June 1944

Vol. XXIII June, 1944 No. 6

THE MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF THE YOSEMITE NATURALIST DEPARTMENT AND THE YOSEMITE NATURAL HISTORY ASSOCIATION

A. Kittredge, Superintendent C. F. Brockman, Park Naturalist M. E. Beatty, Associate Park Naturalist

VOL. XXIII JUNE, 1944 NO. 6 ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICERS OF YOSEMITE

By C. Frank Brockman, Park Naturalist From the date of the establishment of the Yosemite Grant (comprising Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove) in 1864, this area has had a succession of administrative officers. Many of these men were influential figures in park history. The following material, compiled with the assistance of Frank Givens and M. E. Beatty, lists the names of the principal administrative officers from the time when this area was first placed in public ownership to the present day. The Yosemite Grant Frederick Law Olmsted Sept. 28, 1864-May 21, 1866 Galen Clark May 22, 1866-1879 James Mason Hutchings 1880-1884 E. Dennison 1885-1886 Mark L. McCord 1887-1888 Galen Clark 1889-1896 Miles Wallace 1897-October, 1899 John F. Stevens October, 1899-July, 1904 George Harlow July, 1904-Aug., 1906 All of the above, with the exception of Frederick Law Olmsted, were officially known as Guardian. In 1863 Senator Conness of California introduced a bill into Congress which provided that "the 'Cleft' or 'Gorge'... known as the Yo-Semite valley... shall be held for public use... the premises to be managed by the Governor of the State, with eight other Commissioners appointed by the Executive of California." The Mariposa Grove was also included in the same bill. It was passed by Congress in 1864 and signed by President Abraham Lincoln on June 30th of that year. The eight original Commissioners appointed by Governor F. F. Low in his proclamation of September 28, 1864 were Frederick Law Olmsted, Prof. D. Whitney, William Ashburner, I. W. Raymond, E. S. Holden, Alexander Deering, George W. Coulter, and Galen Clark. In his proclamation the Gov-

ernor stated that "All propositions for the improvement of the aforesaid tracts of land, or for leases, should be made to the Commissioners, through Fred Law Olmsted, Bear Valley, Mariposa County." On April 2, 1866, the California State Legislature formally accepted the grant made by Congress. in an act passed on the date mentioned. This act provided that none of the Commissioners should receive any compensation for the services as such and also gave them power to appoint a Guardian "either of their number or not... to perform such duties as they may prescribe, and to receive such compensation as they may fix, not to exceed five hundred dollars per annum." The Commissioners met and organized on May 21, 1866, and presumably, although no record of this act and its exact date seems to be available, appointed Galen Clark as Guardian for he was acting in that capacity shortly thereafter. Additional light is thrown upon the early administrative history of the Yosemite Grant in an article, "Governmental Preservation of Natural Scenery," written by Frederick Law Olmsted and dated March 8, 1890. Therein Mr. Olmsted states, "In the year 1864... I had the honor to be made chairman of the first Yosemite Commission, and in that capacity to take possession of the Valley for the State, to organize and direct the survey of it and to be the executive of various measures taken to guard the elements of its scenery from fires, trespassers and abuse. In the performance of these duties, I visited the Valley frequently, established a permanent camp in it and virtually acted as its superintendent." Since no guardian was appointed by the Commissioners until the date of their first meeting, or shortly thereafter, and since the statements of Governor Low and Frederick Law Olmsted himself clearly indicate the individual who was given the initial responsibility for this area, Mr. Olmsted is recognized as the first administrative officer of this area. In 1906 the areas included in the Yosemite Grant were re-ceded to the Federal Government and incorporated in Yosemite National Park (Est. Oct. 1, 1890). Military Superintendents of Yosemite National Park Officer in Charge— Unit— Entered on Duty or Period of Service Capt. A. E. Wood 4th Cavalry May 17, 1891 Capt. A. E. Wood 4th Cavalry...May 23, 1892 Capt. A. E. Wood 4th Cavalry May 29, 1893 Capt. G. H. G. Gale 4th Cavalry May 25, 1894 Capt. Alex Rodgers 4th Cavalry May 25, 1895 Lieut. Col. S. B. M. Young... 4th Cavalry May 19, 1896 Capt. Alex Rodgers 4th Cavalry May 22, 1897 W. Zevely Special Investigator June 17-Sept. 24, 1898

