

J SNOW FLAT. Approximately 5
I *% miles beyond Porcupine Camp
ground is Snow Flat. A snow sur-
vey station is maintained here. Several
times each winter National Park Service
rangers make trips on skis or snowshoes
to take snow measurements in order to
determine the amount of moisture which
will be available to the Central Valley
and Bay Region the following summer.
Here at an elevation of 8,710 feet,
some of the deepest snow in the park is
recorded.

MOUNT HOFFMANN 10,83 6 feet
high, is seen from this point, rising from
the west side of May Lake (out of
view). In 1881 sdver was found on Mt.
Hoffmann and the Mt. Hoffmann Min-
ing District was organized but soon fiz-
zled out. The mountain was named for

AUTO TOUR

99

Mt. Hoffmann from Snow Flat
Charles T. Hoffman, principal topog-
rapher of the Whitney Survey of 1863.
Mt. Hoffmann marks the approximate
geographic center of the park.

J MAY LAKE JUNCTION. Just be-

■ .« yond Snow Flat is the May Lake

■ * junction. A steep but well-used foot
trail of about 1.7 miles will take you to
the May Lake High-Sierra Camp. Lo-
cated at about 9,300 feet in elevation,

the camp is open from approximately
July 1 to September 10. The lake was
named for Lucy Mayotta Browne who,
in 1870, married Charles Hoffmann of
the Whitney Survey.

TENAYA LAKE GRADE— After leav-
ing the May Lake junction you start
down the Tenaya Lake grade. Here in
about two miles you descend some 600
feet. To your left you will see Cathedral
Peak (elevation 10,993 feet), Tenaya
Lake (elevation 8,141 feet), and Te-
naya Peak (10,700 feet).

J TENAYA LAKE. Tenaya Lake was
I a named in honor of Chief Tenaya of
the Yosemite Indians. On the early
morning of May 22, 1851, pursuing the
Yosemite Indians and, from the vicinity
of Tenaya Lake Grade, spotting their
camps on the lake, the Mariposa Battal-
ion, under Capt. John Boling, made such
a hasty attack clothed mostly in their
long red underwear that it gave rise to
an Indian story of "red devils." The cap-
ture of the Yosemites was completed

Tenaya Lake

100

YOSEMITE NATURE NOTES

when Chief Tenaya was taken near Yo-
semite Valley on June 12. Dr. Lafayette

Bunnell, who was surgeon for the expe-
dition, named the lake after the chief
but when the old man heard of this he
w .is unhappy and told the party that the
lake already was named Py-we-ack, Lake
of the Shining Rocks. The lake, a glacial
Like, is about .1 mile long, one-half mile
wide, and a little over a hundred feet
deep. It is stocked with rainbow and
eastern brook trout. As you pass along
the built-up road on the northwest side
of Tenaya Lake, you will see some of the
finest examples of glacial polish in the
park.

fornia conifers. The elegance of this
graceful tree-mountaineer is ever re-
freshing in contrast to the rugged
staunchness of its associate trees, the
western white pine, lodgepole pine, Sierra
juniper and whitebark pine.

MT. CONNESS is the most distant and
prominent peak seen as you look straight
ahead. On the crest of the Sierra Ne-
vada, 12,5 56 feet in elevation, this
mountain was named for John Conness,
Senator from California who, on March
28, 1864, introduced in the U. S. Con-
gress the bill establishing the Yosemite
Grant, consisting of Yosemite Valley and
the Mariposa Grove of Big Trees.

J GHOST FOREST. This is a forest
.■of lodgepole pines which were
' ' killed in insect epidemics. Once
every two years in July and August th<:
lodgepole pine needle miner moth lays
eggs at the base of the needles. After
the larva or worm emerges from a small
hole, the needles turn chestnut brown.
Soon the needles fall off. Bark beetles at-
tacks often follow needleminer epidemics
and kill the trees. Air spraying operations
have been carried on recently with a
hope of reducing widespread destruction.
(You may read more about trees in
"Cone-bearing Trees of Yosemite" and
"Broad-leaved Trees of Yosemite.") Off
to the right of the road is a smooth
rock surface with scattered boulders.
These angular boulders were dropped
during the recession of the last glacier
of the ice age.

16

T EAST END OF OLD GRADE —
MT. CONNESS. For a description
of this old grade read T-7. At no
other place along the park roads, except
near Snow Flat, can the mountain hem-
lock more easily be seen. It normally
prefers northern exposure of 9000 feet
or more where snow banks linger. John
Muir called the mountain hemlock the
most singularly beautiful of all the Cali-

J FAIRVIEW DOME. This is typical

m y of granite domes in Yosemite and
the Sierra. Like other granite
throughout the region its form resulted
from the cooling of molten "magma" or
rock, beneath layers of rock which were
formed from sea deposits. The manner
in which this molten mass cooled deter-
mined the way in which this rock weath-
ers, by exfoliating in "shells — as if re-
moving the layers of an onion.

