April 1977

YOSEMITE APRIL, 1977 VOLUME FORTY SIX, NUMBER 1

Published for members of Yosemite Natural History Association The 1977 Annual Meeting, Members Activities We seem to have our ducks pretty well in a row so far as future member activities are concerned, and we report the following. YNHA Board of Trustees voted recently that the 2nd annual members' meeting will be held at Tuolumne Meadows September 10 and ll. Plans for functions and activities are being put together now. We have reserved tent cabins at the Tuolumne Meadows Lodge for the nights of September 9, 10, and ll. On the basis of attendance at last year's meeting, we have set aside 30 tents for September 9th, 45 for September 10th, and 25 for September 11th. If you're not familiar with them, we can assure you that they're tidy, snug, well-blanketed, and well-heated (wood stove). Yosemite Park and Curry Company reservation office says to direct your reservation request to Mr. Fred Exzabe on the their enclosed form. Next, we've talked with bus people at Greyhound and to the Yosemite Transportation System, seeking costs, etc., for providing transportation to Tuolumne from the Los Angeles and San Francisco areas. Buses would leave each city early on Friday for Tuolumne, and s ould depart from Tuolumne Sunday afternoon about 4 p.m. YNHA will charter the buses at a fixed rate. If each bus is filled (40 passengers each) the round trip per person fare from the San Francisco area would be about $20 from the Los Angeles area, about $27. At this point, we anticipate contracting for one 40 passenger bus for San Francisco people and one for Los Angeles. If we fill these, and there are 40 still wishing bus transportation, we'll engage an additional bus. But, we can't run a second bus for, say 10 people as the bus costs a fixed amount, regardless of the number of passengers. So, there you have it. We hope you'll plan to attend the meeting. Please make your Tuolumne Lodge arrangements with Yosemite Park and Curry Company's Mr. Exzabe. If you want bus transportation let us know as soon as possible; we'll let the bus passengers know the exact departure times and locations. Members Outings — We have three tine outings scheduled for June, July, and August. The first, to the Ostrander Lake Ski Hut will be on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, June 24, 25, and 26. Warren White, an excellent naturalist, will lead the party. We are fortunate to find Warren available. Ostrander is ordinarily used as a ski touring hut but we have secured it for our summer trip. It lies on the shores of Ostrander Lake, about 7 miles by trail from the Glacier Point Road; there is an elevation gain of about 1600'. The route will pass through mixed conifer forests — red fir and

lodgepole — trailside flowers and bird life should be abundant. Opposite the Hut, Horse Ridge rises about 800'. We will ascend it, via an easy route, and from the top will have views of the Park's eastern ranges — Clark Range, etc. and Mt. Conness to the north. A sunset spent on Horse Ridge is a memorable experience. Also of interest are the glacial tarns, of which there are several; these indicate fairly recent glacial action. In addition to the specifics — geology, botany, animal life, the general ecology of the area will be studied. The cost for the trip is $25.00 which includes the use of the but (bunk beds) and all meals and trail lunches commencing with dinner Friday evening through lunch Sunday. Participants need pack only their sleeping bags and personal necessities. The party will be limited to 20. If you wish to participate, please let us know soon. BOB FRY ON SUMMER STAFF — YNHA is fortunate to have secured the services of Bob Fry as our summer seminar coordinator. Members who have participated in his botany or his ethnobotany seminars are aware of his great capabilities. Bob has had 17 years experience as a park naturalist. In addition to shepherding the seminar program in the field, he will instruct courses in Subalpine botany, Ethnobotany of Western Sierra Indians, Interpretive Techniques and Natural History for the Backpacker. Despite the commitment to the seminar program, Bob has agreed to lead two members trips; these are described under Members Outings. Summer Outings with Bob Fry: The Pohono Trail — When we asked Bob on which Park trail he'd most like to lead a members' overnight hike he responded the Pohono Trail' — then went on to sketch his reasons. There are delightful wet meadows, with many wildflowers, sand meadows which make welcome interruptions. There are several distinctly different varieties of granite along the route, the unusual fissures, Dewey, Crocker, and Stanford Points. We may be able to discern traces of the Mann Brothers' trail, the first into the Valley, built in 