What Happened On October 1st?
On October 1, 1890, Congress formally created Yosemite National Park, safeguarding over 1,500 square miles of California wilderness. President Benjamin Harrison signed the bill into law, preserving Yosemite’s vast granite formations, ancient sequoia trees, and breathtaking valleys. This decision protected Yosemite’s landscape from the looming threats of logging, mining, and development.
John Muir, a dedicated naturalist, worked tirelessly to ensure Yosemite’s protection. He wrote extensively about the park’s beauty, inspiring both the public and lawmakers. Muir spent countless hours in the park, carefully studying its ecosystems and advocating for its preservation. His words deeply resonated with those who read them, pushing them to recognize the importance of safeguarding Yosemite from commercial exploitation. Muir’s personal connection to the park drove him to extreme lengths, including one occasion when he camped in a tree during a storm to experience the valley’s natural elements more closely.
The park’s new federal status put an immediate stop to the destructive practices that had threatened its wilderness. California had long struggled to manage Yosemite under the 1864 Yosemite Grant, which offered limited protection. When the federal government took over, it extended these protections to include surrounding wilderness areas that faced serious risks from commercial interests. Logging companies had already begun operations near the park’s borders, hoping to capitalize on Yosemite’s vast resources. The timely creation of the national park prevented further damage.
The announcement of Yosemite’s establishment caused a wide range of reactions. While conservationists applauded the decision, industries such as logging and mining faced disappointment. Lumber companies, which had long sought access to the sequoia trees in Mariposa Grove, had their ambitions halted. These ancient giants, some of which were over 2,000 years old, would have been lost to logging had Congress not acted swiftly. Even visitors to the park, eager to leave with souvenirs, had begun to damage the trees, taking bark or carving their names into the sequoias. Federal protection became essential to stop not just commercial harm but also prevent unintentional destruction by tourists.
Between 1891 and 1913, the U.S. Army managed Yosemite’s operations. Soldiers stationed at Camp Wawona patrolled the park to prevent illegal logging, grazing, and poaching. They also built some of Yosemite’s first roads and trails, which allowed visitors to explore the park without causing damage to its ecosystems. Many of the paths they built followed routes established by Indigenous peoples, incorporating a deep understanding of the land’s natural flow. The Army’s work allowed Yosemite to open its doors to the public while maintaining its wilderness integrity.
However, Yosemite’s designation as a national park also displaced the Ahwahneechee people, who had lived in the valley for centuries. Federal policies forced them to leave their ancestral lands, breaking their centuries-old connection to Yosemite. The Ahwahneechee had used controlled burns and sustainable practices to manage the valley’s ecosystem, ensuring the land remained balanced. Their removal, and the restriction of their traditional land management methods, ended their role as stewards of the valley. The government eventually relocated the remaining Ahwahneechee to nearby reservations.
In 1890, Yosemite’s remote regions remained difficult to access for most visitors. Adventurers who sought to reach landmarks like Half Dome or El Capitan faced rugged terrain without modern trails or guidance. Early visitors arrived by horse-drawn stagecoaches, often spending days on rough mountain roads to reach the valley. Once there, they had limited options for lodging and frequently camped in tents. It wasn’t until the early 20th century that Yosemite developed its first visitor accommodations, such as the Wawona Hotel, which opened in 1901 to cater to tourists.
Women played a vital role in Yosemite’s early exploration and conservation, although their contributions often went unrecognized. Jeanne Carr, a botanist and friend of John Muir, helped document the park’s diverse plant life and became a key advocate for its protection. Her writings brought attention to Yosemite’s unique ecosystems and strengthened the push to preserve the park. Carr’s research also uncovered plant species previously unknown to the scientific community, further demonstrating Yosemite’s biological importance.
Yosemite’s boundaries included Tuolumne Meadows, a critical area for California’s water supply. The meadows serve as the headwaters for the Tuolumne and Merced Rivers, which provide drinking water to millions of Californians. Early scientists studying the region recognized its significance, as protecting the meadow’s ecosystem ensured the health of these rivers. Today, water from Tuolumne Meadows flows into the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, providing vital resources to the San Francisco Bay Area.
In the years following Yosemite’s establishment, park officials faced the difficult task of restoring its meadows, which had suffered from overgrazing. Before federal protections, sheep herders regularly brought their flocks into the high meadows, causing severe damage to the vegetation. Conservationists described these sheep as “hoofed locusts” due to the devastation they caused, stripping the land bare. The U.S. Army enforced grazing bans and initiated a long process of rehabilitation. Though it took decades for the meadows to fully recover, the park’s efforts preserved these delicate ecosystems for future generations.
