Centennial Issue

is been 100 years ture an appearance by since President Ben- President George Bush, jamin Harrison who has been invited. A I signed into law the number of other dig- act that established a large nitaries will also be in area around Yosemite attendance, and about Valley and the Mariposa the time of the ceremony, Big Trees as Yosemite a time capsule will be National Park. For the buried in front of the remainder of 1990 and Visitor until October, 1991, the Center. National Park Service Other centennial pro- will be celebrating the grams include a major park's centennial and ask- symposium that has been ing people to contemplate scheduled from October Yosemite's history and 13 to 19 in Concord and how the preservation Yosemite . The focus of idea, engendered in the symposium will be Yosemite, has taken on on natural and cultural new meaning in the face resource issues and on of global environmental future directions for park changes . There are hopes management. There are that from history we can also at least two museum learn the Iessons that will exhibits that will be open allow us to manage and through the end of the use Yosemite with the year. One is at the Califor- same foresight and wis- nia Academy of Sciences dom exemplified by those in San Francisco, the who first legislated the other at Yosemite 's own preservation of the place. museum . Please call the Participation in Yosemite Association at Yosemite's centennial (209) 379-2317 for infor- celebration is open to mation about any of everyone, and a variety of these programs or events. events has been ongoing throughout the year. 1990 Continued on page 99 activities will be high- lighted by an official cere- mony on October 1st which will commemorate the enactment of the Yosemite legislation men- tioned above . Though details are still sketchy, Canyon from Glacier the event will probably Point, 1870's, published in YAs be held at Tuolumne Yosemite As We Saw It, A Centennial Meadows and may fea- Collection of Early Writings and Art. JAMES D . SMILLIE/YOSEMr E COLLECTION

PAGE TWO YOSEMITE ASSOCIATION, SUMMER 1990 Yosemite on Fire!

Editor's note: As has been widely suppression. Most of the battles Yosemite West were saved; over reported in the media, large wildfires were won within hours, the bud- 5,000 acres and 480 firefighters burned extensive areas of Yosemite ding fires suppressed by human were involved. National Park in early August. The energy, technology and in some August 10: 15,000 were evacuated following article is excerpted from the cases• sheer determination . Yet a from Yosemite Valley in 4 hours; information sheet prepared by the Na- few of these strikes grew rapidly 567 firefighters were on the fire. tional Park Service for post-fire visitors beyond containment, becoming August 11 : 9,000 total acres burned to Yosemite . We feel fortunate to report the most severe fires in the last in the main fires; 1,747 firefighters that no Yosemite Association employee 100 years at Yosemite. continued the fight. or property was harmed by the fires. While it's true that lightning • August 12 : 14,793 total acres burned; was the immediate cause of these 2,508 firefighters were involved. fires, there were several other envi- Q August 13 : 18,018 total acres burned; ronmental factors which contri- 2,721 firefighters involved. August 7, 1990 is when it all buted greatly to their severity: When They Happened August 14 : 22,095 total acres burned; started . Intense thunderstorms 1) by the summer of 1990, Califor- August 7: Numerous lightning 3,136 firefighters were on the raked the broad forests of Yosem- nia was experiencing its fourth strikes ignited many small fires. fire; containment approached on ite's western flank. In a matter of consecutive year of drought; 2) August 8: Thunderstorms contin- the fire. hours 28 separate lightning fires some of the areas had not been ued with high winds; 1900 acres August 16 :TheT-Grove fire was were burning. The Park responded burned in 10, 20 or in some cases burned; 100 firefighters with air and controlled at 8 p .m. immediately with all the firefight- 100 years ; and 3) high winds on bulldozer support were involved. ing resources at its disposal, focus- the second and third days drove August 9: Winds up to 60 mph ing on the 14 fires which were in the fires to a level of ferocity that were experienced; a firestorm Above, fire on the Tamarack Ridge, areas designated for complete fire couldn 't be suppressed. destroyed Forests ; El Portal and and below, the Steamboat fire .

August '17: The Tioga Road was test fires were along roads where absence of fire —a century of sup- reopened. they are obvious and could cause pression efforts by humans. August 20 : The Steamboat fire was problems. Crews have been cut- Along Highway 140 in the controlled at.6 a.m. Highways 140 ting and will continue to cut Canyon the fire and 41 were re-opened. hazardous trees, and culverts and burned largely in chaparral, a August 21 : The A-Rock fire was signs will be repaired . Erosion mixed shrub community found controlled at 6 p .m. Considering will increase and rocks on the on the lowest, driest slopes of the all the fires combined, 24,030 u roads will be common . In the park. Natural fires here usually acres burned, 3,400 firefighters coming months the Park will con- occur every 10 to 25 years. Some were involved, and the total cost tour and revegetate areas where shrubs in this community are not exceeded $11 million. there has been disturbances killed by fire ; portions above August 24 : The Big Oak Flat Road management agencies was imme- caused by firefighters and bull- ground burn, but roots survive was re-opened. diate and the teamwork began. dozers, but the forest itself will and quickly resprout . A few spe- The fire season is not yet over How People Responded be left to regenerate as it has cies actually need fire for their and other droughts will occur, but always done. seeds to germinate . Many of the On August 9, fires destroyed it is clear that through cooperative best spring wildflower displays How Are Yosemite's Plants the community of Foresta and effort we can protect the park and occur in chaparral the year after Affected by Fire? threatened two others, thousands those who love it. a burn! of campers adjacent to the fires Yosemite is home to diverse plant were evacuated, and firefighters The Work in the Wake of communities that have evolved rolled in from around the nation. the Fire Fire crews from the Dept. over millennia in response to peri- of Forestry finishing up at Tamarack Response from communities, con- Less than 2% of Yosemite burned odic fires. More recently, they Creek, the extension of the A cessioners, the public, and land in these fires, but some of the hot- have been affected instead by the Rock Fire.

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PAGE FOUR YOSEMITE ASSOCIATION, SUMMER 1990 The recent fires have given us reason to look again at the role that fire plays as one of the natural processes involved in the continual re-creation of the marvel- ous landscape we call Yosemite.

Along the Big Oak Flat and Managing Fire in a National Wawona roads the immediate, Park sometimes startling effects of fire on the coniferforests are most One hundred years ago Congress obvious . The charred trunks are created Yosemite National Park incense cedars and firs that grow to be enjoyed so as to leave it well in shade and were favored unimpaired for future genera- tions by years of fire suppression. With- . To early park managers "unimpaired" out any fire, these often out- meant "unburned ." number pines. Pines require bare By 25 years ago, scientists had mineral soil and plenty of sun- recognized fire's role in main- light for their seedlings to sur- taining natural vegetation and vive— exactlythe conditions that wildlife habitat. prevail after a fire. The National Park Service Yosemite's most famous plant recognizes two types of fire — "wildfire," species, the sequoia, are actually - which is always sup- fire-dependent. Giant sequoia pressed, and "prescribed fire ." cones may remain closed on the Human-caused fires are always tree for up to 20 years, until heat suppressed. Lightning fires may from a fire opens them . Ironically, or may not be, depending on con- the Merced Grove of Big Trees ditions such as location, weather, was threatened by the intense the national fire situation, and fires, but nt t burned. air quality. When certain con- ditions are met the fire becomes Effects on Wildlife "prescribed ." Fire is not always as devastating The fires of August, 1990, to wildlife as one might think. began in an area where fire is Many individuals escape, but always suppressed due to the some die. Of great importance is proximity of homes and facilities. the preservation of species . Fire However, lightning strikes occurring in remote areas may plays a role in creating healthy, become " natural habitats for wildlife popu- prescribed natural fires ." lations. Fires tend to burn in an Such fires are monitored and as- uneven, patchy fashion . This sessed daily. creates a mosaic of diverse areas In areas where it is too danger- for wildlife — low green forage in ous to let lightning call the shots, recent burns, sheltering stands park managers may opt for "pre- of brush and trees in unburned scribed burning, " choosing the areas, and standing dead trees time, place, and weather condi- that provide nesting cavities and tions to start a fire whose bound- insects to eat. aries are defined and which can be easily controlled. The recent fires have given us reason to look again at the role Q that fire plays as one of the natu- o ral processes involved in the con- tinual re-creation of the marvel- ous Iandscape we call Yosemite.

Fires have been common throughout Yosemite's history. This view is of the `Arch Rock" are that occurred in 1941. Above, a Merced Grove cabin protected with a fireproof covering.