Fairview Dome

TUOLUMNE MEADOWS. In this
region are the headwaters of the Tu-
olumne River. From here easy hikes
will take you to many beautiful lakes and
streams which are typical of the grand-
eur of the Sierra. A store, fountain, and

T
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101

Tuolumne Meadows and Cathedral Peak

service station are open from approxi-
mately July 1 to September 10. The pub-
lic campground with water and sanita-
tion facilities accommodates about 3 50
camps. The elevation is 8600 feet. Look-
ing southwest from Tuolumne Meadows
you see Cathedral Peak, 10,93 3 feet in
elevation, and Unicorn Peak, 10,849 feet
in elevation. Tuolumne is an Indian
name, probably of a tribe along the
lower course of this river.

J LYELL FORK, TUOLUMNE
m q RIVER. Just beyond the store you
1 * will cross the Tuolumne River
which begins at Mt. Lyell Glacier on
the extreme eastern boundary of the
park. This ice body, roughly one mile
wide and one-half mile broad, is the
largest glacier within the park. Mt.
Lyell, 13,090 feet in elevation and the
highest peak in the park, was named for
Sir Charles Lyell, a leading geologist of
the past century.

T LEMBERT DOME — SODA
on SPRINGS. The lopsided appearance
of this dome is the result of glac-
iers pushing up the slope and forcing
chunks of rock off the steep side. The
scallops over the face of the dome were
worn by sub-glacial streams which fol-
lowed the courses of these shallow
trenches. Patches of glistening glacial
polish cover the face of the dome. As-
cent of 800 foot Lembert Dome is safe
only under expert guidance. It was
named for Jean Baptiste Lembert, sheep
man and hermit who homesteaded Tuol-
umne Meadows in 1885. His home was
built near the soda springs 1 mile to
your left after crossing the Tuolumne
River.

TUOLUMNE MEADOWS HIGH
SIERRA CAMP. The road to your
right after you pass the Tuolumne
River bridge leads to the Tuolumne
Meadows High Sierra Camp which can

102

YOSEMITE NATURE NOTES

Soda Springs, Tuolumne Meadows

accommodate about. 125 people and is
open from about July 1 to September
15. It is one of five hikers' and horse-
back riders' camps along the high Sierra
loop. This scenic route may be covered
with relatively easy hiking if spread over
5 days or more. Other camps are at May
Lake, Glen Aulin, Vogelsang and Mer-
ced Lake. All furnish comfortable beds
and good meals and limited hiker sup-
plies. Motorists may be accommodated
at the Tuolumne Meadows camp.

J MORAINE OF ROCKS LEFT
2j BY THE GLACIERS. The roadcut,
known as the Blue Slide, exposes
here a section of a rounded hill composed
of loose rock and fine material left after
the front of a glacier melted back. This
moraine swings in a great arc toward the
peaks to the right (south).

J DANA FORK OF THE TUOL-
^^ UMNE RIVER. Beyond the turn-off
^^ road to the Tuolumne High Sierra
Camp the main highway follows along
the Dana Fork of the Tuolumne River
which has its source on Mt. Dana.

J TUOLUMNE PEAK. Looking back
^<3 down the highway towards Tuol-
umne Meadows you can see prom-
ncnt Tuolumne Peak, 10,875 feet in
elevation, located a short distance north
of the May Lake High Sierra Camp.

X MAMMOTH PEAK. Looking

*%m straight ahead along the road from

this point the great rounded form

of Mammoth Peak rises to an elevation

of 12,225 feet.

J MT. GIBBS. Named for Wolcott
-_ Gibbs, well-known professor of
^^ science at Harvard at the turn of
the century and life-long friend of Pro-
fessor Whitney, California State geolo-
gist, Mt. Gibbs (seen directly ahead)
rises to an elevation of 12,000 feet.

T MT. DANA. Mt. Dana can be
^# climbed from Tioga Pass with rela-
tive ease. It is not only the second
highest peak in the park, elevation 13,
05 3 feet, but it is one of the most col-
orful. (Inquire of park ranger at the
Tioga Pass Entrance Station.) Noted
for its beautiful summer wildflower gar-
dens, it was named for James Dana of
Yale University, pioneer geologist of the
past century.

Looking back towards Tuolumne
Meadows the skyline, as shown in the
sketch opposite identifies Johnson
Cockscomb, Unicorn and Cathedral
Peaks. As you drive westward towards
Tuolumne Meadows you will see these
peaks framed strikingly by the road cor-
ridor through the forest. Roadside signs
will aid you to recognize them.

T TIOGA PEAK. The prominent
2Tf peak before you is Tioga Peak, ele-
vation 11, 513 feet. Tioga Peak, like
Tioga Lake, Tioga Pass, and Tioga
Road, comes from an Iroquois Indian
name meaning "Where it forks."

