November 1955

YOSEMITE NATURE NOTES VOLUME XXXIV NUMBER 11 NOVEMBER 1955

JOHN MUIR

The National Park Service is interested in building up the Yosemite Museum collections of historic photographs, diaries, and other objects pertinent to Yosemite. Any correspondence regarding donations should be addressed to the Park Naturalist, Yosemite National Park, California. The Yosemite Natural History Association has frequent calls for back issues of Yosemite Nature Notes from libraries and others interested in complete sets. Any issues from 1922 to 1950 will be gratefully received.

THE MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF THE YOSEMITE NATURALIST DIVISION AND THE YOSEMITE NATURAL HISTORY ASSOCIATION, INC.

John C. Preston, Superintendent D. E. McHenry, Park Naturalist D. H. Hubbard, Assoc. Park Naturalist W. W. Bryant, Asst. Park Naturalist W. C. Bullard, Junior Park Naturalist

VOL. XXXIV NOVEMBER 1955 NO. 11 ROOSEVELT AND MUIR - CONSERVATIONISTS

By Richard J. Hartesveldt, Ranger-naturalist In May 1903, Yosemite National Park was host to a little-known meeting between President Theodore Roosevelt and John Muir, the famous naturalist. This unusual meeting of two great conservationists had a strong influence upon the formulation in our government 's land and resources policy. It was during this great era of accomplishments that the term conservation came into its present meaning. The prelude to this meeting began a few years earlier when forests which had been set aside by Presidents Harrison and Cleveland were endangered by pressure from commercial interests who wanted the Congress to release them from Federal control. To John Muir, through his vivid writings, goes much of the credit for preventing the passage of such legislation. President McKinley devoted a large portion of his time to the management of the unpopular Spanish American War and too little attention was given to land and resource legislation. Through the political maneuvering of his opponents in New York, Governor Theodore Roosevelt was elevated to the vicepresidency in an effort to stem the rash of anti-monopolistic legislation he was proposing. Meanwhile, the opponents of Federally-owned forests were making headway. In a letter to his friend C. S. Sargent, a renowned tree expert, Muir wrote, "In the excitement and din of this confounded war, the silent trees stand a poor show for justice. " But things changed. On September 6, 1901, President McKinley was assassinated; on the same day Theodore Roosevelt was sworn in as President of the United States.

Few men have entered the office their Sierra campfires would probof President with more enthusiasm ably fill several volumes, since both than did Teddy Roosevelt. As an were prolific talkers. Although we outdoorsman, he had a wonderful shall never know all that transpired insight to problems of land manageon this memorial outing, there is ment, many of which were solved much evidence of the good which reduring his administration. He felt suited from it. John Muir was emthat "-- conservation of natural rephatic about the need for legislation sources is the fundamental probto prevent archeological ruins from lem." He continued, " Unless we being destroyed by ""pot hunters " solve that problem It will avail us and other collectors. The Petrified little to solve all others. " Seeing that Forest and the Grand Canyon were forests, grazing lands and waterforemost among specific areas mensheds were in danger of impoverishtioned. Perhaps it was at this time ment by exploiters, he and his able that the two conceived a workable forester, Gifford Pinchot, began plan which would vest the President steering the nation conservation-wise with the necessary power to set by tightening Federal control over apart as national monuments areas such lands. The President became deemed nationally significant. The interested in the conservation attipurpose was, of course, to save time tudes of John Muir by reading Muir's when areas were in immediate donenthusiastic writings. He indicated ger of invasion, and also to circumto the famed naturalist through Calvent opposition in Congress which ifornia Senator Chester Rowell that might prevent many such areas he desired to make a trip to Yosemite from being established. The legislafor the express purpose of "talking tion was enacted in 1906 and is conservation" with him. known today as the Antiquities Act. Muir must have been thrilled at Under various preemption acts, the prospects of a visit by the Presithe public could obtain land cheaply dent, although he did not so express or without actual cost. Intended to himself. After receiving a personal facilitate settlement of our new noletter from Roosevelt, we wrote to C. tion, these acts lent themselves beauS. Sargent postponing their sailing tifully to fraudulent practices. Muir date for Europe and the Orient, saytold the President of certain lumbering, "An influential man from Washing interests in California ' s redwood ington wants to make a trip into the forests which would engage sailors Sierra with me, and I might be able on incoming ships to file for the legal to do some forest good in freely amount of redwood forest land and talking around the campfire. " Some then immediately deed the land to forest good was putting it mildly! the company which paid them $50. Roosevelt arrived dressed for the for their trouble. This, and several business at hand in his rough huntother fraudulent practices which ing clothes. He and Muir left the were brought to Roosevelt's attention main party of dignitaries and slept accentuated his already determined on the ground at night, once in the opinion that action had to be taken snow, which delighted the President. as quickly as possible. (See "We'll Pitch Camp at BridalWith the President 's visit began a veil" by Ralph Anderson,