Forgotten Yosemite Adventurer

Dennis Kruska tered all kinds of people, "from gentlemen down to cut throats With soulful smiles and aching and gamblers." In Mobile they hearts, many argonauts left their witnessed the mass graveyards of families, their farms, and their recent yellow fever victims, and friends to seek wealth and new their Congregationalist mores beginnings in the fabled gold- were insulted by the public auc- fields of California . Often these tion of slaves. goldseekers would record their In Gainsville, William was daily travels and travails in employed as superintendent of personal diaries, to share later a saw and grist mill for several with loved ones or to remind years, relying on the knowledge themselves of the hardships they he gained while growing up on survived while seeking the the family farm. "elephant" One such careful During 1842 he returned to diary was kept by William New England and married an old Penn Abrams. schoolmate, Sarah Lavina Phelps, The significance of William whom he brought back to live in Abrams in Yosemite's history has Gainsville. Their family grew been previously described—he with the addition of two daugh- and fellow traveler U. N. Reamer ters, Sarah Lavina and Georgiana were the first to enjoy the classic Lee, over the next three years . In view of Yosemite Valley from its 1847, Abrams noted in his journal west end on October 18, 1849 ; an " ...many changes have occurred entry in Abrams' diary plainly in my little family. When I last describes and Bridal- wrote we were in my native veil Fall . That pencil-written, state," (for a visit) "since then we somewhat illegible diary passage returned to this place (Gainsville) recorded Abrams' journey to the and spent my time attending my Yosemite Valley area two years business closely. We have lost our prior to the Valley's first entry little Georgiana, (to yellow fever) by the Mariposa Battalion, and and have had a son given us, Wil- represents the first incontestably liam Rollins Abrams, born at accurate description of Yosem- Gainsville, Ala., July 2nd, 1848 ." ite's wonders. only recently the author was The only known photograph of The arduous work and his con- historian, Fran- afforded the chance to peruse the William Penn Abrams. tinual sickness ravaged William. cis P. Farquhar, acknowledged that Abrams family's worn, leather His condition worsened to the the 1833 Walker expedition almost trunk, to read early Abrams let- he and his cousin, Cyrus Colby, point that his doctor advised him certainly peered into the Valley ters, to trace the branching family with $180 between them, left to depart for some healthier cli- from the north rim . While histo- trees, and to analyze notes writ- home to travel to the southern mate. California and the stories rians have a fairly good idea about ten by family members describ- timber states . It was at this time of gold were the great attractions the location of the spot from ing William 's later years. that William began to keep the of this time, and he and some which Zenas Leonard (the party William Abrams was born on careful diaries, of which five yet friends, including U. N. Reamer, scribe) glimpsed Yosemite Valley, August 15, 1820 in Sanbornton, survive, that recorded the events pooled their funds to form a com- the features he viewed are de- New Hampshire, where his father of his ensuing adventures and of pany to travel to the goldfields. scribed poorly The words of the and grandfather worked as lum- his sighting of Yosemite. Abrams closed up his business, Abrams diary permit no conceiva- bermen, millwrights and farmers. William and Cyrus proceeded bid a heartbreaking adieu to his ble mistake of the description of While growing up in his New to Boston, and then by boat to young family, and struck out to the Valley's wonders. England surroundings, young New York, through the Erie Canal California in March of 1849 . The Scant attention has been given William was put to work in the and across the Great Lakes to company booked passage on the to William Abrams ' early life or family fields and in the mill, Chicago . There they transferred steamer Oregon for New Orleans. to the events that followed his attending school only briefly their goods to a horse and wagon On Abrams' handwritten passen- visit to Yosemite . This sketch when chores would so allow and traveled through "unbroken ger list he classified himself as an tracks Abrams from his early He learned milling well, but the prairies" arriving at the town of engineer and fellow traveler childhood through his maturity relentless labor schedule proved Peru on the head of the Illinois Reamer as a carpenter. as a manager of several successful too hard on him . In 1838, with River. Heading southward on The Abrams diaries for those saw mills and other ventures in health failing, he left home for steamers, rail, and finally on foot traveling days speak of the trip the Pacific Northwest . Much of five months to recuperate. they reached Gainsville, Alabama from New Orleans on the steamer this information was not avail- In the summer of 1839 he on December 12, 1839. Predaza, the seasickness in the able previously to researchers — suffered another sick spell, and Along the way William encoun- Gulf, and the legion cholera cases

PAGE SIX YOSEMITE ASSOCIATION, SUMMER 1990 "NOT FAR OFF, A WATERFALL DROPS FROM A CLIFF BELOW THREE JAGGED PEAKS INTO THE VALLEY WHILE FARTHER BEYOND A ROUNDED MOUNTAIN STOOD, THE VALLEY SIDE OF WHICH LOOKED AS THOUGH IT HAD BEEN SLICED WITH A KNIFE . . ." OCTOBER 1849

aboard the vessel on the way to the Isthmus and Panama . One melancholy entry declared that "if I ever get to Chargas I will go home through the woods." Upon reaching Chargas in April, Abrams wrote: "3500 people waiting here and no vessel at Panama ." The prevalent California gold rumors were discouraging, but the dis- heartened company continued toward Panama in two dug-out canoes and later on foot. In the jungle, monkeys electrified their days and sickness plagued the band most of the time . After 46 days of trudging, the weary party finally stumbled into Panama. As luck would have it, they quickly secured a $250 cabin pas- sage in the brig Copiabo, and after several weeks delay in embarking, the vessel finally made its slow progression up the coast . One hundred and thirty-seven argo- Sleep aboard the schooner was touch of the blues ." He wished he returned to Stockton, and se- nauts were registered on the pas- impossible . Some of the men's himself ". . . at home and in easy cured work as a carpenter for $8 a senger list for the little brig. On faces were so swollen they hardly circumstances." Days of bone- day. On September 29th he wrote its 34th day out, the craft reached could see, and they began to mum- chilling and backbreaking work that they were " . . . fortunate Acapulco and took on fresh water. ble that ". . . they were viewing were yielding only one or two enough to get some hay to lay be- The oceanic days dragged on, and the elephant broadside, whereas ounces of gold which netted the tween us and the floor last night Abrams wrote of a small mutiny they had only seen the tip of the argonauts only two or three dol- and had a full night's rest . .. precipitated by the steerage pas- tail before." lars a day. Abrams maintained his Such were the lives of men in sengers demanding more bread. At Stockton the weary men humor at tasks like washing his 1849 in gold rush California . . The mutiny ended quickly with- hired a packer to take their outfit own clothes, and sustained him- Abrams next affiliated himself out extra provisions for the insur- to the Stanislaus River. Abrams self by prayer during these with a fellow named Murphy gents. At the end of a rough sea remarked in his diary upon his difficult, affliction-riddled days. who hoped to construct a mill journey of 96 days, they arrived delight in the grand scenery. On Following one of its typical prayer once he found a good location. at the port of San Francisco on the way to the mountains they meetings under a grand oak tree, Abrams worked to persuade Mur- August 15th, 1849 . Here Abrams encountered several miners near the company, by a majority vote, phy to build " . . . a steam mill received the first word from death; the company doctor dis- decided to disband ; Abrams and instead of a water mill in which I his family in over five months: pensed medicine to ease the pain Reamer trudged back to Stockton would be on my way to my loved letters mailed by his wife and of their last hours . Abrams wrote on September 24th. ones by the next steamer" On dated March. of the graves of " . . . Two poor fel- There they met a man who October 3rd, Abrams and Reamer The company decided to lows who were hung but a few wanted to establish a steam mill started for Murphy's ranch to chance its luck in the mines . Pur- days since " for stealing up in the in the San Jose Valley town of investigate possible mill sites on chasing an outfit and storing their "diggings." Shaken by these Pueblo . Disappointment followed the Merced River to supply lum- trunks, the party re-embarked sights, the party marched on and a rugged ride to the mill site–the ber for the nearby mining camps. with valises, blankets, and provi- arrived at a "beautiful spot" on the place was so unsuitable and the Following an entry in his diary sions on the little schooner, Mary, Stanislaus River with "feet so man in charge acted so offen- for October 7th in which he chides for Stockton . Conversation cen- sore, to see the boys move about sively that their spirits ebbed himself for inadvertently commit- tered around the exorbitant prices reminded me of a Shaker dance very low. ting a horrible sin of shooting an in San Francisco for the goods in New Hampshire ." At this point, Abrams became obsessed dur- elk on the Holy Sabbath, the their company purchased . Flour– Abrams noted that they all pro- ing this time with securing a con- diary is totally silent until Octo- $6 per hundred pounds ; gold ceeded to prospect and mine with tract to set up a mill . It would ber 18th. The diary then picks up, pans–$4 each; coffee–4-1/8 cents varying levels of success. allow him to return home for the in a literal transcription: per pound ; and loaf sugar at 18 Sickness still plagued the necessary machinery and to re- "Returned to S.F. after visit to Sav- cents. When they made the San members of the party. Abrams trieve his family at the same time. ages property on Merced R. (fiver). Joaquin River on August 27, 1849, spent several hours in daily prayer Homesickness haunted him con- prospects none too good fora mill Sav- they were welcomed by over- and read and reread his wife 's let- tinuously during these days . Fol- age is a blaspheming fellow who has whelming swarms of mosquitoes . ters which caused him " . . . a lowing the aborted Pueblo deal, five squaws for wives for which he

YOSEMITE ASSOCIATION, SUMMER 1990 PAGE SEVEN

"THIS PASSAGE FIXES THE UNIQUE STATUS OF ABRAMS AND REAMER AS THE FIRST NON- INDIANS TO ENJOY THE CLASSIC YOSEMITE VALLEY VIEW FROM ITS SOUTHWES 1 ERN RIM, AND TO RECORD WHAT THEY SAW IN UNQUESTIONABLE 1 ERMS ."

takes his authority from the Scriptures age a mill for a salary of $300 family for over seven months and While at Savages Reamer and I saw per month. did not receive any letters until grizzly bear tracks and went out to He boarded the brig Seguin for April 10th (they had been sent the hunt hire down getting lost in the the northwest in early November; previous December). mountains and not returning until the 1849, reaching Bakers Bay at the In June, 1850, the first steamer, following evening found our way to end of the month . Abrams and named Caroline, entered the Colum- camp over an Indian nail that led past Coffin hired a canoe and a crew bia River and arrived at Portland. a valley enclosed by stupendous cliffs of Indians for the journey up the Coffin agreed that Abrams should rising perhaps 3000 feet from their Columbia River, arriving in Port- return to the eastern states on the base and which gave us cause for land about the 13th of December, steamer to deliver dispatches in wonder: Not far off a water fall drops 1849. Messrs . Coffin, Reed, and New York concerning a new mill from a cliff below three jagged peaks Abrams set up a sawmill on the at Oregon City. Abrams arranged into the valley while farther beyond a Willamette River in 1850, and papers, gave final instructions re- rounded mountain stood, the valley passed a stormy and hard first garding the work at the mill and side of which looked as though it has winter. Abrams made no entry reached the steamer as it was been sliced with a knife as one would in his diary for several weeks. weighing anchor. He wrote : " this slice a loaf of bread and which Reamer On February 9th, 1850 he wrote, morning I am very happy . .. and 1 called the Rock ofAges." "I am sitting at what I may call It was one of his more positive Doubtless Abrams was re- my own table, in my own house counting the features of the Yosem and would say that I would be IosephRutherfordWallcer,theleader ite Valley. This passage Fixes the of the Walker party. Members of that happy most emphatically if my The view from Inspiration Point unique status of Abrams and group almost certainly looked down wife and little ones were with painted by Harry Cassie Best a little Reamer as the first non-Indians into Yosemite Valley in 1833. me." He had not heard from his later on. to enjoy the classic Yosemite - Valley view from its southwest- ern rim, and to record what they saw in unquestionable terms . Per- haps they looked upon the Valley from the vicinity of Old Inspira- tion Point if they wandered, as Abrams related, on "an Indian trail" and did not follow the Merced River directly into the Valley from Savages on the South Fork. William Abrams habitually made the original entries in his diaries in pencil and later inked over them. The Yosemite entry, however, was never inked over. It remained legible, however, when the significant diaries were dis- covered in 1947. Curiously, the diaries were reviewed previously in 1910 for the Oregon Historical Society, but the compiler Failed to connect the features Abrams described with the famed Yosem- ite Valley. The original pencil writing in Abrams ' diary has Faded slightly but can be dis- cerned to this day. The Abrams day-to-day jour- nal took up again with an account of his footsore return to San Fran- cisco. He worked as a carpenter for $12 a day before meeting Mr. Coffin of Portland, Oregon. Coffin employed Abrams to go to Portland to erect and man- 'ts