J KUNA CREST. If you look back
~o and to the left from this point with-
AO in 0.6 of a mile of Tioga Pass En-
trance Station you will see a range of
peaks known as Kuna Crest at whose
northern (right) end stands Mammoth

V

.*

6

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«3

Or

8

■:

£

103

Skyline westward from Dana Meadows

Peak. This crest partially covered with
snow even through the summer, is prob-
ably named from the Shoshonean Indian
word "Kuna," used in the Mono Indian
dialect of this vicinity to mean "fire
wood."

J TIOGA ENTRANCE STATION.

m a Tioga Pass Entrance Station, one of
™ * four entrances to Yosemite Na-
tional Park, is the highest automobile
pass in the Sierra and in California, 9941
feet. To your right is the rock forma-
tion at the base of Mt. Dana known
locally as the "Lion's Head." As you

leave Yosemite National Park you enter
Inyo National Forest. The management
of these two areas differ in that in na-
tional forests are economic and recrea-
tional pursuits such as lumbering, graz-
ing, mining, hunting, and resorts, while
in national parks the purpose is "... to
conserve the scenery, the natural and
historical objects, and the wildlife there-
in .. . and to provide for the enjoyment
of the same in such manner and by such
means as will leave them unimpaired for
the enjoyment of future generations."
Come again!

INTERESTING POINTS BETWEEN MERCED AND YOSEMITE NATIONAL

PARK

(Total driving distance to park boundary 68.5 miles)

CITY OF MERCED — Located
in the San Joaquin Valley just south
of the Merced River, this city of
about 20,000 takes its name from that
stream. It is a center of extensive farm-
ing and dairy industry. Merced came
into existence on February 8, 1872,
when a subsidiary corporation of the
Central Pacific Railroad auctioned off
building lots. The site was deliberately
selected as being centrally located in the
San Joaquin Valley and as the gateway to
Yosemite. The desirability of moving
county seats to the railroad was also
foreseen and was realized when the
county government moved from Snell-
ing to Merced in 1872. The early inhabi-
tants expected Merced to be the impor-
tant town in the valley and for a while
it surpassed Fresno in population.

(4.5 miles from So. Pac. R. R. Depot)

FTLICE & PEREI.T.T CANNERY —

The large establishment across the
Santa Fe Railroad tracks is the Filice
& Perrelli Cannery and Kadota Fig or-
chards. In addition to the Kadota figs,
the plant packs Elberta peaches, apricots,
boysenberries and green gage plums. This
cannery has the distinction of being the
world's largest canner and packer of Ka-
dota figs.

MERCED COUNTY — Formed
from a part of Mariposa County, "Moth-
er of Counties," in 188 5. Merced County
covers an area of some 1,995 square
miles with a population of 80,000. It is
known for its fruit, cotton, beef cattle
and dairy products.

104

YOSEMITE NATURE NOTES

(2. miles)
FANCHER MONUMENT — South

of the highway a shaft commemo-
rates Clarence L. Fancher, a well-known
local grain rancher and leader in com-
munity affairs around the turn of the
century. The monument is over Fanch-
er's grave.

DEL MONTE ORCHARDS As

you pass the Fancher Monument you
will also pass through the Del Monte
cling peach and Kadota fig orchards,
owned and operated by the California
Packing Corporation. The peach or-
chard has approximately 2 800 acres
and 2 50,000 trees and is the largest of
its kind in the world. The fig orchard
contains about 600 acres and 54,000
trees. The fig trees are kept pruned
down to produce better quality for can-
ning and to permit picking from the
ground. Practically all fruit grown here
is canned.

(3 miles from Filice & Perelli)

PLANADA — This town of around
1000 persons, received its name in a
unique manner. A contest for a suitable
name was held in 1911 from which the
Spanish word for "plain" -was chosen.
Formerly the post office here was named
Geneva and the railroad name was Whit-
ton.

VIEW OF THE SIERRA NEVADA
MOUNTAINS— Leaving Planada you
will see the Sierra Nevada Mountains
directly ahead of you. It was from this
approximate area that in 1776 the
Spanish discoverers saw the mountains
and gave them the name Sierra Nevada,
meaning "Snowy Range of Mountains."
The Sierra Nevada is approximately 430
miles long, lying in a northwest-south-
east direction, having a breadth of 40
to 80 miles. The range is located en-
tirely in California except for a small
portion in Nevada near Lake Tahoe.
The western approach is long, winding
and gradual but the eastern approach is
abrupt.

(4.6 miles from Planada)
MTLLERTON ROAD — Near the
point where the highway crosses the
Merced-Mariposa County line is the Mil-
lerton Road. This is the original Stock-
ton-Los Angeles road. It was constructed
in the foothills to avoid the many small
creeks and thick tules of the valley
floor.