1857. The final grand vista will be of the Valley from the point where the Mariposa Battalion first viewed it in 1851. Oddly, the Pohono Trail is one of the less used trails along the Valley Rim. It is ll miles long, mainly downhill and, being on the south side of the Valley and in forests of fir and pine, cool even in mid-summer. Bob worked many summers as a naturalist along the south rim of the Valley and knows it well. His trip will be an outstanding one. This trip is planned for July 23-24; it will be limited to the first 15 members requesting a place. The cost will be $10.00 per person. We will supply details to participants. Incidentally, Dana Morgenson has a delightful description of the Pohono Trail in his Yosemite Wildflower Trails. Tioga Pass, Granite Lakes, Skelton Lakes, Tuolumne — In August, the 19th, 20th, and 21st, Bob will lead a second trip; this one out of Tuolumne Meadows. It will be a three day trip, with two nights on the trail. The starting point will be the Tioga Pass Ranger Station and the first night will be at upper Granite Lake after an exploration of the Granite Lake Basin. For those who have not seen the area, it is at about ll,000', alpine in character, severe, though protected. Nearby are vestiges of several old mine-workings, remnants of the 90's. Day two will be mainly crosscountry travel, in a north-westerly direction roughly following the ll,000' contour, coming out at the head of the Skelton Lakes Basin. The second night's camp will be at the largest and most southern of the three Skeltons. On the return leg (to Tuolumne) the route follows Delaney Creek to the Dog Lake Trail, then past Lembert Dome to the Tioga Pass Road.

The total mileage is about 19; from the start, the route will be mainly level or descending, from ll,000 to 9,000. The varieties of plant life and geology will be abundant. This trip, too, is limited to 15; the charge is $15.00 per person. Bob Fry's knowledge of these areas of the Park is extensive and his ability to transmit it in the finest detail is remarkable. We know that members will enjoy a deeply rewarding experience on either of Bob's trips. FIVE-CENT DEPOSIT — According to a newsletter published by the principal park concessioner, Yosemite Park and Curry Company, their eight month program of charging a five-cent refundable deposit on all soft drink and beer containers has been highly successful. The program, which was started as a test for the Environmental Protection Agency, showed a return rate of 72% and aided in the recycling outside the Park of 259 tons of solid waste material. The Yosemite program is now serving as a model for similar efforts in other national parks and at other federal agencies. The National Park Service in Yosemite also recycles solid waste materials. NATURE NOTES RIDES AGAIN — Yosemite Nature Notes, as every seasoned YNHA member knows, was published monthly between 1922 and 1961. Costs finally drove the publication out of existence. From time to time, park staff people have asked "Why don't you revive Nature Notes?" But they weren't — until Chief Park Interpreter Len McKenzie suggested to each member of his-interpretive staff that an article for NATURE NOTES would be appreciated, perhaps even expected. So, we now have at the printer 28 articles on some aspect of Yosemite's fascinating composition. The booklet will contain 80 pages. It is appropriately illustrated with photos or drawings and is nicely printed on coated paper. We're printing a limited number and members will get the first option to acquire copies. MORE ON CULTURAL MUSEUM — YNHA members who may recall sadly the demise of the "old museum" will be pleased to learn that the area now houses a fine display of items from Yosemite's past. The unique qualities of Yosemite Valley have been recognized for many years and now visitors to the new Indian Cultural Museum will see that the first inhabitants of Yosemite Valley, the Ahwahneechees, were equally special. Creating a singular culture, the Ahwahneechees, who were basically of Miwok lineage, intermarried and blended cultures with those of their Paiute neighbors from the east side of the Sierra. The Indian Cultural Museum not only displays the items which were used by these people in their daily lives and depicts their way of life, it also traces the changes which have occurred in their arts and material culture since that time. The museum project started about three years ago when then Superintendent Lynn Thompson suggested that the room occupied by the Yosemite Natural History Association would be better used to house interpretive displays for visitor enjoyment, perhaps displays about Yosemite's Indian people. The development of the Indian Cultural Museum has been gradual, with stages completed as money became available.