PAGE EIGHT YOSEMITE ASSOCIATION, SUMMER 1990 "BUT WORD OF YOSEMI 1E DIDN'T REACH ABRAMS IN THE SMALL FRONTIER TOWN OF THE DALLES, WITH ITS THREE SANDY STREETS BELOW THE BLUFFS AND `NOT A GREEN THING TO BE SEEN'. HIS YOSEMITE CONNECTION WENT UNRECOGNIZED IN THE 1860'S ."

diary entries during this trying student of this northwestern gold period . In San Francisco, Abrams rush of 1864. boarded the steamer California The Abrams family perse- where he "found a comfortable vered at The Dalles, and in the berth which with passage cost spring of 1867 William helped $300 and at night was at sea organize the projected Wasco again." Arriving in Panama, he Woolen Mill . Nevertheless, he rode a mule to Cruces, reaching continued at lumbering during Chargas in time to catch the 1868 and 1869, as the mill was steamer Georgia for New York. slow to take shape. The children After quickly delivering his grew, and two were married by mail in New York, Abrams rushed 1870 when the Abrams relocated to Gainsville, and completed his once again to Portland. remaining business . With his In a tragic turn of events, long-separated wife and children, on November 20, 1873, William he rode the stage to Richmond, Abrams slipped on a lightless, then on to New Hampshire to narrow stairway in the saw mill start preparations to ship his fam- and plunged nineteen feet to the ily around Cape Horn. ground . He was severely para- The two-hundred-and-sixty lyzed and endured untold suffer- ton bark Francis and Louise was ing before he died six days later. chartered, and Abrams loaded it William Penn Abrams had with general merchandise, house lived to the age of fifty-three years, furnishings, and plenty of rela- three months, and one day. He tives, including his father, brother was buried at Lone Fir Cemetery, and sister. They sailed from New but his remains and those of York on November 7th, 1850. As z his three children were removed the ship headed south the weather in 1886 to Riverview Cemetery grew colder, and the family mem- in Portland. bers spent most of their time in ° The diaries of William Abrams their berths. The ship passed illustrate the difficulties and hard- Cape Horn on January 27th, 1851, ships of nineteenth century life and after a passage of one-hun- o in the west. But they also reveal dred fifty-eight days landed at a man with enormous resolve and Portland without incident. Upon independence . While the chance arrival in Oregon, Abrams con- visit by Abrams and Reamer to structed the family house at a cost Yosemite's perimeter and the of $4,000. significance of the view they be- Abrams worked in the lumber held may have been unappreci- business for several years until a ated by them, the men certainly fire consumed the mills in 1854. settling in The Dalles, Oregon, a The Big Trees at , deserve a respected place in Yo- Following this financial loss, he key business location in the upper originally published in Picturesque semite's history. And William moved his family to Corvallis in country. The Dalles was growing America in the 1870's. Penn Abrams, thanks to his 1855. He continued his diaries as a crucial center of development meticulous diaries, may one day intermittently. Much of the fol- of the interior, and served as a junc- earn the recognition he deserves lowing information relating to the tion for the long wagon train jour- in the small, frontier town of The as a Yosemite pioneer. years after 1855 was taken from neys reaching river transportation. Dalles, with its three sandy an unpublished manuscript by a Meanwhile, in California streets below the bluffs and "not friend of the Abrams family, Seth word was broadcasting about the a green thing to be seen ." His Yo- L. Pope of Portland. grand and sublime valley called semite connection went unrecog- In the summer of 1857, with a "Yo Semite." Hundreds of tourists nized in the 1860s. new daughter, Clara Minnie, he visited the Valley yearly and were When gold was unearthed in returned to Portland to manage accommodated in the rough, the Blackfoot district of Montana, Dennis Kruska is a member of the another mill near the location newly constructed hotels . Another Abrams was drawn again to the Association residing in Sherman where the Columbia River opens hardy pioneer, James Hutchings, goldfields. This time it was not to Oaks, CA. He is an avid collector to the seaways . Two more chil- published his first book entitled mine, but rather to examine the of literature and art relating to dren were born to the Abrams Scenes of Wonder and Curiosity lumber prospects there . During Yosemite and the Big Trees, and family in Portland . The family which proclaimed the merits of the trip he actively recorded authored Sierra Nevada Big made several more moves around this unique natural area. But word events in his diary and provided Trees —A History of the Exhibi- the central Oregon area before of Yosemite didn 't reach Abrams much background history for any tions, 1850-1903 . YOSEMITE ASSOCIATION, SUMMER 1990 PAGE NINE How to Go to Yosemite Valley

Editor's note: The following article first most stupendous things in nature, A group of campers in Yosemite Val- perch is almost appalling in its appeared in the Carson Daily Index can do so without going astray. ley in 1890. grandeur. It takes time to drink it dated May 28, 1887 Y.A. member Tourists may take the cars of in, and the looker on is never sur- Steve Harrison forwarded the piece the C. & C. road to Hawthorne; of glacial action, after volcanic dis- feited. From here it is all down which tells the "Eastern-built tender- then there is a ride of 37 miles turbances had torn and twisted hill, along the shores of beautiful foot" how to go to Yosemite Valley. to Bodie by stage along a route the face of the earth into a daze Lake Tenaya, a mile higher than Harrison calls it "a classic case of fron- which is full of interest to an of fantastic shape. Tahoe, so high and so lovely in its tier journalistic boosterism ." See what inquiring mind. After pondering From this point to Yosemite surroundings that hunters and you think, and try to imagine what a upon the wickedness of that Valley the scenery is constantly prospectors say that they have challenge to the early traveler this camp for a few hours the tourist changing . There are scenes of heard angels singing in the New route must have been. will start for Mill (now known as thrilling grandeur on every hand. Jerusalem; across the Tuolumne Lundy) Creek, 24 miles distant, Riding along the narrow trail Meadows, which is a sea of ver- The average tourist is a poor encountering a chain of wonders. the tourist encounters scenes of dure fringed with towering ignorant concern who knows The picturesque wildness of the absorbing interest. The face of the tamaracks, — only a few miles hardly enough to get off at a way scenery on both sides of the route earth has been pitched hither and further on, and Yosemite, that station and eat a hastily-snatched is a marvel to the beholder. The yon as if God had made a pastime wonderful gash in the crust of the meal, or to worry the car conduc- snow-capped ridges of the Sierra of tossing mountains about . There earth,. yawns before the tourist, tor with questions that naturally on one side and the "Dead Sea of are beautiful lakes that seem to 3,000 feet below him ; but his furnish their own answers. America " on the other, form a hang at right angles upon the side eyes have become so dilated by The Eastern-built tenderfoot panorama of dissolving views of the mountains, with monoliths the sequence of wonders he has thinks that there is but one beaten that even the movements of the rising from them to towering encountered during his three trail to the various points of in- slow stage change with star- heights like fish jumping from the days ride from Carson that he can terests on this coast. ding vividness. water. After emerging froth Lake at first sight hardly comprehend Yosemite Valley, being the When the mouth of Mill Canyon, a lateral moraine at right the magnitude of the panorama Mecca of many gaping Down- Creek (Lundy) Canyon is reached angles south from Mill Creek which he scans for three miles on Easters, is thought to be a hidden the most wondrous things on the Canyon, Mount Warren Divide is either side . It is the wonderful val- wonder which can only be viewed world's surface begin to heave in crossed, at an altitude of nearly ley, to be sure, but the traveler after weeks of arduous travel, sight, and they multiply and pile 13,000 feet, almost even with the confesses to himself that he has while, in fact, it is so easily reached upon each other, so to speak, until summit of Mount Dana, which encountered a dozen scenes almost from Carson that the average the viewer is utterly lost in con- lies directly opposite, its sides as grand since he left Carson. tramp can get there without a templating them. plastered with living glaciers that That is the real route to the very protracted siege of hunger. Mill Creek Canyon itself is a have attracted the attention of Yosemite. There are game and fish We will give explicit direc- terminal moraine chiseled out of geologists ever since they were all the way, the loveliest spots for tions, so that all who wish to visit the eternal granite of the moun- discovered by Prof. Muir, some 12 camping places if one wishes to this wonderful rift in the Sierra, tains and littered with the debris years ago. go by easy stages, and during the which is regarded as one of the created by a thousand centuries The outlook from this high Summer the weather is perfection . PAGE. TEN 1 he Yosemite Field School: A Reminiscence

