This CD contains the page
images and searchable text from six books used a century ago by visitors to the new national parks at
Yosemite and Big Trees:
- Hutchings’ Guide to Yosemite Valley and Big Trees (1895)
- Galen Clark's The Yosemite Valley, its history,
characteristic features, and theories regarding its
origin (1909)
- Galen Clark's The Big Trees of California,
their history and characteristics
(1907)
- Galen Clark's Indians of the Yosemite Valley and vicinity,
their history, customs and traditions
(1904)
- Foley’s Yosemite Souvenir and Guide (1907)
- Buzzacott's The Complete Campers Manual (1903)
The first five of these books are guides written for use by visitors to Yosemite Valley and nearby Big Trees, giving
information on travel options and park accomodations, the region's sights and natural history, and the history of the Indians of the area. The sixth
book, a 1903 guide for campers, is included here for a glimpse of the outdoor experience of those visitors who preferred a camp over the park's
hotels.
James Mason Hutchings published California's first illustrated monthly magazine and organized the first expedition to gather
images of the Yosemite Valley wonders. Abandoning San Francisco for a life as hotel-keeper in Yosemite, Hutchings produced a massive
illustrated documentary: In the Heart of the Sierras: Yo Semite Valley, Big Trees, Etc. (1886). His 100-page 1895 guide borrows
from his 500-page book and adds travel information to produce "a handy little souvenir volume, to briefly, yet comprehensively, outline the objects
of greatest interest, not only on arrival there, but to be seen by the wayside."
Galen Clark came to California in 1853, and mined for gold in the central Sierra Nevada. He became ill and was advised by his
physician to move into the high Sierras. In 1857, he built a home at Wawona, and shortly after he discovered the Mariposa Grove of Sequoias.
His interest in the natural wonders of the region led him to serve on the first Board of Commissioners charged to administer the Yosemite Valley
and the Mariposa Grove of Big Trees, and he became known as the “Guardian of the Valley”. His trilogy of books was published after he
reached the age of 90, with the final volume completed just two weeks before his death. The three books are a vivid contemporary account of the
history of the surviving Yosemite Indians, the nearby groves of redwoods, and the Yosemite vistas, animals, and plants.
Daniel Foley managed the Yosemite Valley tourist office, which published a guide, a view book, and a newspaper for visitors. Foley's
Yosemite Souvenir and Guide was in its seventh edition in 1907, and was heavily used by the valley's 8,000 annual visitors. Filled
with tour and day-trip advice and with photos of the spectacular falls and granite features, the guide also includes ads for visitor services such as
Salter's Valley Store, Cook's Sentinel Hotel, Fiske's photography studios, and Curry's Camp.
Francis H. Buzzacott was a renowned trapper, hunter, and guide, and was the author of a series of practical guides for outdoorsmen,
culminating in his 530-page and humbly-titled Buzzacott's Masterpiece, or the Complete Hunters, Trappers, and Campers Libary of
Valuable Information (1913). Approximately a quarter of his masterpiece is provided here as the The Complete Camper's
Manual. This 1903 guide was written for campers planning and equipping for days or weeks in the wild. In addition to advice on
outfitting, Buzzacott instructs on how to make the best of camping out.
Also included on this CD is a scanned image of the 1883 edition of the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers "Topographic Map of the
Yosemite Valley and Vicinity".
See a sample screen shot for a BookWebCD.
and See more on the BookWebCD format.