Capt. Jos. E. Caine Utah Volunteer Cav. Sept. 25, 1898-Jan. 1899 Lieut. W. H. McMasters 24th Reg. of Infantry Jan. 1899-June 18, 1899 Lieut. Wm. Forse 3rd Artillery June 19-Aug. 3, 1899 Capt. E. F. Wilcox 6th Cavalry Aug. 4-Oct. 28, 1899 Major L. H. Rucker 6th Cavalry June 3, 1900 Major L. A. Craig 15th Cavalry June 17, 1901 Major O. L. Hein. 3rd Cavalry June 26, 1902 Lieut. Col. Joseph Garrard 14th Cavalry May 7, 1903 Major John Bigelow, Jr 9th Cavalry May 23 Sept. 25, 1904 Capt. W. H. McCornack 9th Cavalry Sept. 26, 1904 Capt. H. C. Benson 4th Cavalry 1905 (Date of arrival unknown) Major H. C. Benson 14th Cavalry May 25, 1906 Major H. C. Benson 14th Cavalry May 3, 1907 Major H. C. Benson. 14th Cavalry April 28, 1908 Major Wm. T. Forsythe 6th Cavalry April 27, 1909 Major Wm. T. Forsythe 6th Cavalry April 15, 1910 Major Wm. T. Forsythe 6th Cavalry April 18, 1911 Major Wm. T. Forsythe. 1st Cavalry April 12, 1912 Major Wm. T. Littebrant. 1st Cavalry May 1, 1913 In connection with the period of military administration of Yosemite National Park special mention should also be made of Gabriel Sovulewski. Enlisting in the U. S. Army in 1888, six years after emigrating to America from his native Poland, he rose from the ranks and finally achieved the highest non-commissioned responsibility in the U. S. Army in existence at that time. In 1895 he came to Yosemite with Troop K, 4th Cavalry, and participated in local administrative affairs for a period of three years, following which his troop served in the Philippine Islands during the Spanish-American War. After being honorably discharged on Nov. 11, 1898, he returned to the United States. In 1901 he was employed as a civilian guide and packer in Yosemite National Park. In 1906 he again returned to Yosemite, being employed as Park Supervisor, and began a long period of uninterrupted service here which was terminated only by his retirement in 1936. From 1906 to 1914, each fall when the troops left the park, he was left in charge of the area during the winter. During the early years of civilian administration (1914-1916) he was also nominally in charge of the area during absence of the regularly designated Superintendent. Yosemite National Park, an area surrounding or adjacent to areas included in the Yosemite Grant, was established on October 1, 1890. Yellowstone and Sequoia National Parks had been previously established. General Grant National Park, now included in Kings Canyon National Park,

was established on the same day as Yosemite. However, since no provision had been made for a special bureau, such as the present National Park Service, whose concern would be primarily that of the protection and administration of the national parks, the U. S. Army was called upon to handle the job. Thus, troops were stationed in Yosemite National Park for a period of 23 years. Generally speaking, they arrived in the park in the spring and left the area in the fall. Until 1906, when Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove were receded to the Federal Government, headquarters for the troops were at Camp A. E. Wood, near Wawona. In 1906 headquarters were moved to the Valley. The various officers in charge during the period of military administration were designated as Acting Superintendents. Civilian Administration of Yosemite National Park Mark Daniels (1) July 11, 1914-May 25, 1915 George V. Bell June 1, 1915-Nov. 15, 1915 Mark Daniels (1) Nov. 16, 1915-Dec. 9, 1915 Gabriel Sovulewski (2) Dec. 10, 1915-March 3, 1916 W. B. Lewis (3) March 4, 1916-July 4, 1928 E. P. Leavitt (4) July 5, 1928-Feb. 15, 1929 Charles Goff Thomson Feb. 16, 1929-March 22, 1937 John B. Wosky (5) March 23, 1937-June 2, 1937 Lawrence C. Merriam June 3, 1937-July 30, 1941 Frank A. Kittredge Aug. 1, 1941 Still serving The final departure of troops from Yosemite National Park in 1914 prompted the initiation of a civilian administration. However, it was not until 1916, when the National Park Service was established, that present policies of administrative procedure were introduced into Yosemite. Civilian administrative officers, together with periods of service, are listed above. Unless otherwise noted each was designated as Superintendent. (1) Acting Superintendent; also General Superintendent and Landscape Engineer of the National Parks. (2) Supervisor; designated by Stephen T. Mather, Director of the National Park Service, as in charge of the park until the appointment of an officially designated Superintendent.. (3) From March 4, 1916 until Oct. 31, 1917, Mr. Lewis' title was Supervisor. This was later changed to Superintendent. Mr. Lewis was thus the first officially designated Superintendent under National Park Service administration. During an illness of Supt. Lewis in 1926. E. Demaray, then Assistant Director of the N. P. S., was assigned to Yosemite for a period of approximately six weeks in July and August to assist in administrative duties (4) On Sept. 3, 1927, W. B. Lewis left the park on extended leave following a severe