Pan/ Allen, Class of '36

The Yosemite School of Field Natural History was the cum- bersome tide of Yosemite 's early A lesson in the wild . A Field School program emphasizing the study class in training on Yosemite Valley's of natural history in the field, south rim. which name gave way to the sim- pler"Yosemite Field School " over The 1936 class of the Yosemite School of Field Natural History at its the years. The school would never summer banquet. have been without several impor- tant men like Harold C . Bryant, Joseph Dixon and Bert Harwell. who mentioned any political figure Dr. Bryant was AssistantDirec- or affiliation . Representation of tor of the National Park Service, various specialties, geographic and in a position to get official areas and educational institutions backing, financial and otherwise. was carefully considered. Bert Harwell, a teacher, could Establishment of research quad- not attend the first session in rats in 1933 did much to enhance 1925, but came in 1926. Later, continuity of the Field School ex- he was Field School Director perience, both scientifically and for some years, as well as Chief socially. This was Joseph Dixon's Park Naturalist. project. The ideas was to estab- In the 1920s and 30s, potential lish, study and record in detail 100 young naturalists were not so Parker. Our yearbook from that which read "CAMP HURRY." square foot quadrats of varying busy, and could spend several year (and others like it from other The rest of the field school types, then return after 20 years weeks of a summer without too field school classes) is full of inter- staff included such notables as or so and note any changes. The much economic hardship . Or they esting accounts of attempts to out- Granville "Bud" Ashcraft, a skill- research area chosen was located were unemployed and hoped to wit the bears, and other aspects ful taxidermist, Ed Beatty, geolo- on what is known as Boundary enhance their qualifications for of our summer experiences in gist, Jim Cole (Field School '33), Hill, where there has been very a naturalist job . Some were Camp 19 . For example, one even- mammalogist, Carl Sharsmith little human influence . Quadrats teachers with summer leisure. ing we responded to a scream at (Field School '30), botanist, and are typically representative Most were single, but marriage the foot of the talus slope where Cliff Shirley, botanist. Their of ridgetop, granite, cirque, was no barrier to participation. two of our girls were cooking a expertise was not limited to meadow, streamside, pond and Dr. Bryant's motive seemed to pot of beans centered with a large their specialties. chaparral . The 1933 class set up be to tt'ain potential naturalists, chunk of ham . We arrived to note Visiting professors contributed three quadrats ; the 1934 and 1935 and to spread the gospel of nature the beans scattered over a flat greatly to Field School. Their en- classes two each. Our 1936 class study and appreciation. That a rock, and the bear making his thusiastic participation is indi- did well to "complete " one quad- few students would develop into way up the slope, juggling the cated by their willingness to work rat (as if such an all-inclusive good NPS naturalists was to be hot ham. without pay— all they received study is ever complete!). expected. A higher percentage of NPS staff and visiting profes- for their help was a place to stay In 1936 we hiked up the women was accepted during the sors gave us the basics at Museum in Camp 19. Among them were trail and setup 1920s, but in the 30s, each class headquarters : NPS policies, geol- Dr. H. L. Mason, botanist, and camp on a beautiful Monday just was Iimited to a total of 20, about ogy, botany, ornithology, mam- E. O. Essig, W B . Herms and after July 4 . Baggage, scientific 14 men and six women . By that malogy, taxidermy, entomology E. G. Linsley, entomologists, all and community gear were trans- time, college graduation was a and more. We all had to do a little from the University of California ported to the campsite near the prerequisite, usually with a degree of everything. I had no difficulty at Berkeley. old Tioga Road by truck . That in a natural science. with insects, but spent a long By the early 1930s there were night it began to rain; not a High In the early 1930s, Bert Har- time doing a poor job of skinning other good nature schools, but Sierra thunderstorm but steady, well headed the Field School; Joe a bird and a mouse. Laboratory the Yosemite Field School was the winter-like rain . Tuesday, Wednes- Dixon was NPS Field Naturalist sessions were interspersed with most outstanding and desirable, day, Thursday and Friday, day and and Assistant Director. Dr. Bryant one and two day field trips, led by if one could get in. Applications night, we contended with inter- had duties elsewhere, but showed the able and inspiring staff. There for the 20 spots may have num- mittent rain . Between showers up occasionally. Field school stu- was a good balance of work, study bered in the hundreds. Top staff we went down to the quadrat dents shared Camp 19 with several and recreation. The schedule was picked a few. Dr. Mason told me and worked. NPS employees and marauding tight, butthere was time for social years later that selection of the By general agreement, the bears which visited too frequently. events and some leisure. In recog- remainder was turned over to him seven women (six Field Schoolers In 1936I teamed up with nition of our furious schedule, a and Professor Essig. The task was and the cook) had the privilege of Carsten Ahrens, a teacher from graffiti-type sign was placed over difficult. They first eliminated sleeping, as best they could, in the Pittsburgh, PA, and Harry "Scoop" the Camp 19 mail box in 1939 from consideration any applicants already-full baggage and commis- One of the Yosemite Field School classes relaxes around the camp fire.

II abruptly ended this era of the school. In 1948, the Field School was revived, but it would never be the same. Bryant, Dixon and Harwell were gone. There was no attempt to resume the Research Reserve work. Times were changing. Young naturalists found positions with economic security, and mar- ried earlier. Fewer had a summer to spend without immediate sary tent. The men scattered, seek- The route taken by the 1936 Field monetary reward . Experiences ing shelter of trees, rocks, anything. School class on its high country trip. that were once high adventure By morning everything was well and only occasional were becom- dampened but our spirits . We ing commonplace. stood in a circle around a large The High Trip was an outing Other good nature schools bonfire, holding between us with a purpose, and it gave us the had begun operation. The Park sleeping bags for drying—and opportunity to pursue our per- Service, with plenty of funds and singing as usual. When we ran sonal natural history specialties personnel to support the Field The 1934 class of the Yosemite Field out of songs we made up our own in the field and to share what School during the depression, no School assembled atop Matterhorn (some doggerel, some very good). we learned around the evening longer had money for such pur- Peak. Saturday, the storm over, we campfire . We had plenty of rain poses during post-war prosperity. hiked from Porcupine Flat down (the violent thunderstorm type) In 1953, there were only 19 appli- stairway-like Indian Canyon into and singing! Joe Dixon, Profes- cants for what would prove to be "regulars " being otherwise occu- Yosemite Valley. sor Herms and Dr. Mason were the last field school class . All were pied, there has been a research The traditional High Trip, two with us the whole trip; Bert Har- accepted, and 15 attended . In the party every summer since . Some weeks toward the last of Field well, Carl Sharsmith and other face of these various factors, the of the work has been amateurish, School, was approaching . A cen- staff intermittently. decision was made to discontinue some very professional. Beginning tral commissary on a share-alike We were allowed 20 pounds the program. in 1954 we had some excellent basis, was arranged . Our 55 cents of baggage each to be carried Alumni continued to meet non-Field School help . After 36 per pound jerky arrived late, from camp to camp, about four semi-annually with reasonable years we are now assured that, and I helped carry it, between moves, by government provided enthusiasm, and various outings with the gradual demise of the heavy rainshowers, from Tioga truck and pack horses, at cost. alternated with mid-winter din- originals, the younger researchers will carry on the work indefinitely. Pass to Gaylor Lakes, where we Each individual 's share of total ex- ner meetings. In 1953, 20 years were camped. penses, including food, came to after the first research quadrats Present seminars sponsored by the Yosemite Association no Bert Harwell had somewhat $19.27 That covered the cook, had been established, a group doubt are more scientific, thor- of a reputation as a daredevil. who went for free. of old field schoolers assembled ough, serve many more people, Without the wholehearted ap- The Field School continued at Yosemite Creek Campground and provide similar opportunities proval of some wiser heads, he with no major changes through with Bert Harwell to work on for good fellowship. But there led a few of us up 1941, except that Bert Harwell left the Research Reserve project. We will never again be anything like to the first day of the Yosemite in 1940 to work for the did not quite know what to do, the Yosemite Field School. High Trip. There were a few close Audubon Society. Beginning in but with the original volumes calls, but all made it without in- 1938, research efforts were con- made notes of the changes we jury. The others climbed up via centrated in the Swamp Lake area saw. Some were striking, some Paul Allen is a Y.A. member who good trail. We climbed lots of in northwest Yosemite, where were minimal. is still active with Field School peaks, and camped every night at there are unique geological and With the exception of one year alumni activities . He resides in about 10,000 feet . biological phenomena . World War of very heavy snowfall and all the LaGrange, California .

PAGE TWELVE YOSEMITE ASSOCIATION, SUMMER 1990 Yosemite's Native Plants and the Southern Sierra Miwok

KatAnderson made into musical instruments such as clapper sticks and flutes. The secrets of Yosemite 's early Knowledge of Yosemite's na- human history are locked up in tive plants increases our apprecia- her native plants . The Southern tion of the native people . It is also Sierra Miwok who inhabited this enriching to learn that a given region for over 800 years, proba- branch was used to make a pipe; bly gathered every kind of plant that a seed stalk made a meal; that grew inYosemite Valley for that the moss growing on the such creative uses as basketry, old oak served as a dye ; that the foods, medicine, games, shelters, sharp end of a leaf performed as clothing, and ceremonies. a needle. The character of each Although the original cedar plant takes on new dimensions bark houses, acorn granaries, and when transformed by human sweat lodges of the Miwok have hands through scraping, skinning, long since vanished, many of the soaking, peeling, boiling, mash- plants that they cared for and ing, grinding, fire-hardening, split- gathered still grow in groves, ting, and decorating. clumps, or singly in obscure nooks and crannies in the Valley. Gathering the Mountains They remind us of a former way The Miwok tapped nature 's of life. In fact, there are few vistas creative ferment and hidden anywhere in the Valley where dimensions in all their activities: one does not see a waterfall or tasting the sweet juice of wild granite cliff framed by plants once grapes; shaping small pockets in used by the Miwok. granite while pounding all kinds Although some of these plants of seeds; weaving branches and were planted by the National Park roots into beautiful baskets ; smell- Service, most are natives . For example, the oldest black oaks (Quercus kelloggi) were here long _ before Anglos entered the Valley o Indian women leaching acorn flour, o around 1900 . Yosemite resident and would have been harvested Tabuce hulling acorns in Yosemite for acorns by the Miwok in Chief z Valley in 1936, and harvesting Tenaya's time . The California bay manzanita berries in 1931 . (Uinbellularia ca ifornica) trees which border the path up to are perhaps descendants of the very trees harvested by the Miwok of their bay fruits which they roasted and ate . states in his book Discov- ery of the Yosemite, and the Indian IVar of 1851 that the Mariposa Bat- talion found caches stored with California bay fruits near Cathe- dral Rocks in Yosemite Valley in March of 1851. The Miwok had names for every kind of plant and knew where they grew and when they flowered. Special stories were told about certain plants . For example, in the beginning of the world the elderberry tree, as it swayed to and fro in the breeze, made sweet music for the star-maidens and kept them from falling asleep. Thus, elderberry branches were harvested by the Miwok and YOSEMITE ASSOCIATION, SUMMER 1990 PAGE THIRTEEN Black Oak

