THE MADDEN HOUSE

Welcome to Yosemite

AHWAHNEE the local Native Americans. Some tribes violently INTO THE WILDERNESS Before it was Yosemite, the area protested the move and the The park is 747, 956 was originally known as battalion responded in force acres, almost 1,169 Ahwahnee, named after the square miles, with 95% to remove them from the land. Ahwahnee Indian tribe who of the park being The battalion who entered the designated as settled in that area. valley made record of their wilderness. Ahwanee translates to “big breathtaking surroundings. As mouth” in english, referring to word of the park’s natural BEAUTIFUL WATERFALLS the , with its beauty spread, tourists began Yosemite is home to 21 expansive views of the tall arrive. The park is named in waterfalls, with some mountains on both sides of honor of one of the area only existing during tribes, the Yosemite. peak seasons of the valley. In the 1800s, the gold rush made the area a snowmelt. The Ahwahnee tribe is an popular destination. The important piece of Yosemite LUSH VEGETATION sudden increase in people history. As you wandered the flooding into the area for the The national park has park, did you see any five vegetation zones; gold rush bred tensions with references to this tribe? Did chaparral, lower the Ahwahnee, who did not montane forrest, upper you learn anything new about want to share their land. With montane forest, them? subalpine, and alpine. increased government interest in the area, the Mariposa ______Battalion was sent to relocate ______

Yosemite | www.themaddenhouse.com | Page 1 THE YOSEMITE GRANT As a means of early protection of the area, a The protections given to the area by the Yosemite Grant were given to California to bill was passed in 1864 by oversee on the state level and managed by a President Abraham Lincoln government commission. which became known as The commission, however, did not have the the Yosemite Grant. power to evict settlers who had been living in the area prior to its protection. To have them removed would require the commission to go before the Supreme Court. This bill was the first time that land was set aside as a park for preservation. This set the precedent that led to the 1872 creation of America’s first National Park, Yellowstone, which is also widely considered the first National Park in the world. This was accomplished through “The Act of Dedication” law, signed by Ulysses S. Grant. When Yellowstone gained National Park status, it was removed from an auction of land for settlers to homestead, protecting this area. Recognizing the importance of protecting Yellowstone, the US government moved to protect other natural wonders. Sequoia, and Yosemite National Parks were both created the same year, within months of each other. These preventative measures have since been given to a total of 60 protected areas around the United States.

Without designating these areas as national parks, ensuring their protection, what do you think might have happened or could happen to them?

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Yosemite | www.themaddenhouse.com | Page 2 THE DEAD GIANT

The Wawona Tree is not the only tunneled tree in Yosemite National Park. Located in Toulumne Grove, the Dead Giant was the first tree to have a tunnel carved into it in the 1870s as a means to attract tourists to the park from .

WHERE THE GREAT TREES GROW and estimated to be around 2,300 years old. In 1881, a tunnel was cut through the base The , with 200 trees, the of the tree, becoming a photo attraction for Tuolumne Grove, with 25 trees and the tourists. Unfortunately, the tree fell in 1969 Merced Grove with 20 trees are home to under a large load of snow. Yosemite’s giant sequoias. Did you visit any of the tunneled trees at These trees grow larger by volume than any Yosemite? Given the lack of modern cutting other tree and were some of the park’s equipment in the 1800’s, how long do you earliest attractions. The Wawona Tree, also think it took to carve the tunnels into these known as the Tunnel Tree, was a famous tree massive trees? that could be found in the Mariposa Grove. It ______was 227 feet tall, 90 feet in circumference,

Yosemite | www.themaddenhouse.com | Page 3 SURROUNDED BY NATURE’S Horsetail Fall is a seasonal waterfall WONDERS that flows from the east side of El The main attractions of Yosemite National Capitan. In February, Horsetail Fall park can be found in about 5% of the park puts on an incredible light show, and are easily accessible by car. glowing orange and red, as the

El Capitan is a 3,000 foot tall granite setting sun illuminates the monolith that is a favorite amongst both waterfall. This spectacular hikers and mountain climbers. is phenomenon is called “Firefall”. an incredible sight to behold and is visible from the most popular overlook, Tunnel View. This unique viewpoint delivers spectacular views of the monolith, as well as and . Half Dome is named for its distinctive shape, with three sides being smooth and round, while the fourth side is a sheer rock face. Half Dome is an extremely popular hike that makes use of cable bridges to reach the top. There are numerous seasonal and non-seasonal waterfalls in Yosemite. Bridalveil Fall is one of Yosemite’s biggest crowd-pleasers, being visible from Tunnel View. Another waterfall of note in Yosemite is Ribbon Fall; a flow that comes off the western face of El Capitan. This fall is the longest single-drop waterfall in North America with the total height of 1,634 feet, ranking it as the 99th tallest waterfall in the world!

Did you see any of these viewpoints or attractions during your trip? Which was your favorite and why?

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Yosemite | www.themaddenhouse.com | Page 4