illness. Before leaving he designated the Assistant Superintendent, E. P. Leavitt, as Acting Superintendent. Mr. Lewis, however, retained his title as Superintendent until July 5, 1928, at which time he was appointed Assistant to the Director in Washington, D. C. Thus, although E. P. Leavitt actually undertook the principal administrative responsibility of the park following the departure of W. B. Lewis, he is not considered as Acting Superintendent until the formal separation of W. B. Lewis from that status. In addition, during the interim between the departure of W. B. Lewis and the arrival of Charles G. Thomson, Horace M. Albright—then Assistant Director (Field)— was assigned to Yosemite for a period of several months to assume certain duties as designated by the Director. Mr. Albright retained his title as noted during his assignment in Yosemite. Although E. P. Leavitt was nominally subject to his orders, since Albright was Leavitt's superior officer, he continued as Acting Superintendent in charge of current administrative affairs in the area during the period noted. (5) Designated Acting Superintendent by the Secretary of the Interior during the interim following the death of Charles Goff Thomson and the appointment of Lawrence C. Merriam.

REFERENCES

Farquhar, Francis P. Place Names of the High Sierra. San Francisco, Sierra Club 1926. 128 p. Foley, D. J. Yosemite Tourist. 1891-1910. Gross, I. W. Names of Administrative Officers in Charge of the National Parks and Dates of their Creation, 3-31-25 (mimeographed). 1925. Hutchings, James Mason. In the Heart of the Sierras. Oakland, Pacific Press Publishing House, 1886. 496, illustrated. Olmsted, Frederick Law. Governmental Preservation of Natural Scenery. Brookline, Mass., March 8, 1890. Russell, Carl P. One Hundred Years in Yosemite. Palo Alto, Stanford University Press, 1931. 242 p., illustrated. U. S. Department of the Interior. Reports of the Acting Superintendents of Yosemite National Park, 1891-1915. Washington, D. C., U. S. Government Printing Office. U. S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service. Annual Reports of the Director of the National Park Service, 1916 to date. Washington, D. C., U. S. Government Printing Office. Whitney, J. D. The Yosemite Book. (Published by authority of the California State Legislature.) N. Y., 1868. 133 p., illustrated, maps. Yosemite Natural History Assn. Yosemite Nature Notes, July 1922 to date. Yosemite Valley Commissioners. Biennial Reports of the Commission to Manage Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Big Tree Grove, 1867-1904. In addition to the above references, considerable use was made of original source material in museum historical files. Information gained through correspondence and conversations with a number of Yosemite residents, as well as with National Park Service employees who were formerly residents of this area, was also helpful.

ASSOCIATE PARK NATURALIST BEATTY TRANSFERRED

By C. Frank Brockman, Park Naturalist Associate Park Naturalist M. E. Beatty, who for the past 12 years has been an important member of the Yosemite Naturalist staff, will soon be established in Glacier National Park, Montana, where he will assume a similar position as Park Naturalist of that area. A graduate of Oregon State College (1924) in Mining Engineering and Geology, Ed entered the National Park Service in Yosemite on January 7, 1932, as Junior Park Naturalist. In succeeding years he was first promoted to Assistant Park Naturalist and later to Associate Park Naturalist. His present change in station is a further recognition of his ability and varied talents. During most of the 12 years in Yosemite he was responsible for making up the schedules of the naturalists and handled the assignments of the staff of seasonal naturalists. He was also an important cog in the activities of the Yosemite Natural History Association, serving as its business manager and being responsible for the arranging and printing of Yosemite

NATURE NOTES.