(2 miles)

MARIPOSA COUNTY — Mariposa
County was one of the largest of the
original 27 counties of California. An
old Mexican grant comprising a portion
of this area was given to Juan Bautista
Alvarado in 1844. Purchased for John
C. Fremont in 1847 for $3,000, it was
resold in 1863 for $6,000,000. From
the formation of the county in 18 50
until 1893, people of various areas se-
ceeded to form separate counties, namely
the present counties of Merced, Madera,
Mono, Fresno, Kings, Tulare, Inyo, Kern
and a portion of Los Angeles County.
Hence Mariposa County became known
as "The Mother of Counties." In this
county an official U. S. Mint was lo-
cated at Mt. Ophir where six-sided $50
gold coins were made. These coins are
valued today up to $10,000 each. Mari-
posa County is known for its cattle,
hogs, sheep, poultry, timber and mining.
Zinc, lead, manganese and tungsten
are found in quantity, as well as small
deposits of nickle, cobalt, barium and
titanium.

(9.5 miles)

CATHAY VALLEY— This pleasant
rolling farm and cattle land never saw
much mining. It received its name from
Andrew Cathay who purchased it in
18 54 for a sum of $1,500 from George
W. Evans and Jacob Hill. Stone fences
throughout this immediate area were
built during the 1840's and 50's by Chi-
nese labor.

IOAQUIN MURIETA AND HOR-
NITOS — Joaquin Murieta was a Robin

. /(AieiPoiA- me nefSfPT coamrsiAT

VA&POS4 (fXAlif - i-fy

- *&►■ m, "

Mariposa in 1 850's

Hood-like Mexican bandit who roamed
the area from Los Angeles to Stockton
in the 18 5 O's. (According to recent
studies he may have been a legendary
figure generally accepted in folklore.) It
is said that he found friendliness in the
little mining town of Hornitos of the
gold rush days. Remains may still be
seen of an underground passage leading
from the dance hall in Hornitos which
Murieta may have found useful for es-
cape when things grew too hot. Hor-
nitos, Mexican for "little bake oven," is
about 10 miles northwest of Cathay Val-
ley. It derived its name from the pres-
ence of many odd Mexican graves or
combs that sat on top of the ground,
built of stone in the shape of little bake
ovens, (the fascinating history of this
foothill gold mining country may be
followed in "A Guide to the Mother
Lode Country," available at museums
and gift shops.)

(7.6 miles from Cathay)

AGUA FRIA — Agua Fria — cool
water — was the name of the town
which grew up around the Agua Fria
Mine and which was the first county
seat of Mariposa County from 1850 to
18 54. Once located about a half-mile up
the course of Agua Fria Creek (dry
most of the year), this once-important

community has disappeared completely.
Its name was derived from a stream of
water gushing from the mountainside
An historical marker along the highway
was placed by the Mariposa County
Chamber of Commerce.

(4.2 miles)

MARIPOSA— In 1 806 Padre Munoz
of the Moraga Expedition recorded in
his diary: "This place is called (place)
of the mariposa (butterflies) because of
their great multitude, especially at night
and morning . . . One of the corporals
of the expedition got one in his ear,
causing him considerable annoyance and
no little discomfort in its extraction."
Located on the Fremont Grant (de-
scribed under Mariposa County above) ,
Mariposa became county seat when the
county government was moved from
Agua Fria in 18 54. At that time the
courthouse was built. It is now the old-
est courthouse in continuouse use in the
State of California. The seats and bar
have remained unchanged through the
years. The belfry clock, operated on
cables and pendulum alone, was brought
around The Horn from England in
1866. Its bell has been chiming ever
since. The only newspaper in the county,
a weekly, was started here January 18 54.
First published as the Mariposa Chron-

106

YOSEMITE NATURE NOTES

tele, through .1 change of ownership in

June 185 5 it became the Mariposa
Gazette. The paper has been in contin-
uous publication.

(7 miles)

SIERRA NATIONAL FOREST —

Beyond the sign "Entering Sierra Na-
tional Forest" is part of 1 j/3 million
acres of land administered as one of the
areas under the National Forest Service
of the U. S. Department of Agriculture.
These forested lands are managed for
lumbering, grazing, hunting, mining and
the like under such regulations as to as-
sure as far as possible continuing renew-
able natural resources.

(3.6 miles to top of hill)

BRICEBURG GRADE — In approxi-
mately 2V2 miles this grade has a drop
of 1,200 feet. Bear Creek Canyon is on
the south side of the road. The original
road from the top of the Briceburg
Grade to El Portal was built by convict
labor.

(2.4 miles)

MERCED RIVER — From the foot
of Briccbcrg Grade to the park you will
follow the Merced River. For descrip-
tion read V-3 5, page 77.
(6.1 miles)

RICHARDSONS — An old lime-
stone quarry was operated here by the
Yosemite Portland Cement Company. It
was purchased in 1944 by the Kaiser in-
terests which closed the quarry and re-
moved the machinery.