YOSEMITE

friendship with Muir that was carNATURE NOTES, Vol. XXX, May 1951, rigid on by mail though the years. pp 43.46,) The conversations around T,R, had doubtlessly had a "bully

President Roosevelt's saddle party riding down Yosemite Valley near the end of their Camping trip in the high country. The first night was spent near the Sunset Tree in the Mariposa Grove, the second camp was made near Sentinel Dome following a long hard day 's ride through snowdrifts and an afternoon fighting a raging blizzard. This photo was made on the third day, the skies still overcast. Left to right are Ranger Charles Leidig, John Muir, President Roosevelt and Ranger Archie Leonard. Following behind are a few of the hundreds of visitors who flocked to Yosemite in order to catch a glimpse of the popular President. Southern Pacific Railroad good time" camping in Yosemite. He natural resources, but the public wrote Muir years later that he caught the enthusiastic approach to wished that once again they could this real problem. It was through camp underneath the sequoias. such loyal support that he won En route to Washington the Presibattle after battle against an almost lent stopped in Sacramento and in violent opposition of moneyed coma speech, prevailed upon the citizens mercial interests. cf this state to do all in their power During his administration, which to use their forests and streams wiseended in March 1909, Mesa Verde, ly, to preserve the natural wealth. Platt, Wind cave and Crater Lake He ended, "We are not building were established as national parks. this country for a day. It is to last Having elected the areas to be esthrough the ages. " tablished as national monuments Back at the White House, Roosewhile on his outing in Yosemite, he velt attacked the many problems waited only for their boundary deswith renewed vigor. Not only his criptions before signing the proclaown staff was moved by his courmations which withdrew them from ageous attack on the misuse of our public entry. The establishment of

Grand Canyon as a park had long Here, in a time of plenty, he was been the subject of debate. As far calling the nation to look ahead and back as the Benjamin Harrison adplan wisely for the continuous use ministration efforts had been made of the rich resources. As a result of to establish it as a national park. this conference nearly every state Selfish interests suceeded in preventestablished a conservation commising it. Now, with the power to prosion. claim lands as monuments in the From this evolved the National public interest, Roosevelt in 1908 set Conservation Commission which caraside some 800,000 acres as Grand vied on its activities mainly on TR Canyon National Monument. Conspirit, since there was little or no gross later gave it a national park money for its operation. In 1909, status. Roosevelt initiated the North AmeriPark areas set aside during the can Conservation Conference, invitRoosevelt era included: Chaco Caning Canada, Newfoundland and yon, New Mexico; Devils Tower, Mexico to participate in a discussion Wyoming; El Morro, New Mexico; of common resource problems. A Gila Cliff Dwellings, New Mexico; world wide conference was proposed Jewel Cave, South Dakota; Monteand was to be held at the Hague, zuma Castle, Arizona; Muir Woods, Netherlands. However, it never maCalifornia; Natural Bridges, Utah; terialized because of a lesser interNavajo, Arizona; Pinnacles, Californest in conservation on the part of his ia; Tonto, Arizona; Petrified Forest, successor, William Howard Taft. Arizona; Tumacacori, Arizona, and Among his other great accomplishLassen Peak and Cinder Cone, Caliments was the formulation of the fornia (now Lassen Volcanic NationInland Waterways Commission al Park). which was instrumental in showing Conservation of our natural rethe close relationship between forsources became a major part of ests and water flow. Waterway deRoosevelt's activities. The monopolvelopment became a scientific and istic misuses of lands acquired from intelligent business for the first time. public domain largely came to an Mineral and oil lands were saved end. Land uses, some with great from exploitation. The division of resentment, were required to pay for Forestry under Gifford Pinchot was the privilege of that use. Even the greatly strengthened and 148 million enemies of this historic change had acres of forest land was given nato admit its benefit to the country at tional forest status. During the Rooslarge. The tide had turned. In May evelt administration 234 million 1908, the President called the Conacres of land were withdrawn from bronco of Governors at the White private entry, to be managed for the House. Governors of every state and benefit of the American people. territory, the Cabinet, the Supreme The amount that. John Muir influCourt justices and numerous senaenced Teddy Roosevelt's subsequent tors and representatives were invited courageous actions in behalf of the to discuss what TR considered to be public is as intangible as is the valthe greatest problem confronting the ue of Yosemite 's famous scenery. nation. He must have thought it of Few will deny that the value was utmost importance to have called great. The people of the United the governors away from their jobs States will long reap the benefits of all at once. The conference was a program which was strongly enunique and the President gained couraged around their campfires in world-wide prestige because of it. Yosemite National Park.