Now, the Indian Cultural Museum is a reality, a product of the determination, dedication and hard work of numerous individuals. At the suggestion of Craig Bates, the Indian Cultural Specialist for Yosemite, it was decided in 1973 that the area would be developed entirely to explaining the way of life of the Valley's first inhabitants. The Park Service's museum specialists at Harper's Ferry were approached for suggestions; Jack Gyer, curator of Yosemite's collections, designed the necessary environmental controls and security measures to ensure the safety and preservation of the items to be displayed. Craig Bates outlined the scope and design of the museum and began to contact scores of sources for artifacts to be borrowed that were not contained in the park's collection and Jane Gyer, an accomplished local artist, started sketches from which to paint a mural in the foyer. Obstacles were met and overcome, ideas were refined and redefined, resulting in the completion of the impressive Indian Cultural Museum. The most modern museum techniques have been incorporated in the design of the museum to ensure the safety of the objects on display. The artifacts are guarded by security devices and protected by a complex environmental control system. Light in the museum is filtered to reduce harmful ultra-violet rays, the air circulating in the cases is filtered, and the temperature and humidity are maintained at a specified level. In amassing the objects to be placed on display in the Museum, Craig has done a commendable job. Utilizing articles from the Yosemite collection, material on loan to the Park (such as items from the fine Schwabacher collection), and borrowed items from other museums, Bates has assembled an impressive display. He located and gathered the best collection of utilitarian Miwok baskets ever placed on exhibit. On display is a bow made in Yosemite, known to be one of but five to exist. All the items are unusual and rare and there are certain artifacts believed to be the only specimens of their kind in existence. Several significant types of baskets were unavailable for loan to the museum, but examples were needed to complete the display. In response to this need, Julia Parker, the long-time Indian Cultural demonstrator and expert in the life ways, was enlisted to construct duplicates. Her reproductions are accurate and fine. Artifacts from the turn of the century are on display as well. With the appearance of the gold miners and the ever increasing number of tourists to the Sierra Nevada, the Indians, unable to hunt and gather food as they once had, began to make articles for sale and trade with the Non-Indian people. Items such as beaded bottles, baskets in the shape of goblets, and miniature and oversize baskets were made as the Indian economy adjusted and change in the art form took place. Pieces such as these are on display in the museum along with items indicative of the current style of California Indian art. The Indian Cultural Museum opened to the public on August 14, 1976. Since that time it has been visited by more than 60,000 visitors. The highlight of the displays is a grouping of six magnificently detailed wax figures, a grandfather, grandmother and grandson, a young woman, and a mother and child each in an atattitude representing their roles in a typical Ahwahneechee family on a winter's evening in their Yosemite village. Craig Bates says,"We hope park visitors will find the new museum interesting and that they will come away with a clearer image of the culture of Yosemite's first people — how it was in the beginning and how it has changed over the last 120 years — since contact with the white settlers in the foothills. The Museum and the Indian Village complement each other — the Museum showing the Ahwahneechees' cultural changes; in the Village, the people show Ahwahneechee life at a period in their time."