YOSEMITE VALLEY RAILROAD

— Across the river you will see what re-
mains of the railroad bed of the Yosem-
ite Valley Railroad, constructed from
190 5 to 1907 at an estimated cost of
$10,000,000. Running 78 miles from
Merced to El Portal it was forced out
of business in 1945 after the Yosemite
Lumber Company and the Portland Ce-
ment Company ceased operations and
private automobile travel over the new
Merced highway diminished passenger
train travel.

Ancient folded rocks neor geologic exhibit on Merced Road with railroad tracks above.

AUTO TOUR

107

( 1.7 miles)
GEOLOGICAL EXHIBIT —Between
Richardsons and Savage Trading Post a
geological exhibit may be seen on the
right of way. It describes the oldest
rocks of the Yosemite region, to be seen
across the river. These were formed as
ancient sea deposits changed into rock.
They produced the original Sierra range
now largely worn away, its place being
taken by the granite of the present
Sierra.

( 1.6 miles)

SAVAGE TRADING POST— Not

far from the junction of the Merced
River and its south fork stood the first
trading post of the area, establishd by
James D. Savage in 1849. Savage em-
ployed native Indians to mine gold for
him. How much gold dust Savage ac-
quired was .never reported but he was
rumored to have had "barrels full" of
it. After an attack in 1850 by Yosem-
ite Indians Savage moved the trading
post to a new location near Mariposa.

HITES COVE MINE — About three
miles upstream on the south fork of the
Merced River is Hites Cove where John
Hite operated a mine from 1861 to 18 82.
Nearly $3,000,000 in gold was reported
taken from this mine with no great
depth needed for shafts.

(1.5 miles)

CLEARING HOUSE MINE-Between
the south fork and Incline is the site of
the Clearing House Mine. The approxi-
mate site is recognized by several houses
on the opposite side of the river. About
$1,000,000 in gold was taken from this
mine. The shafts were 1100 feet deep.
Operations were stopped in the early
1940s' because the mine could not be
freed of water.

(1 mile)
INCLINE — Here the Yosemite Sugar
Sugar Pine Company carried on logging

operations, using a two mile incline up
the side of the mountain. It was oper-
ated by hooking a cable to a loaded flat
car at the top of the mountain and to
an empty flat car at the bottom of the
mountain. As the loaded car descended
the grade it would pull the empty car
to the top. This operation took place
from 1924 to 1945.

(3 miles)

TUNGSTEN MILL— The mill which
you see across the river receives tungsten
ore from open mines in the immediate vi-
cinity. This operation, which started pro-
ducing in the spring of 195 5, is the only
active mining and milling in this area.

(0.8 of a mile)

BARIUM MINE— Across the river
is the site of the El Portal Mining Com-
pany's barium mine. The mine stopped
operations about 1947, principaally be-
cause of the decreasing use of barium in
drilling oil wells.

( 1.2 miles to store)

EL PORTAL — This community of
approximately 200 people became the
eastern terminus of the Yosemite Valley
Railroad in 1907. About the time the
laying of the railroad was completed the
railroad company built the 8 miles of
wagon road from the railhead to Yo-
semite Valley so that horse-drawn stages
could carry train passengers into the
park. This was when EI Portal received
its name. The railroad station stood on
the approximate location of the El Portal
Motor Inn and the Standard Oil
service station, while a hotel stood on
the hill a short distance to the northeast.
Directly across the river from the El
Portal store the Yosemite Lumber Com-
pany conducted an operation from 1911
to 1924 similar to the one at Incline.

(1 mile)
YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK —

Upon entering the park turn to page
67 and follow the self-guiding tour
for Yosemite Valley.

108

YOSEMITE NATURE NOTES

INTERESTING POINTS BETWEEN FRESNO AND YOSEMITE NATIONAL

PARK

(Total driving distance to park boundary 61.2 miles)

CITY OF FRESNO— This city, the
Fresno County seat, with a population
of 108,000, because of its central loca-
tion has become the principal wholesale
and retail distribution point in the San
Joaquin Valley. Today it is hard to be-
lieve that in 1872 a subsidiary of the
Central Pacific Railroad which staked
out the town in the heart of the San
Joaquin desert could find no buyers for
its "choice" lots. In this desolation
where there was no railroad, town,
water, or settlement, the company per-
mitted any newcomers to settle on the
lots provided they would purchase them
should they decide to remain. Land val-
ues unexpectedly increased. In July 1874
when the railroad reached this point
there were 29 business and 2 5 private
dwellings. The coming of the railroad
encouraged people to move down from
the foothills and the county seat, to-
gether with the entire population and
many of its buildings, moved from Mil-
lerton that year. Fresno means "ash tree"
in Spanish. In 1806 Lt. Moraga named a
"rivulet from the Sierra" San Joaquin in
respect to the parent of Mary, the
mother of Christ, and subsequently the
name became associated with the south-
ern central valley of California.