The Beattys have taken an interest in Yosemite community affairs. Ben, who completed high school this year, and Myrna, who enters the third grade next fall, have been respectively, active members of the local younger and young-younger set. Ethel's charm as a hostess and her skill in the culinary arts are well known. The Beattys will be missed, but all of their many friends wish them the best of luck and much success in their new home. Former students of the Yosemite School of Field Natural History will recall his part in that activity, since he not only assisted in geological instruction but also handled financial aspects of that project. He also assisted in the preparation of the geological exhibit in the Yosemite Museum and is the author of several special issues of Yosemite NATURE NOTES, notably "Bears of Yosemite" and "A Brief Story of the Geology of Yosemite Valley." In addition he is senior author of "Birds of Yosemite," "101 Wildflowers of Yosemite" and "Self-Guiding Routes Tour of Yosemite Valley."

NATURE NOTES AUTHORS IN THE SERVICE

Compared to the days before December 7, 1941, naturalist activities in Yosemite National Park are naturally greatly reduced. Our present staff numbers two year-round employees as contrasted to several years ago when our year-round staff numbered five with an additional number of twelve seasonal employees. In addition to other duties museum staff members contributed material for Yosemite Nature Notes. Likewise members of the Yosemite School of Field Natural History, itself a war casualty, prepared many articles of interest for publication. Today a great majority of our former staff, as well as most of the 1941 class of the Field School are in various branches of the armed forces scattered throughout the world. Nevertheless we are reminded of their activities each time we arrange and prepare current issues of Nature Notes for printing since it has been our practice to hold previously prepared material for later publication. Many of our former naturalists have managed to keep in close touch with Yosemite in spite of obstacles coincident with their military duties. Some, recalling interesting work or experiences here before the war, have managed to prepare material for use in NATURE NOTES evidence of the fact that they still retain pleasant memories of their activities in Yosemite. One of the outstanding contributions of this type was the recently published special issue of Yosemite Nature Notes, "Fishes of Yosemite National Park" by Willis Evans. Glancing over the issues of the past two years we note the names of Harry C. Parker, formerly Asst. Park Naturalist; Willis Evans, James R. Sweeney, and Reid Moran. The last three men were all members of the seasonal ranger-naturalist staff in 1941 and like Harry Parker, are now doing their bit with the Army. Several articles by Bob Prudhomme, our museum assistant during the summer of 1942, have also appeared in these pages since he left to take up his duties with the Navy. The

names of Richard Miller, Iver Madsen and William Bennett, all of the Navy, and J. Dan Webster and Herrold Asmussen of the Army have also appeared in "by-lines" on several articles published since America's entrance into hostilities. All of these men were members of the 1941 class of the Yosemite School of Field Natural History. Articles by men in other departments of the Yosemite organization have also been published. Readers may recall the name of Emil Ernst, formerly Park Forester and now in the Army, and R. N. McIntyre, formerly Park Ranger, now in the Navy. It is hoped that these men—as well as all others who have left Yosemite to enter the service of their country will return to this region at a not too distant date. (C.F.B.)

M. V. WALKER ASSIGNED TO YOSEMITE

Coincident with the transfer of M. E. Beatty to Glacier National Park, M. V. Walker of that area was assigned to Yosemite as Associate Park Naturalist. Mr. Walker, a native of Kansas, comes equipped with a broad scientific background as well as wide experience in the National Park Service. He is a graduate of Fort Hays Kansas State College (1927) and the University of Kansas. He received his M. A. from the latter institution in 1931, specializing in Vertebrate Paleontology and Historical Geology. After seven years as an instructor in the Kansas City Schools and Fort Hays Kansas State College he entered the National Park Service. Since 1933 he has served in the Petrified Forest National Monument, Zion, Crater Lake and Glacier National Parks.

NEW EXHIBIT IN MUSEUM

During the past winter the entire history room in the Park Museum was revised. The previous material was entirely removed and the cases redesigned to portray, in chronological order, the historical highlights of Yosemite National Park and adjacent related regions from 1833, when the Walker party first entered the area, to the present more modern era. A great many additional photographs and objects from our historical files and collections were added. Most noteworthy of these are an early photograph of James Mason Hutchings, taken about 1855, at the approximate time when he organized the first "tourist" visit to the Valley, the homemade hand level used by John Conway in the construction of many of the original trails in the Valley area, and one of the original iron spikes used by Anderson in making the first ascent of Half Dome in 1875. (C. F. B.)

Digitized by Yosemite Online Library Dan Anderson