John Muir and the Books He Wrote John Muir, well-known naturalist and explorer, was the foremost nature writer of his time (1838-1914). From the publication of his first newspaper article, "The Death of a Glacier," in the New York Daily Tribune, December 5, 1871, through the many articles that followed in both newspapers and the leading magazines of the day, John Muir became an exceedingly popular journalist with a large and enthusiastic following. In 1887 Muir was persuaded to accept the editorship of Picturesque California, the highly acclaimed and widely distributed publication that eventually appeared in sixteen editions in a great variety of formats. In addition to being editor, Muir contributed seven lengthy articles. By 1890 Muir's writing had become a dynamic force in a conservation movement that was steadily gaining strength and scope. His two articles, "The Treasures of the Yosemite" and "Features of the Proposed Yosemite National Park," published in The Century Magazine (August and September, 1890), were vital instruments in the creation of Yosemite National Park. In 1894, at age 56 and twenty-three yearsa after his first writing had appeared in print, Muir's first book, The Mountains of California, was published by The Century Company. It was composed of edited magazine articles which Muir prefaced with a general overview of the Sierra Nevada Range. The book was immediately a best seller. It contained some of Muir's choicest writing and is considered by many to be his finest book. It had eight printings and also a London edition. In 1911 the book was enlarged with an index and additional photographs and was reprinted in 1913,1917, and 1922. Of course, it was included in the many editions of the ten volume set of The Writings of John Muir (1916-1924). Today, unless you can find The Mountains of California in a used book store, it is only available in a paperback, an Anchor Book by Doubleday & Company, Inc., Garden City, New York. Our National Parks, Muir's second book, was published by Houghton Mifflin Company in 1901. There were at least twelve printings as well as a London edition. The book, composed of ten articles previously published in TheAtlantic Monthly, had a readymade and eager audience. From Chapter II, "The Yellowstone National Park," comes Muir's famous and much loved quotation, "Climb the mountains and get their good tidings..." "Hunting Big Redwoods," (Chapter IX under a new title was highly important in laying the ground-work for the conservation measures taken during President Theodore Roosevelt's administration. Being a successful book, in October1909 a new and enlarged edition was issued in blue cloth with a colorful pictorial cover. Available for Christmas giving, it became known as the Holiday edition. Today, it is a rare volume and seldom, if ever, seen. Our National Parks was also included in The Writings... and around 1939 (date uncertain) a reprint of it from this set was issued in The Out-of-Door Library, School edition." It too, is rarely seen. The only edition readily available today is that printed in 1970 by AMS Press Inc., New York, a hard-back with the type photographically enlarged. It is not a particularly attractive book, but is a satisfactory reading copy. I n 1909 Stickeen was published by Houghton Mifflin Company. It was an edited version of "An Adventure With a Dog and a Glacier" that had appeared in The Century Magazine September, 1897. The book was reprinted many times; the latest printing I have is the 33rd, dated 1935. It was also reprinted a number of times for use in schools : The Riverside Literature Series (dates unknown), The Evergreen Series in 1923, and a reprint of the former in a new format in 1937. Today, two editions are available. One is a hard-back, printed in 1971 by Norman S. Berg of Dunwoody, Georgia, a former employee of Houghton Mifflin Company. In 1969 Mr. Berg began reprinting one Muir book each year. All are bound in cloth and on the front cover printed in gilt in Muir's handwriting is : "John Muir, Earth-planet Universe." The other edition of Stickeen is a paperback by Doubleday & Company, Inc., New York, published in 1974. My First Summer in the Sierra was published in 1911. I believe it to be Muir's finest book. He was 72 and at the height of his writing career when he prepared the journal of his first summer in the Sierra for publication. His skillful revision, wisely retaining the spontaneity and excitement of his youthful experiences, mirrors his lyrical and oft-times mystical reflections. Selected portions ran serially in The Atlantic Monthly which increased sales and interest in the book. There was a small London edition. Since My