COUNTY OF FRESNO— Fresno
County was formed in 18 56 out of the
then huge Mariposa County with Mil-
lerton on the San Joaquin River the first
county seat from 185 6 to 1874. Fresno
County embraces 3,83 0,400 acres and
has an average farm production of about
$3 50,000,000 annually as of 1954. Prin-
cipal crops of the county are dairy
products, livestock, poultry, turkeys,
cotton, raisins and grapes, figs, paeches,
alfalfa and grain.

(From Hotel Calif ornian
approx. 8 miles)

FRIANT DAM AND MILLERTON
LAKE — The road branching off from
Highway 41 at Pinedale leads to Friant
Dam on the San Joaquin River. Miller-
ton Lake, formed behind this dam, re-
ceived its name from the town of Mil-
lerton which, along with the site of old
Fort Miller (1851-1863), was inun-
dated with the formation of the reser-
voir. About one-half of Friant Dam
and Millerton Lake lies each in Fresno
and Madera Counties. Millerton Lake, a
local water sports area, is administered
by the National Park Service as a Na-
tional Recreation Area.

(2.3 miles)

MADERA COUNTY — The second
youngest county in the State of Califor-
nia, Madera County was formed from a
portion of Fresno County in 1893. Its
name is from the town of Madera, the
county seat, a Spanish word meaning
"lumber," adopted because of the thriv-
ing lumber industry there. Madera was
the western terminus of the lumber
flume which stretched some 6 5 miles
from the Sierra (described under Old
Lumbering Operations below). Madera
County is divided about equally in
plains, foothills and high mountain
country, the latter including a part of
Yosemite National Park and all of the
Devils Postpile National Monument on
the east of the range. Its crops are much
the same as those of Fresno County with
dairying, vineyarding and poultry rais-
ing the largest industries. Recreation is
an important industry in the mountains.

(7.3 miles)

MADERA CANAL— This canal is a
part of the huge Central Valley irriga-

AUTO TOUR

109

tion project developed by the Bureau of
Reclamation. It operates from Shasta
Dam in northern California through the
great Central Valley to the southern part
of the San Joaquin Valley, carrying
much-needed irrigation water to the
thirsty farm lands of this part of Cali-
fornia.

(2.3 miles)

JUNCTION HIGHWAY 145 AND

41 — From this point on, Highway 41 is
known as the "Yosemite Discovery
Road." On nearby Table Mountain
stands a 3 3 '-high cross erected by pub-
lic-spirited citizens of Madera County
in connection with Easter sunrise ser-
vices.

Great Flume of the Madera Flume and
Trading Company — abandoned in 1932

(2.0 miles)

SAN JOAQUIN EXPERIMENTAL
RANGE — Beyond the junction of High-
way 145 and 41 is the 5000-acre San
Joaquin Experimental Range operated by
the U. S. Department of Agriculture,
and the University of California. Range
and cattle improvements are the primary

purposes of the station. The U. S. Forest
Service has developed grasses here which
increase range capacities. The Univers-
ity of California Department of Animal
Husbandy studies hereditary character-
istics and herd improvement.

CHUCKCHANSI INDIANS —

The area around Coarsegold was settled
originally by the Chuckchansi Indians.
As white men came into the area Chief
Black Hawk was instrumental in keep-
ing the tribe friendly. After several
years the Chuckchansi tribe became do-
cile and lazy, and the Indian women
would marry white sesttlers to be as-
sured of food. This was a help to settlers
who wanted women willing to "rough
it," and who would do without con-
veniences. Black Hawk Mountain, which
is the butte to the right of the road, is
named after the Chuckchansi Chief.

(15.5 miles)

CALIFORNIA DIVISION OF FOR-
ESTRY— The State Division of Forestry
has a headquarters near Coarsegold. Its
main purpose is fire control to save
grazing lands and stop soil erosion. This
headquarters is unique because it is op-
erated under the joint control of the Di-
vision of Forestry and the California
Youth Authority. Approximately 120
men 18-23 years in age are sent from
various institutions throughout the state
to this "honor camp" for rehabilitation.
From here they assist in fire control
and man fire lookouts in the area ap-
proximately 100 mile radius in cooper-
eration with the U. S. Forest Service and
the National Park Service.

(1 mile)

COARSEGOLD— The gold rush of
1849 brought many prospectors to this
area. The town was named for the type
of gold found here. By 1850 the com-
munity boasted 10,000 inhabitants. One
nugget found by two Texas brothers
was worth $15,000. It is reported that
$18,000,000 in gold was taken from
here in a four-month period. By 1866

110

YOSEMITE NATURE NOTES

the nuggets had become scarce and the
white men moved on but the patient
Chinese came in, some to make fortunes
in gold dust. By 1880 the finds were
over but the town was established.