ing bear clover that is carried on of fresh bark, the play of light etc.; to get by conquering ." Taking full burden of her labor of love. a light wind ; tasting the mild through the branches, the sounds, is the retrieving of something — Grasses grow knee-high, and, potato-like flavor of a wild bulb the coolness of earth to the touch without giving anything back. ripening their humble fruitage, or corm. are all uniquely personal. As well, Renewable Resources roll in russet tides over the Grasses, sedges, vines, ferns, there are a number of cultural as- meadows and surge against the It was possible to exhaust the herbs, shrubs and trees, all the life sociations such as the secret ritu- forest wall." sources of gathering, but that was forms of nature, were gathered to als performed for each plant, the Muir's description of the not the Miwoks' aim. The aim meet Miwok cultural needs . Plant memories of gathering with one's women gathering grass seed on was to gather enough—enough for parts harvested included : bark, ber- grandmother, and the searching the east side of the Sierra would ries, branches, bulbs, rhizomes, out and development of a favorite one's family, friends, and neigh- bors and perhaps extra to trade. probably have been applicable to corms, tubers, cones, flowers, gathering spot, that can never be Yosemite Valley as well . "I came leaves, pitch, roots, seeds and fully revealed to the interested Tending of favored plants in the Valley was a common to a patch of Elyrnus, or wildrye, stems . For example, the branches non-Indian. growing in magnificent waving of willows (Salixspp .), the flower The Southern Sierra Miwok phenomenon. Through the hor- ticultural techniques of burning, clumps, bearing heads six to eight stalks of deergrass (Muhlenbergia did not engage in "plant taking." inches long. The crop was ripe, pruning, weeding, tillage, sowing signs), the branches of Bull Pine Their familiar phrase for collect- and Indian women were gather- of seed, and selective harvesting (Pinus sabiniana), and the rhizomes ing plant resources was "gather- ing the grain in baskets by bend- the Miwok encouraged selected of bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinutn ing." The definition of"gather" is ing down large handfuls, beating plant and animal resources. vat. pubescens) were gathered for "to unite " or "to get or collect out the seed, and fanning it in Miwoks who gather today basketry material. gradually from various places, the wind." still believe that the plants yearn The special relationship the sources, etc." Gathering brings Other native grass seeds that Miwok had with plants can never humans and plants together. On to be used and if they're not used they'll die . Through gathering, may have been harvested in Yo- be fully described . For instance, the other hand, to "take" is "to get semite Valley are nodding stipa, the sensory and spiritual impres- possession of by force or skill; each plant is honored. sions experienced by an elder seize, grasp, catch, capture, win, Seeds Miwok basketmaker can't well Historically, California has be captured by words. The smell been called a "wild seed garden ." The Southern Sierra Miwok gath- ered no less than 42 kinds of seeds (using seedbeaters) from herba- ceous plants and wild grasses such as clarkias, owls clover, Indian paint brush, wild oats, California buttercup, and red maids . Seeds were the main protein source and the most significant plant part in the Miwok diet. , in My First Summer in the Sierra, described the Valley as follows : "The level bottom seemed to be dressed like a gar- den—sunny meadows here and there, and groves of pine and oak." When the first Anglos entered Florence Brocchini collecting elder- the Valley it was a mosaic of pon- berry in the Mariposa County derosa pine stands, oak groves foothills. and large meadows with lengthy vistas up and down the Valley. meadow barley, and California The plant composition was drasti- oatgrass . Today in place of those cally different from today's as grasses we have exotics . Nota- were the food plants collected. ble among them is the wild oat The drier meadows were (Avena fatua) called "To-to-ma " in probably laden with California Miwok. In later times, the Miwok native grasses and would have harvested these seeds in place of been eagerly harvested in the the native grasses using a seed- summer by the Indians . Joseph beater and burden basket. As Smeaton Chase describes the early as 1851, Bunnell came upon grasses of the Valley sometime an abandoned rancheria near around 1911 : "As midsummer Cathedral Rocks and discovered comes on, nature takes up the caches of scorched oats . After PAGE FOURTEEN YOSEMITE ASSOCIATION, SUMMER 1990

t

('Tri folium spp.) known as "Ha-ker" must have been very common in the Valley at one time . According to Bunnell, while Tenaya was held captive in this Valley he was "turned loose to graze upon the young clovers." Clover was eaten raw when the plants were young and tender prior to the flowering stage, while some species were steamed before eating. Miwok people remember gathering clover when children. One type of clover gathered was called "cochoche" and bunches of it were rolled up and eaten with salt. Other popular greens har- vested from the Valley floor were different species of lupine (Lupinus spp.) called "Wa-to-ka." Early in the spring their leaves and flowers were stripped from the stalk then steamed in an earthen oven or boiled . The leaves were some- times eaten with acorn soup, or as a relish with manzanita cider. The shoots of the bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum vat: pubescens), which commonly grows in moist, shaded regions on the Valley floor Anglo contact, pinole consisting to shell. Muir indicated that the Indian Cultural Demonstrators in and along side canyon walls, were Yosemite Valley continue to share of tarweed seeds and wild oats gold cup oak grew on the earth- cut as they began to uncurl in the was nearly as important as acorns quake taluses and benches of the Southern Sierra Miwok traditions and practices with thousands of vis- spring and eaten as greens by the in the Miwok diet. sunny north wall of the Valley, itors each year. Yosemite Miwok. The black oak groves in the and said: " In tough, unwedgeable, The leaves of several species Valley were much more extensive knotty strength, it is the oak of and it is not uncommon to find of sour docks (Rumex spp.) were in 1851 than they are today. Muir oaks, a magnificent tree." acorn mush in the refrigerator gathered in Yosemite Valley and wrote that the black oak trunks C. H. Merriam, an early eth- when visiting Indian families in either steamed or eaten raw de- sometimes reached a thickness of nographer of the Miwok, visited the fall. Miwok families share this pending on the species. Many from four to nearly seven feet and Yosemite Valley in 1910 and dis- tradition with people of other Indians can remember gathering that the trees occupied the greater covered that : "The Indians were ethnic backgrounds, by teaching the leaves as children, especially part of the broad sandy flats of cooking acorns of the black oak thousands of visitors each year along the Merced River. Lots of it the upper end of the Valley (The in baskets by means of hot the intricacies of acorn processing grew by the old swinging bridge Yosemite). stones. Newly gathered acorns and cooking in the Indian Village near Yosemite Lodge . Kids always According to in were spread out drying in the behind the Visitor 's Center. brought salt with them to sprin- Indians of the Yosemite, the black shallow flattish baskets and cir- kle on the leaves which they oak (Quercus kelloggi) acorns were cular ones of their own making, Greens rolled up to make little sour balls. considered the best and most nu- called hettal and the snowshoe The Southern Sierra Miwok The greens are still gathered, espe- tritious by the Indians . Chase shaped ones of the Mono Piute used at least 48 species of plants cially in the springtime. noted that under the hot Indian called wonah." as greens such as cow parsnip, summer sun "the acorns ripened Merriam also saw the old- alum root, buckwheat, Indian Berries suddenly, falling in showers at time acorn granaries in the Valley. rhubarb, and monkey flower. Berries provided and continue everypush of wind like raindrops Today acorns are stored in gunny- "Greens " here are defined as to provide snacks for the Southern rattling on a roof ." sacks, wooded boxes and card- leaves or stems of plants. These Sierra Miwok . At least 31 species If there was a poor crop of board boxes. In fact, black oak were eaten raw, stone-boiled in a were eaten in the past such as acorns from the black oak, the acorns are still gathered by about basket, or steamed in an earthen sourberry, salmonberry raspberry, Miwok collected acorns from the 65% of the Southern Sierra Mi- oven. They were often served huckleberry and serviceberry. gold cup oak (Quercus cluysolepis), wok families . Biscuits, soup, and with acorn soup. According to Galen Clark, which acorns were reputed hard mush are prepared from acorns, Different types of clovers manzanita (Arctostaphylos spp.)

YOSEMITE ASSOCIATION, SUMMER 1990 PAGE FIFTEEN it Bull Pine !♦1 y Pinus sabiniana ,IiJ 1 .

.'