THE ORIGIN OF THE NATIONAL PARK IDEA IN AMERICA

A Condensation by Douglas H. Hubbard Associate Park Naturalist Part 2 " Henry Thoreau... wrote : was it supposed to 'raise wild cmi- 'Why should not we... have our mals.' With such objections on recnational preserves... in which the ord we may be rather sure that the bear and panther, and some even park idea did not originate in Conof the hunter race, may still exist, press. Curiously enough, even Fredand not be civilized off the face of erick Law Olmsted [this name is the earth... for Inspiration and our important] when he tried—to distrue re-creation? Or should we, like cover the origin of public parks in villains, grub them all up for poachthis country, had to give up in all 'frig on our own national domains? ' likelihood because he had been too " The romance of travel was being close to the problem all his life. He discovered by a steadily increasing said only that it did not seem to throng. Sarah J. Hale, the publisher come as a direct 'result of any of [ of Godey's Magazine, felt that 'circumthe great inventions or discoveries stances had almost inevitably deof the country, ' but that it probably signed us as a nation of travellers. ' had been ' a spontaneous movement ""But the West beyond the Rockies of that sort which we conveniently was not yet accessible to... leisurerefer to as the 'genius of civilizaf ly travel. We may conclude, howtion'... " ever, that the attitude toward nature To a limited degree there had been had changed enough since colonial public ` parks in this country since days to allow Americans to welcome the beginning of colonization. When easier access to the West when it Penn laid out the original plan of should come.. Philadelphia he assigned for public III. Origin of the Park Idea use a number of squares, the largest of which had measured ten acres. "Neither the poet 's love of nature These were to be graced with trees and the artist 's interest in its esthetic and not to be built over, except perqualities, nor improvements in transhelps with a few public buildings. transportation and the citizen 's demand Likewise there were 'commons ' such for recreational facilities need have as those in England in most of the M produced the scenic park. But if New England settlements... ' these forces did not produce it, did the park movement, then, originate "It seems a logical sequence that in Congress?... we should find that William Cullen "Even some years after the Yellow Bryant was the first to advocate a stone Act had been approved in public park in New York that would 1872, many in Congress expressed be on a scale which up to that time concern about this new 'asset. ' To had been unheard of... them it would have been better to "The proposal... [ for what was have sold the area as other public to become Central Park] was well lands had been sold. After all was accepted, and in 1851 the first act it not 'a very expensive luxury.' The was passed authorizing the acquisFederal Government was not supition of the necessary lands. The apposed to go into 'show business' nor pointment of Frederick Law Olmsted

as a superintendent of the project initiated a new era in the best possible way. After some years of fruitful work in establishing this park, Olmsted disagreed with Park authorities. He gave up his position in May 1863, and accepted another as superintendent of the mining estates of General Fremont, in Mariposa. In the light of Yosemite ' s later role, this shifting of Olmsted's position from New York to Mariposa must be regarded as a most fortunate coincidence. IV. The Idea Grows "Even after the first excitement over the California Gold Rush had died down, the East learned little about the beauty spots of the newly acquired territory of California. None but the hardiest traveler, and certainly no 'tourist ' would have been willing to stand the overland trek or either of the wearisome routes by sea. It is significant that one of the first big news stories to come out of California that was not concerned with gold was a show-business stunt. In 1852 the Calaveras Grove of Big Trees was discovered. The next year, two unscrupulous businessmen, George Gale and a companion, stripped one of the Big Trees, the 'Mother of the Forest, ' 315 feet in height and 61 feet in circumference, up to the height of 116 feet, and shipped the bark East for a show in some of the seaboard cities, and then at the Crystal Palace exhibition in Sydenham, London, in 1854... The show turned out to be unsuccessful since owing to the immensity of the circumference, nobody would believe that the bark had come from one tree, and finally, being branded as a humbug, the exhibition had to be ended.' While this was going on in London, the Frederick Law Olmsted widely read Gleason's Pictorial published a protest by a Californian to whom it seemed a 'cruel idea, a perfect desecration to cut down such a splendid tree... in Europe such a natural production would have been cherished and protected by law; but in this money-making-goahead community, thirty or forty thousand dollars are paid for it and the purchaser chops it down and ships it off for a shilling show. We hope that no one will conceive the idea of purchasing Niagara Falls for the same purpose... ' Another strong protest was raised in I857 by James Russell Lowell, who became editor of the Atlantic Monthly in the same year. His article on 'Humanity to Trees ' proposed to establish c; society for the prevention of cruelty to trees, since 'we are wanton in the destruction of trees as we are bar barous in our treatment of them... 'However trifling the incident may seem to us now, it aroused a