First Summer... is a favorite of many Muir devotees, it is extremely difficult to find. Although the book was included in The Writings... and "The Out-of-Door Library, School edition," in 1939, demand prompted a reprinting of the first edition, which unfortunately was issued in a less attractive binding. At present, a good reprint done in 1972 is available from Norman S. Berg. An abridged version of My First Summer... titled Gentle Wilderness, The Sierra Nevada, was published by the Sierra Club in 1964 in their handsome large-format series. It can usually be found in bookstores. The Sierra Club - Ballantine paperback of this book, published in 1968, is a very good buy with fine color reproductions. The small book, Edward Henry Harriman, published by Doubleday, Page & Company in 1911, is little known and very scarce. At the request of Mrs. Harriman, Muir wrote it as a tribute to her late husband, and Mrs. Harriman had it published to be given to friends. The following year an edition was issued for all libraries that requested a copy. In April, 1912, The Yosemite was published by The Century Company. To promote its sale, an excerpt was published in the March issue of The Century Magazine. The Yosemite was never as popular as Muir's other books. When it was included in The Writings..., six chapters were deleted and the remainder was incorporated in the first of the two-volume The Mountains of California. The only reprints of The Yosemite that I have located are : one dated 1920 and another 1935, the latter published by the D. Appleton Century Company. Today the book is available in paperback, an Anchor Book published by Doubleday & Company, Inc., New York, 1962. In 1908, when Muir was a guest at Edward H. Harriman's Pelican Bay Lodge, Klamath Lake, Oregon, Harriman persuaded Muir to dictate the first draft of his autobiography to a secretary. From 1,000 pages of typed manuscript, Muir prepared the first volume entitled The Story of My Boyhood and Youth. It was published in 1912 and was the first part of volume one in The Writings... (A Thousand Mile Walk to the Gulf was the last part). In 1939, this volume was reprinted as a separate and also as a part of "The Out-of-Door Library. School edition." The Story of My Boyhood and Youth was reprinted in paperback in 1965 by the University of Wisconsin Press and I believe is available from them now. After Muir's death, Dr. William Frederic Bade was appointed literary executor by Muir's daughters, Wanda and Helen. Dr. Bade prepared three books for publication : A Thousand Mile Walk to the Gulf, 1916, essentially from Muir's first journal; The Cruise of the Corwin, 1917, from published newspaper articles supplemented with Muir's journal; Steep Trails, 1918, from magazine articles and three essays previously published in Picturesque California. All appeared first in the limited large paper edition and were followed with the trade edition, and all were included in The Writings... A Thousand Mile Walk to the Gulf, as previously stated, is a part of volume one along with The Story of My Boyhoodand Youth and was reprinted as such. An abridged version of A Thousand Mile Walk..., illustrated with superb photographs, was published in a large format in 1975 under the title, John Muir's Longest Walk... by Doubleday & Company, Inc., New York. Two editions of Steep Trails were reprinted in 1939. All three books prepared for publication by Dr. Bade are very difficult to find today in any edition; however, they have been reprinted recently by Norman S. Berg, in his Muir series : A Thousand Mile Walk... in 1969; Steep Trails in 1970; and the only reprint to date of The Cruise of the Corwin in 1974. Letters to a Friend, Written to Mrs. Ezra S. Carr, 1866-1879, although published posthumously in 1915, had been carefully prepared for publication by John Muir. The first edition was limited to 300 copies and therefore the book is exceedingly rare, and if found, is astronomical in price. Fortunately, the book was reprinted in 1973 in an edition of 500 copies by Norman S. Berg. About Picturesque California : there were eleven editions issued in a great variety of formats, all dated 1888. They range from the deluxe "Imperial Japan edition" with illustrations etched on satin, to the paper-covered parts issued serially. As previously mentioned, Muir was editor and contributed seven articles. I n 1894 the publication was reprinted in three editions. These retain only six Muir's articles, the one on Alaska being omitted. In 1895 Picturesque California was again reprinted but this time by a new publisher and under a new title, Scenic Regions of the West. I have seen only one copy of this edition. The publisher also reprinted the "Imperial Japan edition" of 1888 and the only copy known is in the Library of Congress. Any edition of Picturesque California is a scarce item. The only edition easily

