Category: History

  • A Look Back at Yesteryears

    I really enjoy getting these old photos from readers about Yosemite. Rick Helin sent me this awesome photo of his grandfather and his great aunt in front of the Wawona Inn back in 1917. Read the story Rick sent along with it.

  • Inside the Yosemite Rangers Club (video)

    Inside the Yosemite Rangers Club (video)

    Most people come to Yosemite Valley to see the waterfalls and the granite peaks but there are some real historic gems that most visitors just pass by.

  • What are you going to do today?

    What are you going to do today?

    It was a blustery day in 1958 when after 45 days (non-consecutive) of climbing Warren Harding and his group of stalwarts did what many thought could not be done. He climbed the nose of El Capitan.

  • A Bygone Era: Yosemite in the 1940s (video)

    A Bygone Era: Yosemite in the 1940s (video)

    Here’s an interesting archive reel from the 1940s of Yosemite National Park. Oh…how different things were back then.

  • A Look Into the Past

    A Look Into the Past

    Exploring California’s past with the California Academy of Sciences Manzanita Image Project.

  • Get John Muir’s ‘The Yosemite’ FREE for the iPad

    If you couldn’t wait yesterday and ran out to get an iPad first thing when they went on sale then i have a special treat for you. You can get The Yosemite by John Muir or The Indians of Yosemite by Galen Clark free from iBooks. Simply download the iBooks app then go to the…

  • The Occupation of Mount Conness

    The other day I watched an episode of Huell Howser’s California’s Gold about the Conness Glacier on PBS. Unfortunately that video isn’t available anywhere on the internet but I did stumble across something REALLY interesting, a copy of Overland Monthly and Outwest Magazine detailing the 1890 occupation of Mt. Conness by the team of engineers…

  • Shaking, Rattling and Rolling

    Keeler, CA – Now pretty much a ghost town is once again shaking and rattling as a nearby fault has suddenly become active. Photo by Matthew High. In 1872 John Muir was awakened in his cabin by a rumble in the ground and the sound of rocks pouring from the walls of Yosemite Valley. He…

  • Lincoln Exhibit Coming to Oakhurst

    Oakhurst is a small town just outside Yosemite’s south entrance. Don’t let that fool you though. Oakhurst is special. Just how special? Oakhurst is one of only four cities in California and 40 in the nation picked to host an exhibit celebrating the life of Abraham Lincoln. Why Oakhurst? President Lincoln has a close tie…

  • Catch the Ken Burns Special Early in Yosemite

    If you’re a local or even happen to be in the park but want to tear yourself away from the beauty of Yosemite, the El Portal School will host a preview of The National Parks: America’s Best Idea by Ken Burns on Thursday, September 24, at 11 a.m. in the multi-purpose room. The public is…