'great deal of sentiment in the East, ceded to the valley, was of broader and caused people to ponder their interest. Real recognition in the East duty of protecting nature against the came in 1856, when the Country Genvandalism of enterprising businesstleman published an article by the men. At the same time it undoubtCalifornia Christian Advocate which edly stimulated great interest in the declared the 'Yo-hem-i-ty' valley to wonders of California. be the most striking natural wonder "The great event in California on the Pacific ' and predicted that it discoveries, i.e. the opening up of would ultimately become a place of the Yosemite was publicized with great resort. Hutchings started his much less fanfare than the CatoCalifornia Magazine in the same year veras tree murder. The account in and gave Yosemite good publicity in the Daily Alta California about the it. In 1855 and 1856 a California piescenic wonders of the valley discovWeer artist, Thomas A. Ayres, made 'ered by the punitive expeditionary his first sketches at the valley; some force of 1851 against the 'Yosernitos ' of these were lithographed and Indians created no stir outside the spread widely over the East. With state. An article published in the such nation-wide publicity the fame j Mariposa Gazette of July 12, 1855, by of Yosemite was bound to grow James M. Hutchings, whose activiYear by year. ties from then on were to be dedi- (To be continued)

GIN FLAT

By Lloyd Brubaker, Ranger Naturalist A great number of Yosemite visiherds or flocks roamed the region tors each year pass a small sign before Yosemite became a park., just to the east of the Crane Flat These meadows became known as Ranger Station on the Tioga Road. flats, since most of the rest of the The sign says simply, "Gin Flat". No surrounding country was largely doubt a great many smiles are generated very steep and hilly. erated while speculating over some In the early days, prior to the of the possibilities of such an interearly 1880's, a man by the name of esting name. Conflicting stories, or Hugh Mundy held his summer headthe lack of stories, led me to investiquarters at Gin Flat, storing provisgate some of the early history of ions there for his sheepmen. In 1882 this charming meadow and its John Curtin established his cow tumble down cabins. camp at Gin Flat, patenting the land Scattered all through the High along about this time. His son, John Sierra are meadows, lush and green Barry Curtin (later a state senator) in the summer, covered with deep and a friend, Henry Bancroft, built snow in the winter. The cattle and the cabin that now stands in ruins sheepmen used these meadows as just off the old Big Oak Flat Road. pasture in the summers, and large They lived in the original cabin that

Curtin's Gin Flat cabin, in good condition in the early 1930 's, is now in ruins. was on the premises that has long gin fell from the wagon, unknown to since disappeared. the driver. A group of cowboys, Apparently there was much activ sheepmen, and road workers found ity around Gin Flat during the sumit and promptly had a celebration: honoring the occasion. They be men months when the Curtin Family came gloriously "ginned up" as c was there. The Curtin' s were well esult, the affair becoming well known and loved all through the renough known to establish the name Southern Mines and mountains. It for all times. has been mentioned that Governor Jim Budd often stopped at Gin Flat, A photograph, acquired by the also a number of hunters used the museum, labeled as Gin Flat, shows flat as a base camp, no doubt par the cabin, evidently prior to the 1901 taking of the Curtin 's fine hospitality. moving of the Tamarack Lodge In 1901, just prior to the time that the cabin since there is only one cabin railroad came into El Portal, the shown, and u large barn. This barn, Tamarack Lodge cabin was pur and some other structures, have chased by young John Curtin and since disappeared leaving us with moved to Gin Flat and attached to little evidence on the site itself. the 1882 cabin. These two cabins, Yosemite has many such flats. now in ruins, may be seen today at Many, no doubt, have interestin g Gin Flat. It was just a few years histories that have disappeared later that the Curtins moved from never to be uncovered again. Some the area, since cattle and sheep of them have a ruined cabin to give were banned from Yosemite National Park. mute testimony of one time activity. Many of these old sites make fascin ating study, with only a line or two As to the origin of the name Gin available here and there in widely Flat, Robert A. Curtin, a brother of scattered manuscripts. A feeling of John B. Curtin, states that when the personal kinship may be gained first freight teams came over the old with just a little knowledge of this Big Oak Flat road, presumably headhistory of the land, and thus a great ing for Yosemite Valley, a barrel of source of satisfaction.

El Capitan from old Coulterville Road. —Ralph Anderson