History of Yosemite National Park

A vast area of 3,081 square kms, that covers the eastern parts of Mariposa, Tuolumne and Madera, the Yosemite National Park is one of the World Heritage Sites, which lies in the state of California, United States. The Ahwahneechees, a native American community, inhabited the Yosemite Valley before the white people started exploring the region. The region in which this national park falls, is called the Sierra Nevada. The valley is famous for its waterfalls, streams and granite cliffs. Around 3.5 million people visit the national park every year. Since 95% of the total area of the park falls under 'wilderness', only 18 square kms is used by the public.

Yosemite National Park History

The history of the national park can be traced back to the period when the different indigenous tribes lived in the area. Therefore, studying the history of these people should help us understand more about the park.

Ahwahneechees - The Native Americans
White people started exploring the region in the mid-19th century, before which the native American communities like Sierra Miwok and Paiute inhabited the region. The Caucasians, led by Major James Savage under the flag of the United States attacked the Ahwahneechees who rebelled against the federal government. The word 'Ahwahneechee' means the people of 'Ahwahnee' i.e. the Yosemite valley. Chief Tenaya was the leader of this community. After the whites captured the region, the Ahwahneechees were relocated to the 'reservations'. In today's context, reservations are the areas controlled by 'United States Department of the Interior' and managed by native Americans. With the discovery of gold in Coloma, California, the migration of the Caucasians increased greatly. The mad rush for gold between 1848 and 1855 was also termed as the 'California Gold Rush'.

Tourism
Mr. James Mason Hutchings, an entrepreneur took interest in developing the Yosemite valley as a tourist attraction in the year 1855. By depicting various features of the valley in the form of paintings, Thomas Ayres, an artist helped popularize the region. Charles Leander Weed was the first to photograph the Yosemite valley in 1859, followed by Ansel Adams in the later years.

Conservation Measures
On the 30th of June, 1864, the US government passed a bill that created the Yosemite Grant; it was intended to preserve the 39,000 acres area for the conservation of bio-diversity, sports and other recreational facilities. With the completion of 'First Transcontinental Railroad', the connectivity was improved and the valley became a popular tourist destination in no time. John Muir, a naturalist from Scotland wrote scientific articles with Yosemite valley as the subject and helped in popularizing the area for research. Due to the efforts of John Muir, overgrazing in the valley reduced to a great extent. The Yosemite National Park was created on 1st October, 1890. In 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt signed a bill which handed the control of Yosemite valley from the state of California to the federal government.

Many different hotels and resorts started functioning in the valley with the development of the region. The Yosemite Park & Curry Company which was formed in 1925, regulated the functioning of the hotel business in the region.

The Yosemite National Park is rich in flora and fauna. It attracts tourists from all over the United States for recreation and more importantly for spending quality time in the lap of Mother Nature.