Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-01-01
YOSEMITE VALLEY.
ITEMS FROM THE COMMISSIONERS,
BIENNIAL REPORT.
Hotel modations-Beau-
tiful Description

Iue Dl6Duldl report OF Inc COMMISSION
ers 10 manage the Yosemite Valley and the
Mariposa Big Trees Grove has just been
issued from the Office of the State Printer
1t is neatly printed pamphlet OF "a pages
containing large amount of useful and
interesting information.
The first house built in the valley was
during the autumn %! 1856 and OCCUPIED a
portion Of the ground where Blacks Hotel
for long time stcod
IL the spring % 1858 a building was
erected By Elite & Beardsey, who kept 1t
as puhic house during that season. 1t
afterwards passed into the hands of Messrs.
Sullivan u eastman. of San Francisco. hut
was still kept as an hotel from 1850 to 1861
by Mr.. Peck, and afterwards by a Mr.
Longhurst.
Prior 10 May, 1864 the only actual settler
and resident in the valley was the late j.
G. Lamon. who, since 1860, had lived there
uninterrupteGlyu until his death in the spring
of 1875
There have been as many as three or four
hotels kept running during the summer
months for several years past, but there are
at present only Two upon the floor of the
valley-the Stoneman House and Barnard S
Hotel. There is also a hotel at Nevada
Falls, and one at Glacier Point. During
| the season just passed, no complaints OF
any kind concerning any person in the val
ley have been made either to the Guardian
or the Secretary; while, upon the other
hand, much that is liberal and compli-
mentary has been said concerning the gen
eral management and accommodation OF
each of the houses of public entertainment
mentioned. Barnard's Hotel, as is well
known, has been patched and patched until
it quite resembles an architectural crazy
quilt, but it is now in a good, safe, and
comfortable shape, thanks TO some neces-
sary and substantial Improvements thai
have been made during the past month. 2
THE SLOVENIAN HOUSE.
Coming to the Stoneman House. very
much may be said: 1t reflects great credit
upon the State, which appropriated the
money 10 build 1t; upon the Board of Com
missioners, who saw to it that the money
was expended in a strictly business like
and conscientious way, to the Committee
Of the Board who had general supervision,
and to its management, so far, in all re-
spects.
Nineteen out of every twenty persons
familiar or unfamiliar with the valley con-
cede that its location-all things consid-
ered-is the best that could have been
made, and its general advantages are now
recognized by all. Its location at the
upper Tor east end of the valley has
limited sunshine, however, even during
the tourist season; but, on the whole, this
is really d desideratum, from the fact that
few persons visit the valley in search of
sunbeams, while the rays of the imperial
orb are often so severe that shadow is more
sought after than the direct effects of solar
heat. AT any rate, it enjoys quite an ex-
cess of sunlight at midday il is in close
proximity to much of the erandest scenery
of the valley, including Glacier Point,
Mirror Lake, the Washington Column,
North Dome, and the Half Dome, which,
by the unanimous consent of cultivated
travellers, Swans and artists, and by all
men end women with the sense OF
suolimity in their souls, who have
gazed upon it, is pronounced the most
wonderful, stupendous and mysterious OBJ
ject OF nature upon earth. Its nearness TO
Mirror Lake and to Vernal Falls makes
each of these noted places, as well as many
proxlmate others, quite accessible and easy
to the pedestrian, which was taken advan-
tage of by nearly four fifths of its guests
during the season just passed, while any
thing but riding to these points had never
been dreamed of heretofore except from
the standpoint of excessive economy itself.
Its vistas are only exceeded by what it
might have he'd at a point between Yo-
semitic Falls and the river, which situation
was quickly dismissed as locality too
dangerous to be thought of-contiguous to
threatened overf1ows in 'front.' and to the
titanic hurting of powders of all denomi-
nations of weight from the rear; the lower
Tor wide) end of the valley was intelligently
objected to for many reasons, particularly
the gradual filling up of the river near the
lower bridge, the marsby condition of
much OF the surrounding country, alleged
and probable real malarious carnations,
and the crumbly nature of the elevations
not great distances away.
VISITORS TO THE VALLEY.
There has been no official register of the
guests kept during the past two years, but
the present Secretary has already applied to
the Superintendent of State Printing for a
register and will instruct the
Guardian to see to it that hereafter the
names of all visitors to the valley shall be
registered. 1t may be safely as
serted, however, tn at the number of people
who went into the valley during 1888
reached closely 1000, as up to October 18th
there had been 2 200 registered at the Stone
man House, 900 at Barnard's Hotel, while
there were between 600 and 700 campers or
otoOi 81 Ou- plcdSC louIiStS. anu III
is proper just here to remark that, between
July 18th and August 18th, sol of the
above visitors were school teachers-mostly
from elsewhere than California.
BEAUTIFUL DESCRIPTION.
Ben. G. Truman, Secretary of the Com
mission, in speaking OF the beauties of the
valley, says /" | would repeat that the 70.
semitic is the greatest and undoubtedly the
most wonderful and impressive and beau
tiful object in the world have sat at my
hotel window in Chamouix and gazed for
hours upon Mont Blanc, the monarch of
all mountains; have stood at the foot of
Tacoma. at once the prettiest and one of
the loftiest earth giants in America; have
many times been thrilled with the omnipo- |
tence of Niagara, whose majesty can never |
be forgotten; and / have been overcome |
with the encEantmept one feels in the pic
turesque presence of the Grand Canyon of !
the Yellowstone. But Yosemite. with its |,
twenty-five wonders, any one of which |
man might wisely travel thousand miles |
10 see surpasses all others of natures |
pieces of sublime handiwork; and | never |
visit it that | do not feel with indescribable !
the words uttered some
years ago by distinguished writer and /
traveller: My God self-convicted as a |
'pendthrift in words. the only term appli- |