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%' ;~ !;fit

Camp Curry in the 1930s. sticks made of mountain mahog- The wood of the elderberry any when they traveled, which (Satnbucur caerulea) served for sticks were used almost exclu- flutes and clapper-sticks for the sively to retrieve this plant part. Miwok, and its berries were eaten Maria Lebrado, the grand- cooked. Sometimes the Indians daughter of Tenaya, returned for dried large amounts of elder- the first time to the place of her berries for winter food, recooking birth, Yosemite Valley, in 1929 (78 it when needed. Commenting years had passed). She pointed to upon a visit to Yosemite Valley in Eagle Peak and told of the gather- the early 1900s, Hudson reported ing of Indian potatoes along the that elderberries were commonly slope'and up the trail. Brodiaea used as food. was probably one of the corms Several Miwok families still she gathered . There are several gather elderberries and make species that grow in the Sierra them into jellies and pies . The foothills amongst the poppies and berries are not gathered one by in the drier areas of the meadows one, but in clumps, by pruning a in Yosemite Valley. All are edible. cluster of fruits . The berries are Miwoks still gather several kinds then put into a paper sack and of brodiaeas and eat them raw or taken home . Immediately, the boiled like potatoes . They can be berries are delicately removed gathered in the spring before from the branches, and leaf and flowering or in the summer after stem litter is picked out . After a flowering has finished. light washing, they are ready to The bulbs of the wild onion be used in recipes. (Album spp.) were eaten, and the bulbs flavored soups and stew. Bulbs, Corms and Tubers Hall and Hall reported in 1912 the At least 29 different types of plants growing in small beds in berries were the main berries Amy Rhoan gathering sourbeny bulbs, corms and tubers (" Indian the Yosemite region. Many elders used by the Yosemite Indians. (Rhus trilobata) for basketmaking. potatoes") were eaten by the can remember gathering the Though hard to digest, they were Southern Sierra Miwok, and they bulbs with relatives in the spring cracked and eaten raw Barrett were probably the second most before flowering . The bulbs are and Gifford reported in 1933 important plant part consumed, today gathered by many Southern that the berries were chewed to cider and slightly more acid, yet after seeds . Bulbs and corms were Miwok families and accompany extract the flavor, but not swal- cooling and delicious ." transported in burden baskets to major meals. lowed . Manzanita flowers were Indian descendants can re- the cooking place for baking in an Several Southern Miwok de- eaten raw. member relatives gathering the earthen oven or roasting in the scendants still gather the tubers Muir noted that "The pleasant berries for eating and making coals of a fire . Those roasted were of sanicles (Sniculas spp.) and call acid berries, about the size of cider, and manzanita cider is still sifted in a winnowing basket to them "tunis." The black skin is peas, look like little apples, and a prepared the traditional way. The remove the ashes before eating. scraped off before the tuber is hungry mountaineer is glad to eat berries are crushed with a mortar Several species were eaten raw. If eaten. The plants are found in yel- them though half their bulk is and pestle, either cold or hot the quantity of bulbs and corms low pine forests and are harvested made up of hard seeds . Indians, water is poured over them, and gathered was small, they were with a stick or crow bar in spring bears, coyotes, foxes, birds and the resulting mixture is steeped stone-boiled in baskets. or summer. They are often iden- other mountain people live on and then strained. According to Godfrey, the best tified by the smell of the leaves. them for weeks and months." Another berry that at one time bulbs for eating were squawroot, The tuber has a stronger flavor The manzanita berries were grew profusely on the Valley floor the various brodiaeas (especially when the flower has gone to seed. selected by hand and dropped is the native strawberry (Fragaria the harvest brodiaea) and camas. into a burden basket, or a flat sift- califomica). Although small in size, Yosemite's meadows at one time ing basket was held under differ- the native berry has a flavor that were laden in the spring and sum- KatAnderson has spent four years ent parts of a shrub to catch the is much stronger than the com- mertime with edible Indian conducting ethnographic and berries as the bush was shaken or mercial varieties . One Miwok potato plants, forming tints of ethnohistoric work with the South- struck with a stick. elder remembers that the best white and blue across large ern Sierra Miwok . She holds a mas- In his journal for 1869, Muir strawberries grew in front of the stretches of the landscape. These ter's degree in Wildland Resource wrote about manzanita berries old Superintendent 's house (now were interspersed with the native Science from UC Berkeley, and is that: "the Indians are said to make the Resource Management Build- grasses and clovers . The soil in enrolled in a PhD program there in a kind of beer or cider out of them ." ing), and she can remember gath- these meadows was soft and pli- the same field. Her areas of interest Merriam described the cider as ering strawberries there with her able from centuries of digging. are ethnographic research methods, "less sweet than new made apple grandmother in the 1920s and at The women often carried digging botany, ecology and anthropology.

PAGE SIXTEEN YOSEMITE ASSOCIATION, SUMMER 1990 Association's New Centennial Book Completed

s ,.

.e

The Yosemite Association is gathering of passionate views ." pleased to announce the pub- In his foreword, historian lication of its new book to com- .ITE NS WE SAW IT Kevin Starr writes : 'Yosemite As memorate Yosemite's centennial OSEM We Saw It is a distinctive form of anniversary as a national park. book, a hybrid between an an- Titled Yosemite As We Saw It—A thology and an analytical mono- Centennial Collection ofEarly Writ- graph . . . it functions as the most ings and An, the elegantly printed comprehensive anthology of anthology was the project of Yosemite literature ever to be David Robertson assisted by made available to the public . Henry Berrey. and celebrates more than 130 Yosemite As We Saw It is a years of American encounter many-paged banquet of literature ;OLLEC rI()I .kI; ( with the Yosemite." and art, emphasizing the decades A. CENT ENNI :C;S & ART ;ARLY N'1ZIT1h Book collectors will no doubt before and after 1890 . Diarists, OE I. appreciate that the volume was travel writers, essayists, poets, printed by Meriden-Stinehour photographers, painters and other Press of Lunenburg, Vermont, on graphic artists are included in this Mohawk Superfine paper. The 24 bill of fare, amateur as well as pro- color plates reproduce early art fessional. The aim of the editors works (many from the Yosemite is to let the artists serve their own Museum collection which have specialties as they prepared them, not before appeared in a publica- and to add a few seasonings in tion) and were meticulously the form of a narrative line or a handled with amazingly fine commentary here and there. results. The book designer was The initial chapter presents anthology that brings historical of Yosemite is astonishing. Divin- Desne Border of San Francisco, the thoughts and feelings of the perspective to Yosemite 's 100th ity, wrath, sublimity, ecstasy, sar- and the Sabon type was set by uninitiated at the moment of their birthday as a national park. casm and boredom all flooded out Mackenzie-Harris, also of San first entry into Yosemite Valley. Poet Gary Snyder has said of of it. One wonders what travel- Francisco. Two thousand cloth- The last chapter contains an ac- the book: "David Robertson's fine lers of the future will yet see . Is it bound only copies were produced. count of one particularly moving survey of the diverse ways the the great universe that provokes YA members and friends will departure from the park, and pro- Euro-American mind was trig- us thus? Or some hidden aspect recognize David Robertson as the vides, as well, an occasion for Yo- gered by the archetypal grandeur of ourselves? A splendid compact author ofWest ofEden, as a gifted semite veterans to reflect on its photographer and professor of lasting meaning and value . In be- English at UC Davis, and as a tween are chapters on its major Yosemite Association board features: monoliths, waterfalls, The Booklist Review member. Henry Berrey served for and big trees. Editor's note: The following review appeared in the September 1, fifteen years as the Managing These significant and enter- Editor of the Yosemite Natural 1990 issue ofBooklist, the journal of theAmerican LibratyAssociation. taining excerpts from Yosemite 's History Association and has con- literature are arranged themati- CelebratingYoseznite's one hundredth anniversary of national tributed his talents to many fine cally and paired with contem- parkhood, this is a handsome anthology of literature and art about publications over the years. poraneous works of art that are a place that "has emerged in the national imagination as an icon of Ordering information for Yo- illustrative of the period and identity."The editors have put together an assortment of impres- semite As We Saw It is provided in theme . The result is a fascinating sions of Yosemite beginning with the account of the first white the catalog section of this journal. man's view of the potent panorama by the Mariposa Battalion in 1851. All narratives encompass the same experience of "incom- parable grandeur, the mystic ecstasy . . . the struggle . . . to find 209-379-2317 metaphors that might measure the height of mountains and the Association Dates If you're planning a trip to Yosem- depth of personal feelings, and a strange sense of peace so perva- ite and have questions, give our sive that even death loses its sting ." More recent works include September 8, 1990: Members ' Members ' phone line a call be- a poem by Gary Snyder. The chromolithographs, drawings, en- Meeting, Wawona tween the hours of 9 :00 am and gravings, and paintings (24 in color) attempting accurate depic- December 1, 1990 : Deadline for 4:30 pm Monday through Friday. tions of monoliths, waterfalls, and giant trees are from the earlier Grant Applications. We don't make reservations, but half of the period. For broad American history, specialized na- March 23, 1991 : Spring Open we can give the appropriate tional park, and nature collections. All proceeds support the House, Yosemite Valley phone numbers and usually lots park. —Donna Seaman September 14, 1991 : Members' of helpful advice . Meeting, Yosemite: The Embattled A Wilderness by Alfred Runte. In this long-awaited work, the author details the history of the tension and shifting balances between preservation, an ideal Challenge of the Big Trees by from the park's beginning, and E Lary M. Dilsaver and Wil- use inYosemite .The preserva- liam C . Tweed. This "resource tion ideal has been compro- history" of Sequoia and Kings mised, Runte asserts, by the need Canyon National Parks presents to accommodate people and by the significant causes and effects a competing set of management of man's influence there . The values under which the National authors explore the campaigns Park Service has toiled. Because to establish these narks and the Yosemite is too important "to critical decisions that have con- be just another place," Runte trolled their use and develop- believes that this fact should ment. For students and aficio- guide all future management nados of the Sierra Nevada, the policies for the park. With 6 color book is full of important infor- and 50 black and white illustra- mation about the past and takes tions. University of Nebraska a look at new directions for the Press, 1990. #19350 (clothbound): Yosemite—An American coming years. Sequoia Natural $24.95. D Treasure by Kenneth Brower. History Association, 1990. Trains of Discovery by Alfred The National Geographic Soci- #6740 (paper): $14.95; #6741 Yosemite As We Saw It—A Cen- C Runte. Revised edition . In ety has produced this handsome (clothbound): $24.95. Btennial Collection of Early Writ- this updated version of a classic new book for Yosemite 's centen- ings and Art by David Robertson. national parks train book, Runte nial, and it's only available from and its Dam This is Y.A.'s new centennial has explored the roughly 80 the Society and from us . Written F Railroadby Ted Wurm. For book mentioned in this journal. years during which Americans by David Brower's son, Kenneth, railroad buffs and Yosemite his- Representative excerpts from used passenger railroads to the volume is a personal study torians, this is one of the essen- the early literature of Yosemite travel to their national parks. of Yosemite that 's full of opti- tial volumes, and it's been out of have been paired with beautiful There are chapters discussing mism. Brower looks at every print for quite some time . This four-color reproductions of art the various lines to Glacier, aspect of the park from its natu- is the second printing with no primarily from the Yosemite Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, ral history to the people who apparent changes from the first. Museum . Gary Snyder called Yosemite, and other locations. frequent it (there are great But it's still full of information the book "a splendid compact Liberally illustrated with both sketches of Howard Weamer, Jim available nowhere else and illus- gathering of passionate views." color and black-and-white Snyder, Julia Parker, and others), trated with over 480 photo- Yosemite As We Saw It elegantly photographs, the book also looks and finishes with a chapter on graphs, maps and drawings. celebrates more than 130 years to the future with the hope that the park 's prospects for the The 298-page book shows that of American encounter with trains will become a viable trans- future. Illustrated with over one the Hetch Hetchy project was the Yosemite . 104 pages with 24 portation alternative for our hundred color photographs, the one of the most ambitious and color plates . Yosemite Asso- parks again. 86 pages . Roberts book is 200 pages long. National enduring works ever underta- ciation, 1990. #800 (cloth- Rinehart, Inc., 1990 . #17225 Geographic Society, 1990. ken. Trans-Anglo Books, 1990. bound) : $34.95 . (paper): $16.95 . #18590 (hardbound) : $8.95. #11150 (hardbound) : $54.95.

