Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-01-30
YOSEMITE.
THE VALLEY OF WONDERS AND
AWFUL MAJESTY.
of Its History and the
Relation of the State to 1t.
How We Acquired the Valley and
How the State Governs It
The New Hotel and
What it is to Be.

The RECORD UNION this morning pre-
sents its readers with an excellent en-
craving of the new hotel to be erected by
the State in the Yosemite Valley beneath
the overhanging majesty of Glacier Point
In this connection, and before we come to a
description of the hotel itself, the reasons
for its erection and the interesting details
| relating TO its interior, let us glance briefly
at the State history of the valley itself,
which in its rare natural grandeur, colossal
beauty and awe-inspiring sublimity is sur
passed by no other landscape upon the
| face of the globe. The Yosemite Valley is
in the heart CT the Sierra Nevada mount
aims, about 155 miles east of San Francisco,
at point where the range broadens to a
| width of seventy-fiye miles, and the valley
| is midway between the bases. To quote
| from the guide-book of the geological sur
vey, published under authority Of the
| Legislature, it is a nearly level area about
| six miles in length, from half a mile to
| mile in width, sunk almost mile in per-
pendicular depth below the general level of
| the adjacent region, and through the center
| of which runs the Merced river. 1t may
| be roughly likened to
GIGANTIC TROUGH
followed in the mountains, nearly at
| right angles to their general trend This
i trough is quite irregular, having several re-
| entering angles and square recesses, set
| back, as it were, into its sides. Still
general northeasterly direction is main
| tanned in the depression, until we arrive at
its upper end, when it turns sharply at
right angles, almost, and soon divides into
three branches; through either of which we
may, going up series of gigantic steps,
ascend to the general level of the Sierras
| Down each of these branches or CANYONS
| descend streams, forks of the Merced COM
| ing down the steps in stupendous water
| falls. At its lower end the valley contracts
into a narrow gorge, or canyon, with steep
ly inclined walls, and not having the u
slope of the Yosemite, but the usual V
| form of California valleys The grant
takes in the whole valley, and extends
back of the rim of the precipitous walls
| for one mile. 1t covers an area of 3,611 IA
acres. The Big Tree grant is twelve and
half miles south from Yosemite, and con-
| tains 2,5S9.76 acres. The two combined
| comprise about sixty square miles. Oniy
| about three per cent of the Yosemite tract
is OF value for any purpose other than that
for which Congr IS dedicated it" a place
| for public use, resort and recreation" Th /,
land running back from the precipice rim is
heavily timbered, and unfit for cultivation
The level of
THE VALLEY
| Contains but /, III acres, of which 745 are
meadow and the remainder fern land, re-
quiring TO be subdued before il can be cult
| ivated.
III June, 1861, Congress passed an Act
granting the valley to California on this
stipulation
That the said State shall accept this grant
| upon the express conditions that the premises
shall be held for pubic use. resort and recrea-
| t1on, and shall be inalienable for all time but
| leases, not extending ten yeais, may be granted
for portions of said premises. All incomes de
| rived from leases OF privileges TO be expended
| IN the preservation and improvement of the
! property the roads leading thereto The
boundaries to be established at the cost of said
state, by the United States Surveyor General of
California, whose OFF, ial plat, when affirmed by
| the Commissioner of the General Land Office
| shall constitute the evidence of the locus, ex-
tent and limits of said cleft or gorge; the p en-
lses to be managed by the Governor of the State
| with eight other Commissioners, to be appointed
| by the Executive of California, and who shall
| there is hereby granted to the State of Cali
| fornia the tracts embracing what is known as
| Mariposa Big Tree Grove" not to exceed the
| area OF four sections, and to be taken i'll legal
| subdivisions of one quarter section each, with
the like stipulation expressed in the first Sec
! ton of this Act as to the States acceptance,
with like conditions in the first section of this
| Act, as to inalienability, yet with the same
| lease privilege the income to be expended in
| preservation, improvements and protection OF
| the property: the premises to be managed by
| commissioners stipulated in the first section
| of this Act, and to be taken in legal subdivis-
ions as aforesaid; and the official plat of the
| United States SurveyOr-General, when affirmed
| by the Commissioner of the General Land Office
to be tie evidence of the locus of said Mariposa
| Big Tree Grove.
| PROCLAMATION.
On receipt of the news in California
Governor f. f. Low issued proclamation
reciting the grant, and adding:
Now, therefore, be it known that /, Frederick
| +. Low, Governor of the State of California by
virtue of authority in me vested, have appointed
Fred Law Olmsted, Prof. J. d. Whitney, Will
liam Ashburner, l. W. Raymond, Z. S. Holden
Alexander Deerng, George W. Coulter and
confided the management of the aforesaid
tracts OF land. And | hereby warn and com
mand all persons to desist from trespassing or
settling upon said territory, and from cutting
timber or doing any unlawful acts within the
limits of said grant All propositions for the
Improvement of the aforesaid tracts of land, or
|
through Fred Law Olmsted, Bear Valley, Mari
posa county.
In the fall of 1864 the surveys were made
and the plats forwarded to Washington
and accepted at the General Land Office.
In the Legislature of 1866 an Act was
passed, accepting the grant and organized
a Commission, and directing the State
lGeologist to explore the tracts granted, and
prepare a full description of the same.
The ('nmmiSSlnn napne1 in fha A of
the Governor, Frederick Law Olmsted,
Professor J. d. Whitney, William Ash
burner, L. w. Raymond, +. S. Holden,
Alexander Deering, George w. Coulter and
Galen Clark" These eight had been named
by the Governor December 2S, 1864.
The present Commission is composed as
follows /. w. Raymond, San Francisco
w. H. Mills. San Francisco j. H. O'Brien,
Stockton; Thomas 2. Madden, San Fran
cisco; ]. NJ. Griffith, Los Angeles iona
than Mentzer, Coulterville Z. W Chap
man, MADEIRA; VIM. B. May, San Fran
cisco; Governor George Stoneman, Sac
ramento. The officers of the Board are :
President, Governor George Stoneman
cePresident, l. w. Raymond; Secretary
and Treasurer, VIM. B. May; Executive
! Committee, l. W. Raymond, Chairman
Thomas P. Madden, VIM. 3. May
THE RELATION OF THE STATE
) To the valley and the Commission may
thus be stated
, /. The State owns the valley precisely as
any private owner possesses his lands
>. The Commission acts in the capacity
9 OF superintendent for the owner. 1t deter
mines who may lease lands, and wha,
rents shall be charged, lay out and operate
trails and roads and run for fee lines OF
wagons and coaches, and maintain pack
and saddle-trains. 1t owns the houses
used as hotels, leases and determines the
charges to be made the public for services
and entertainment, and this, because un.
i. der any other system the valley would be
o made the scene of contention among
K wrangling competitors for patronage, anc