GENERAL BOX COMPANY SAW-
MILL— As you enter Oakhurst you will
see the sawmill owned and operated by
the General Box Company, a subsidiary
of the American Box and Lumber
Company. Here is produced lumber from
trees taken within a 30-mile radius. The
better lumber is dried and sold as build-
ing lumber while the poor part of the
tree is made into "shook," the material
used for making fruit boxes. This saw-
mill produces about 12 million board
feet of lumber annually.

(7.5 miles from Coarsegold)

OAKHURST— This little community
in the mountains near the head of the
Fresno River was originally known as
Fresno Flats. In 1882 it was reported
to be a thriving camp with farming,
mining, lumbering and stock raising as
principal industries. At that time discov-
ery of a quartz mine seemed to give
promise of local prosperity. Apparently
little came of it and an undesirable ele-
ment moved gradually into Fresno Flats
and brought it ill-repute. Wishing to do
away with this unfavorable past, citi-
zens about 1914 changed the name to
Oakhurst.

OLD LUMBER OPERATIONS —In

1874 the California Lumber Company
operated in the Oakhurst area. Railroads
were built to get logs to the sawmill but
the problem of getting the lumber from
the mill to the San Joaquin Valley was
great. As a result the 6 5 -mile Madera
flume was built and the City of Madera
was founded at the flume terminal in
the San Joaquin Valley. The Madera
Sugar Pine Company purchased the op-
eration in 1900 and continued in busi-
ness until 1932 when the low price of
lumber made it necessary to abandon
the project.

(5.4 miles)

SIERRA NATIONAL FOREST —

Read description on page 106.

(5.7 miles)

WESTFALL RANGER STATION—

Westfall Ranger Station in Sierra Na-
tional Forest is operated by the Forest
Service of the U. S. Department of Ag-
riculture. Its main purpose is fire and
insect control and timber improvement.
A laboratory of the U. S. Bureau of En-
tomology and Plant Quarantine is also
located here to study effects and con-
trol of forest insects. The suppression
of forest fires in this area of well over
one million acres is a cooperative project
between the State of California, the U.
S. Forest Service, and the National Park
Service. The station was originally Mi-
ami Ranger Station but was changed
about 1940 to Westfall in honor of one
of the first forest ranger in this area.

(4.2 miles)

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK —

From this point follow the guide for the
Wawona Road (in reverse) on page 82,
or, turning to the right at the Entrance
Station (0.8 miles from park bound-
ary) , use the guide for Mariposa Grove
of Giant Sequoias on page 83.

California Wildcat

AUTO TOUR

111

SOME WILDLIFE AND PLANTS OF YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK

One of the most common animals
seen in the park is the mule deer, es-
pecially evident in Yosemite Valley and
occasionally along roads above the val-
ley. Although less frequently seen, black
bear are not uncommon in the valley
and are seen occasionally outside of this
area. Although these animals are inter-
esting photographic subjects they are
still wild animals and are dangerous.
Regulations against feeding them are
for your protection. You may also see
various squirrels and chipmunks, coy-
otes, bobcats, porcupines, marmots, and
a variety of small rodents. Rarely you
may catch a glimpse of the mountain
lion (cougar). A more complete account
of these, together with other kinds of
mammals in the park, is given in "Mam-
mals of Yosemite" which, along with
"Reptiles and Amphibians of Yosemite
National Park" and "Birds of Yosemite,"
is available at the museums and gift
shops.

PONDEROSA PINE — Easily recognized by
the large jig saw puzzle-like sections of
bark.

BLACK OAK — Characterized by the almost
clear trunk. It's many spreading branches
often 1 0 feet or more from the ground.

Lizards and their relatives will be
seen scampering over warm rocks at
stopping points. Numerous toads and
frogs furnish a lusty spring chorus from
the wet meadows. Seen infrequently
will be snakes, all of which are interest-
ing and even beautiful.

Fishing is an important phase of rec-
reation in the park. The 5 game fish are
trout and include rainbow, brown, east-
ern brook, cutthroat, and golden. You
may read more about them in "Fishes of
Yosemite."

Thirty-five species of trees are native
to the park. Of these 18 are broad-leaved,
dropping their leaves in autumn, and 17
cone-bearing evergreens. The dominant
forest trees along the park roads are in-
dicated throughout this guide. More
complete descriptions can be had in the
pamphlets "Cone-bearing Trees" and
"Broad-leaved Trees."