PAGE EIGHTEEN Yosemite Association Cap. G Complete your outdoor Next Step in wardrobe with this trendy item from the Association collection! Master Plan It's the perfect hat for a hot, sunny day in the great outdoors—mesh Implementation fabric to keep a cool head, a gener- ous bill to shade your face, and ad- Park Service Director James justable strap in the back to insure Ridenour, at a news conference a good fit for everyone. All of this Yosemite in Yosemite in early August, plus the Yosemite Association announced that he is requesting patch to let everyone know what your favorite organization is! Association some $40 million for the construc- Brown with white accent. tion of a new maintenance and #1600, $6 .00. ers on the straps . This allows com- useful forms. Help announce your warehouse complex in El Portal fortable positioning on your affiliation with our organization so that those operations can be '< Pelican Pouch, Wilderness Belt belt—even between belt loops; no to others by purchasing and using relocated from the park. Such \Bag. The Pelican Pouch is not need to take your belt off first. The Yosemite Association patches and only perfect for carrying field material is high quality Cordura decals . Patch #1635, $1 .50; Decal an effort could result in the re- guides, but also offers instant pack cloth with a waterproof coa - #1636, $1 .00. moval of 20 buildings from Yo- access to all the small items that ing on one side . Beige with the semite Valley. are usually buried in your pack— dark brown and white Yosemite Yosemite Enamel Pin . Designed If funding is received, construc- pocket camera, lenses, maps, or Association patch, the Pelican especially for the Association, your favorite trail mix! The Pouch ' tion could begin in 1992 and be Pouch measures 8 x 5 x 2½ our enamled metal pin is a work phased over five years, ending in is designed with front snap fasten- inches. #1690, $11 .95. of art. Each of the 10 different glazes is hand placed and sep- 1996. The existing maintenance Yosemite Association Decals arately fired. The result, from building (known by locals as "Fort L and Patches. Our association William Spear Design, is an eye- Yosemite") would be converted logo, depicting Half Dome is of- catching and colorful piece . The fered to our members in these two for use as a multi-purpose facility, metal enamel pins are relief to house interpretation and law engraved in ax 2" size. enforcement, among others. #1695, $11 .95. Ridenour estimated that the project and relocation would ena- ble the movement of most of the 350 NPS vehicles to El Portal along with 88 jobs. Key to the success of the pro- posal is funding. Ridenour 's initial request will be for $16 million, and he has made the mainte------nance/warehouse complex one Credit card orders call: of the Service's top priorities for Order Form Photo Book the coming years. (209) 379 2648 Monday-Friday, 8 :30am-4 :30pm Due Soon During the press conference, Price Ridenour alluded to the fact that Item # Qty. Size Description Each Total A beautiful new all-color comments to last year 's General photographic book about Management Plan Examination 1 people in Yosemite by Sacra- Report showed that 54% of the public still favors implementation 2 mento Bee photographer Jay Mather will be available for sale of the original 1980 Master Plan as 3 by the end of September. Entitled it was written. He characterized Yosemite —A Landscape ofLife, the the construction project as one of 4 book is a joint publication of the the key elements of that plan. Yosemite Association and the Sac- 5 ramento Bee. Mather is a talented artist who Comparing 6 has won a number of photo- journalism awards including a Yosemite and 7 Pulitzer Prize . Jay's fellow Bee Yellowstone Fires 8 employee, Dale Maharidge, pre- pared the text for the book which Many have wondered about 9 portrays the reality of man's pres- size comparisons that can be Subtotal: ence in the park . Maharidge re- made between the Yellowstone ceived a Pulitzer Prize for Less 15% Member's Discount: fires of 1988 and the Yosemite jouralism in 1990. fires of last month . Despite the Subtotal A: Yosemite —A Landscape of Life, high level of news coverage, the 6% Sales Mx (CA customers only) a paperback, is filled with numer- Yosemite fires did not come close Shipping charge 52 .00 ous full-color photographs . Its for- to reaching the magnitude of mat is 9 inches by 12 inches, and those in Yellowstone, either in Total enclosed it's 120 pages long . Retail price is total acreage or in percentage of Ordered by: $14.95. Members interested in park area. More than a third of Name: purchasing this fine and unusual Yellowstone 's 2.2 million acres Address: new publication should use the were burned, while barely 2% of City : State: Zip: catalog order form and request Yosemite's acreage (slightly more the book by title . that 24,000 acres) were involved. Membership Number: Yosemite Association, P.O. Box 230, El Portal, CA 95318 YOSEMITE ASSOCIATION, SUMMER 1990 PAGE NINETEEN Carol Krajcar, Bev Krassner-Bulas, Hal & Gayle Buckholz, Carole A Cal- About 1 his Issue New Members Anthony Kussavage, Todd & Robyn kins, Cathy Carso, Jams L Carter, Continued from page .q Lambarew, LeAnn Lambert, Neuritsa Chris & Elaine Cheney, Linda Cole, We would like to welcome to the Lancaster, Joan Lang, Donna A Lerner, Jeffrey Cowan, Barbara Cox, Renee Stephen K Leslie, Roy & Elizabeth Daniels, Dr & Mrs Stanley Dugan, Yosemite Association the follow- Levi, Mirin Lew, R Boehm & J Liga- Heidi Eifler, Jeff Frentzen, Sheila This special edition of the jour- ing fine persons who became mari, David M Locks, Bill & Barbara Giovan, Wm & Marian Harper, Lyn nal includes a variety of articles members within the past three Lohuis, Lynn Lonzo, Howell C Lowe, & Jim Kemp, Kimi Kodani, Jean La- Debbie & Tom Luehmann, Virginia A clerque, N P Luginbill, Daniel McGill, devoted to different aspects of months. Your support is greatly appreciated. Lyon, Elva MacDonald, Nancy C Macky Miller, Cathy Monahan, James Yosemite's history, both recent MacDonald, Terry L Mah, Charles B Murphy, William & Kathleen and not so recent. An article about Malone, Mary Beth Marks, Lynda Pennington, Mark & Eileen Preston, the Southern Sierra Miwok ap- Diane Marpole, Maribeth Marshall, John & Loreen Schulein, Evelyn M pears, among other reasons, to re- Donna Matthies, Alison Mayhew, E Sund, Linda L Swope, The Tabacco Regular Members Beatrice McBride, Don McCarthy, Family, Elizabeth E Waldow, Norma mind us that Yosemite 's history Tim McCarthy, Lynda & Jim McClan- & Piers Wiezel, Donna Wyman, did not begin in the 1800s. Native Janet Adams, Frances Ades, Evan ahan, Kathleen McGough, Bob Katherine Zimmerman Americans frequented the park for Adkins, Rebecca Ornelas Alarcon, McGowan Jr, Robert A McGuire Jr, thousands of years before Euro- Sherry Lynn & Scott McKee, Bar- Mrs A W Allen, D Hawkins & L Contributing Members Americans came on the scene. Allouise, Susan J Anderson, Dr Herb bara McKinstry, John P McNamara, The piece on Yosemite pioneer Andrews, Bryan & Liza Apper, Don Dolores Meek, Joseph & Susan Mee- & Jackie Appleton, Catherine & SJ han, Helen C Mercier, Mr & Mrs Jeff Abe, Maggie & Bill Blackburn, William Penn Abrams is full of Mark Merin, Barbara Miles, William David Bottjer, Robin Chase, Daniel J information which only recently Armstrong, Margaret Aron, Mrs Joan Ashton, Frances 0 Aurich, Bonnie G Moles, David H Montross, Douglas Considine, Julie Drogin, Mary Ann became available . And the re- Badenoch, Erika Baker, David & Judy Morasci, Stan Moriya, Carol Froley, Sally Gurull, Fred D Holmes, miniscence about the Yosemite Baldwin, Lee Bardwell, Bruce & Morrison, Sherry Moyle, Lucie V Dr & Mrs Henry Kao, William E Kee- Field School allows us a glimpse Marian Batten, Brendan J Bausback, Mueller, Alma G Munro, IB & Valinda gan, Paul N Kirk, J William Kohl, Dr Mussa, William Neill, Raymond F Detlev & Ann Lange, Charles & Janice into the fairly recent past and an Augusta & George Bell, James & Pat Martin, Beverly L McEwan, John & Blackburn, Bob Blohm, David J Nesbitt, Mike Nesel, Moira Neuter- opportunity to reflect on the man, Andy Nielsen, Barbara C Ode- Marsha Mekisich, John R Myers, evolution of park interpretation Boiano, Lennea Borg, Barbara Born, Christine D Boyce, Richard & Julie gaard, Leonard Oppenheim, Frank & Levon & Maio Nishkian, Stan & and management. Brady, Jerome Brandmueller, Eliza- Ann Orme, Christl On, Thomas J Cathy Postar, The Redwoods, W Also in this issue, we are beth Braun, Patti J Browder, Dorothy Osborne, Jay Osterweil, Linda M David & Eliana Schultz, Sally Shackel, proud to announce the publica- Brownold, Mr & Mrs David Brubaker, Parker, Marvin Pierce, Sheri Pierson, Mr & Mrs Donald Shewfelt, Adrian Richard Burdick, Carolyn & Bob Andrew Pirlo, Steve & Patty Pittman, Starre, Patricia Sullivan, J Kohr & tion of the Yosemite Association's Gerald Podlesak, Steve Pondracz, R L Tallman, Chris Tebo, Raymond & handsome new centennial book Calhoon, Glenn Campbell, John Cap- pello, Robert Carloni, Cristina Car- Bruce Popplewell, Cassandra J Powell, Cynthia Twisselman, Loren Vander- entitled Yosemite As We Saw It by reon, Janis & Marty Cassel, Russell Della Pratt, PeggyW Price, Terri Pugh, beek, Edith VanHuss, Marnie & David Robertson assisted by Cheney, David & Chor-Jee Chow, David M Rankin, Christopher N David Yzbick Henry Berrey. The volume is one Steve Churchman, Kay Clark, Ger- Reichow, Carol Reindel, Jim Reske, Ann Rhodes, Quentin H Rink, Robbie of the finestYA has ever produc- trude & Gerald Clawson, John Coad, Centennial Members Lisa D Cochran, Robert Colvin, Robertson, Dr Georgiana Robiger, ed, and is meant to commemo- Paul & Loretta Rodgers, Mrs Judith L rate this significant event in Lynne & Thomas Cooper, Saul Cooper, William & Arlene Creitz, Roof, Ellen Rosenau, Debbie Royall, Loretta Alley, Dawn Arthur, Jess & Yosemite's history: Judy Curry, Craig Dale, David & Phil & DeeDee Sary, Paul Schmidt, Rose Barrios, Erma M Bowen, Lynn We wish Yosemite National Susan Dana, Mary Emma Dean, Sam Everett & Jane Schreiber, Natalie C M Boyd, Charles C Brooks, Ginny Park a happy 100th birthday, and Deus, Michael Dodds, H Nguyen & Schwartz, The Scott Family, Steph- Cannon, Marilyn Canty, M Castle, M Donahoe, James M Duff, Ann S anie Seach, Arlyn Sharpe, Mr & Mrs Jack Chin, Bill & Diane Currie, John encourage all of the Yosemite As- Harry Sherinian, Michael & Natalie A Donaldson, Nick Duimovich, Rich- sociation's members and friends Duffy, Janine DuFour, Michael Durant, Barbara Dye, Bruce Edmund- Sherrick, John Sidler, Dr G N Siper- ard & Rhoda Goldman, Dr & Mrs to share in the celebration! son, Dale & Pat Edwards, Nick stein, John & Jacquelyn Skelley, Ronald Greene, Dennis Hall, Robert Randy Smith, Anne C Spencer, Rev & Megan Hamilton, Natalie & Walter Other Yosemite Centennials Edwards, Christopher & Iola Eley, Twila Elliot, Eleanor Elliott, Bill Emer- Michael J Spillane, Gerald T Spollen, Hertzman, Richard Hicks, Mr & Mrs son, L A English, Louis M Epperson, Janet Stonge, Ken & Pat Stackhouse, Robert Houser, Randall Johnson, Mr 1833-1933. The 100th anni- Jane & Frank Fedorczyk, William Fee, L Cvikel & J Stapler, C J Stark, Connie & Mrs M J Kellermann, Jane R Lurie, versary of the first sighting of Susannah Ferson, Steve Fetterhoff, & Randy Stout, Barry & Yvonne Stre- Gordon & Betty MacGruder, Mary Yosemite Valley by the Joseph Therese Ann Flood, Carlo & Ruth jcek, Katherine Sullivan, Suzanne Ann Maxwell, Jerry & Susan Oliaro, Flores, Dr & Mrs Wm 'Follette, Svendsen, Susan Swanson, Lewis Ken Platt, Joseph Edward Weigand, Walker party. Sydenstricker, Benedict & Therese Gordon Zlot 1851-1951. The centennial of Michael P Fontana, Jean Ford, Dao Foster, Michael Fox, Susannah Free- Tagliamonti, Kathy Tellin, Jan the Mariposa Battalion's entry Thomas, Mr & Mrs Walter Tingley man, Norma Fritsche, Troy & Susan Life Members into Yosemite Valley; their's was Frye,Tammi Gabrys, James J Gara- Jr, George AnnTrembour, Nancy Tuft, the first visit by Euro-Americans. gan, Mr & Mrs Dee Garrett, P J & Gary Turner, Carol D Unzicker, Wal- ter & Virginia Vater, John Wagner, Michael & Jacqueline Baugh, Dorothy 1864-1964 . The 100th anni- Kathy Gaughan, John C Giles, John & Freeman Gosden Jr, Mr & Mrs Gillespie, SusanT Ginger. Susan Carolyn Walker, Dan Warsinger, versary of the signing of the Wayne & Evelyn Watkins, Judy A James Hays, Richard K Long Yosemite Grant which set aside Gladstone, Joel & Julia Goldstein, Melissa Ann Grant, Myrna Green, Weaver, Steve & Judy Weldon, Ralph Yosemite Valley and the Mari- Werner, Christine M White, Thomas Mara & Karin, Jim & Mimi HaEft, Participating Members posa Grove of Big Trees to be pro- Dorothy Hamer, Jon D Hanson, White, Ken Williams, Ed Wojlie- tected by the State of California . James Hare, Joyce Harris, Stephen chowski, Lynn Wollenweber, Ms Jean Wolslegel, Randolph Wong P Pironti & A Braslove, Larry & Claire Hartney, Barbara Haslinger, James & Ginesi, Steven J Sheppard Eleanor Haugh, Sarah Ann B Hay, MD, Candace Wood, David R Wood, Alan Hedge, Ruth Ann Heidelbach, Polly Wood, David A Young, James C Young, Louis & Shana Yuster, David & Mary Hickey, Kathryn Hieb, Foreign Members Bonnie & Eugene Hill, Susan Hillen- Alex Zielinski brand, Kenneth Hisel, R W Hooper, Supporting Members Maryann Emery, Philip Gosden, Wendy L Howell, Forrest Huff, Anne Steven & John Hearne, Eric Meisner, H Isbister, Jim Jarrett, Mary Jensen, Sheila Phillips, Laurence Prosser, Jonry Shirley Joe MD, Mark Raymond Peggy Allen, Colleen Alley, David Baker, Amy B Bartoloth, Ray & Lynn D Waghorn, Janine Wingate, Nigel Johnson, Paul Johnson, Robert R James Roberts Johnson, Steve & Karin Johnson, Dan Becker, Samuel P Bellino, Joseph Jonasen, William A Kelly, Mr & Mrs Berger Family, Mary Isabel Blanken- John Kennedy, Jaewook Kim, Jessie ship, Michael & Medsie Bolin, Dr Kitching, Susan Light & Ed Kovachy, Carolyn A Brown, Dr Melvin Brown,

