Early Trails of Yosemite

The early trails of Yosemite largely followed those of the Miwok and Paiute natives who traveled routes into Yosemite Valley and across the Sierra Nevada Mountains to trade. Early visitors finished their trip into the valley on horseback down the Pohono or Oak Flat trails. Sheep ranchers brought their flocks into Yosemite's high meadows from both the east and west following one of the branches of the Mono trail. And Army troopers assigned to protect the new Yosemite National Park ushered shepherds and their flocks out of the park (usually in opposite directions1) following and building on trails first traveled by Yosemite natives.

An Example to Get You Started -

In March, 1851 Major James Savage of the newly commissioned Mariposa Battalion led troops after natives who had raided several area mining camps, including three of Savage's trading posts. The company went west from Mariposa in the Sierra foothills to Wawona and then north in pursuit of the Indians. They entered Yosemite Valley on March 25, becoming the first Europeans to visit the valley itself. This first entry into Yosemite was followed two months later by another of Savage's units led by Capt. John Boling and then again in June, 1852 by U.S. infantry troops under the command of Lt. Tredwell Moore. Each of these expeditions of what became known as the Mariposa Indian Wars broadened awareness of the Yosemite region as you can see in the reports from the field.

Open MyWorld and load the Yosemite project file. Zoom in on the park () and make sure that the following layers are displayed ():

Mariposa Indian Wars
Places
Place Names

The measurement tool () allows you to determine distances in miles along any path on the map. Click to select the this tool. Click the cross hairs on Mariposa and then click at intervals along the route that Major Savage followed into Yosemite Valley. Double click at the end of the route. The approximate distance is given at the bottom of the screen:

The entry of Major Savage's group into Yosemite Valley was recorded by the company's doctor, Lafayette H. Bunnell. The doctor described the company's descent into Yosemite Valley down the Pohono Trail, opposite El Capitan. Use the link tool () and open the link on Savage's route to view a Thomas Hill painting of the sight that Dr. Bunnell described.

For another view of this rugged descent zoom in further () and examine the topographic map with the battalion's route overlaid. You can see the 4000 foot mark at the bottom of the valley. The intervals between the major, darker, contour lines is 500 feet. It is 100 feet between each of the lighter lines. Counting up from the bottom to the level of Ft. Monroe you can see that the ride to the bottom of the valley involved an approximate 2400 feet change in elevation. A check of the distance shows the ride to be about 4.5 miles down the switchbacks and more gently along the contours to the river below.
First Sierra Crossing Reports from the Mariposa Indian Wars Early Tourist Route Calvary Routes

To Start You Thinking -

Imagine that you were part of the first company of Europeans to descend into Yosemite Valley. Use the various map tools and photos introduced above and write your own short narrative of your group's discovery.

You are ready now for the Yosemite’s Early Trails worksheet. Enjoy your trip.

1H. Duane Hampton, How the Calvary Saved Our National Parks, Bloomington, Indiana: University of Indiana Press, 1971.

Last modified in July, 2008 by Rick Thomas