112

YOSEMITE NATURE NOTES

Wildflowers along park roads vary ac-
cording to season and altitude. Common
throughout most of the season are
blue lupines, varying from meadow
lupine in dense, short-stemmed stands to
large widely separated shrubs. In the val-
ley the four-to-six feet tall cow parsnip,
with its huge leaves and umbrella-like
heads of small white flowers 6 to 10
inches across, are conspicuous in the
spring, followed shortly by the reddish-
purple flower cluster of the showy milk-
weed, the favorite plant of the migrat-
ing monarch butterflies. The well-
known blackeyed susan is becoming an
increasing summer attraction in the val-
ley meadows, giving way in autumn to
the delicate, haze-like lilac coloring
over the meadow from innumerable Les-
singia, with their slender stems about 12
inches high. Along dry roadsides above
the valley clusters of orange western
wall flowers will be seen along with
groups of the cup-shaped purple or
pinkish farewell-to-spring and its close
relatives. In early summer the wet
woodland meadows above the valley are
attractive with mass displays of the rose
pink Sierra shooting star intermingled
with the yellow of the daisy-like senecio,
the brodiaea, buttercup, common mon-
key flower, the blue of the western blue
flag, mountain bluebell, Sierra forget-
me-not, blue camas, and the red of the
gilia and the scarlet mimulus. "Moun-
tain Misery," more properly known as
its Indian name Kit-kit-dizze, is a low
fernlike plant with finely divided fol-
iage forming fragrant carpets in the
open pine forests of the middle and
lower elevations. The odor is noticeable
on warm days especially along the road
between Wawona and the South En-
trance Station.

Conspicuous in upland meadows is
the corn lily growing in patches with
leaves 6 to 12 inches long. When young
it looks like a form of skunk cabbage
but later develops a 3 to 6-foot high
stem supporting an attractive mass of
small white flowers. With the approach
of autumn the leaves die and form
patches of straw-colored dried-up vege-
tation.

One of the most amazing and at-
tractive plants in the park is the rare
blood-red snow plant found growing
out of the litter on the floor of pine
forests until near the end of June, de-
pending on the altitude. It is protected
by both park regulations and State law.
(The pamphlet "Common Wildf lowers
of Yosemite" will give you further in-
formation about flowers.)

LODGEPOLE PINE — Can be identified by
the relatively smooth bark.

Illustrations in this pamphlet ore credited as follows: To Ralph Anderson: Three Brothers, p. 69,
Yosemite Falls, p. 70, Half Dome, /p. 71, Sentinel Rock, p. 76, El Capitan and Bridalveil Fall, p. 77,
Exlofiating Granite, p. 80, Covered Bridge, p. 81, Grizzly Giant, p. 83, Mariposa Grove
Museum, p. 84, Exhibit and Overlook at Glaqier Point, p. 92, Carl Inn, p. 95. Ancient Folded Rocks,
p. 106, California Wildcat, p. 110; Volney J. Westley: Features from Valley View, p. 68; Ralph
dePfyffer: Mirror Lake in Spring, p. 72; Unas Ward: Royal Arches, North Dome and Washington
Column, p. 73, and Yosemite Volley from Tunnel Overlook, p. 78; Garibaldi-courtesy of Laurence
Degnan: Scene in Old Yosemite Village, p. 74; Henry G. Peabody: General View of Wawona and Wawona
Hotel, p. 82; Donald E. McHenry: Merced Canyon View, p. 88; Wayne W. Bryant: Profile of Clark Range,
p. 89, Profile of High Sierra from Glacier Point, p. 90, Profile of Skyline from Dano Meadow, p. 103;
Dorothy Mayer: Features of Yosemite Valley from Glacier Point, p. 91; Celia Crocker Thompson-
courtesy of Margaret Schlichtmann: Hodgdon's Historic Ranch, p. 94, Celia Crocker Thompson: Former
Gobin's Hotel, p. 96; Robert N. Mclntyre: Siesta Loke Old Tioga Road, p. 97, Mr. Hoffman, p. 99;
courtesy of Mrs. Emma Footman: Madera Flume, p. 109; Ansel Adams: Ponderosa Pine and Black
Oak, p. Ill, Lodgepole Pine, p. 112. All other illustrations are either from the National Park Service
collection or are of unknown origin.

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Winter

A subscription for you or gift subscriptions for your friends
will bring the Yosemite story, told accurately and interestingly, twelve
r.

times a year

Each subscription

1 year $1.50; 2 years $2.50; 3 years $3.50.

Revenue from the activities of the Yosemite Natural History
Association is devoted entirely to assisting the park naturalist division in
the furtherance of research and interpretation of the natural and human
story in Yosemite National Park.

Send subscriptions to:

YOSEMITE NATURAL HISTORY ASSOCIATION, INC.
BOX 545, YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, CALIFORNIA

CROWN PTG. & LITHD CD.

Bond

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SOUTH ENTRANCE

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YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK

M UPS OF ROUTES COVERED BY THIS SELF-GUIDING AUTO TOUR.

(Letters refer to the section of the book which
describes that particular road) .