available today is a reprint of the 1894 edition published under a new title, West of the Rocky Mountains (margins reduced), by the Running Press of Philadelphia, 1976. It is issued in a paperback which is a very good buy, or in a library binding. The wilderness, in its infinite manifestations of beauty, was the magnet that drew John Muir to explore and ponder its mysteries. His vision of the wilderness—a rich heritage to be cared for and guarded at all costs—compelled him to work unceasingly for its preservation, and his writing became a vital and integral part of his untiring efforts. His eloquent style and personal narrative can still evoke their magic, for to read John Muir is to "climb the mountains and get their good tidings." Happy reading! ABOUT BILL K IMES — William F. (Bill) Kimes, who prepared this article for us, has the finest private collection of Muiriana extant. Kimes has been on the trail of John Muir for many years. His search for traces of the great naturalist has taken him up and down the Sierra — on foot — to Fountain Lake and Hickory Hills Farm, Wisconsin, to Muir's birthplace in Scotland, to Switzerland, and to the Alaskan glacier fields. Kime's collection of Muiriana is the finest in a private library. Mr. and Mrs. Kimes have prepared "John Muir, A Reading Bibliography" which will be published soon in a subscription edition by William P. Wrenden of Palo Alto and printed by the Castle Press in Pasadena. Details may be obtained from Wrenden, P.O. Box 56, Palo Alto, California 94302. SEMINAR CONTENT PROBED. Among the subjects offered in our summer program, the class "Yosemite Indians: Their Culture and Acculturation" came to the attention of the Mariposa Indian Council, a body interesting itself in the manner in which reference to the Yosemite Miwok is made. At the Council's request, we provided the course content for the seminar. Evidently, it was found unobjectionable for no protestations were lodged. The course is conducted by Ms. Jeannue Munoz, who teaches anthropology at California State University at Long Beach and has done research work for NPS on the Fresno River Indian Reservation. Her seminar course covers the cultures of the earliest Yosemite Indians, through their disruption by the presence of white settlers to today, when they have lost nearly all identity. It's a fascinating, if sad, tale. Also treating the Miwok culture is Bob Fry's course, "Ethnobotany of the Western Sierra Indians". In this class, participants study the more material aspects of Indian life — food, use of fibers, weapons, tools, etc. The physiological and biochemical properties of plants found useful by native people. Fry's class did not come under scrutiny. In last year's seminar classes, about 43%of the participants were members. We don't know whether to be pleased or disappointed. On the optimistic side, we presume we could feel that we're providing an interesting activity for nearly one-half the membership — and let it go at that! The seasons first class will be Harold Basey's "Discovering Sierra Amphibians and Reptiles", April 30 - May 1. Basey not only knows his subject and how to teach it, he injects great humor into a squishy-squashy tramp on a muddy river bank in search of a particular amphibian, whose croak he knows, note for note. Following, will be David Gaines "Birds of Yosemite", on June 17, 18, 19. Sites of particular interest, Craine Flat and Henness Ridge, will be examined minutely. Gaines' 3 day course is followed by a 5-day course which will cover bird life from the Valley to Peregoy Meadow to Lee Vining Canyon. In August — 19, 20, 21 — Bob Stewart, of the Pt. Reyes Observatory, will conduct the "BirdBanding Workshop". This is a true field experience and participants will get exposure to banding, record-keeping and data analysis. Birders of the World, Arise!

MUYBRIDGE PORTFOLIO. We expect to receive within a month, the formal descriptive brochure on our Muybridge print portfolio. We described the portfolio in an earlier members' bulletin and are pleased to report that the quality of the prototype prints exceeds our expectations. They're truly fine. The containers too are handsome — grey buckram with the title imprinted in gold on a black goatskin panel. Dr. Robert Haas, a Muybridge authority, has prepared an excellent piece on Muybridge, his life, work and contributions. As we mentioned, the collection of 10 prints will sell for $1,250.00. We'll be happy to mail the descriptive folder to those members possibly interested in purchasing the portfolio, which will be available by late summer.

Digitized by Yosemite Online Library Dan Anderson