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Join the Yosemite Member Benefits Special membership gifts as Yosemite As a member of the Yosemite follows: Association Association Association, you will enjoy the Supporting Members: A selection following benefits: Board of Trustees President of 8 handsome notecards (with Thomas J Shephard, Steven P Medley You can help support the work Yosemite, the Association bulle- envelopes) featuring beautiful of the Yosemite Association by Chairman tin, published on a quarterly photographs of Yosemite; William Alsup Sales becoming a member. Revenues basis; Beverly Barrick Patricia Wight, generated by the Association's Contributing Members: Full color Barbara DeWitt Manager activities are used to fund a vari- A 15% discount on all books, Carlo S Fowler Mary Vocelka, poster of Yosemite 's wildflowers Assistant ety of National Park Service pro- maps, posters, calendars and pub- Edward C Hardy by Walter Sydoriak; Richard Reitnauer grams in Yosemite lications stocked for sale by the Seminar . Not only does Lennie Roberts Coordinator Association; Sustaining Members : the Yosemite Association publish A colorful David Robertson Penny Otwelt and sell literature and maps, it A 10% discount on most of the enameled pin depicting a Yosem- Anne Schneider Heidi Noble, ite waterfall by William Spear, Jean Watt sponsors field seminars, the field seminars conducted by the PhyllisWeber Assistant park's Art Activity Center, and Association in Yosemite National Daniel Wolfus Bookkeeper/ the Ski Hut. Park; Life Member. Matted color photo- Leonard W McKenzie, Office Manager A critical element in the suc- graph by Howard Weamer of a 1VPS Representative Claire Haley The opportunity to participate cess of the Association is its mem- Yosemite scene; and Michael VFinley, in the annual Members ' NPS Representative Membership bership. Individuals and families Meeting Coordinators held in the park each fall, along Participating Life Member: Ansel Jeffery C Lapham, throughout the country have long Exoff'cio Gail Pyle with other Association activities; supported the Yosemite Associa- Adams Special Edition print, archi- Elvira Nishkian, Holly Warner 'Cr vally mounted. Ex officio tion through their dues and their A Yosemite Association decal; Richard C Otter, Secretary/Cashier personal commitments . Won 't and Membership dues are tax-deducti- Ex off/do Anne Steed you join us in our effort to make ble beyond the value of the bene- Consultant Yosemite an even better place? fits provided to the member. Henry Berrey ------Please enroll me in the Yosemite Association as a . . . Moving q Regular Member $20 .00 q Contributing Member E Life Member $50.00 $500 .00 If you are moving, or have q Supporting Member $35 .00 q Sustaining Member q Participating Life Member recently moved, don 't forget $100.00 $1,000.00 to notify us. You are a valued q Spouse add $5.00 q Foreign Member member of the Association, $35.Q0 and we'd like to keep in touch Name (please print): Phone Number: with you. Address : City: State/Zip: Enclosed is my check or money order for $ , or charge to my credit card Bankamericard/VISA : Number Expiration Date Yosetite is published quarterly for members of MasterCard : Number Expiration Date theYosemite Association, edited by Steven P Medley and designed by Jon Mail to: Goodchild/Triad. Copyright © 1990 Yosemite Association, Post Office Box 230, EI Portal, CA 95318 . 209/379-2646 Yosemite Association. Submission of manuscripts, photographs, and other For Office Use materials is welcomed. Paid: Card # Exp. Date: Gift: File: Comp: Printed on recycled paper ?71~<9 Digitized by Yosemite Online Library

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Dan Anderson