Yosemite
yo-sem'i-te, a scenic valley in California. It is situated on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada in Mariposa County, 150 miles easterly from San Francisco. The name is Indian, signifying a huge grizzly bear. The valley is one of the most remarkable gorges in the world. It is about seven miles long and from one half a mile to a mile in width. The valley runs from east to west. Save at its lower end it is inclosed by granite walls from 3,000 to 5,000 feet high.
Tourists entering at the lower or western end find themselves between massive piles of rock. On the north, El Capitan, the captain, a huge block of granite, rises perpendicularly 3,300 feet. Across the entrance stand Cathedral Rock and Bridal Veil Rock. Other rock masses guarding the valley are known as Three Brothers, the Spires, Cap of Liberty, and Sentinel Rock. The vicinity is occupied by enormous elevations of rock, known from their kettle shape as North Dome, Sentinel Dome, Half Dome, etc. The valley itself contains forests of pine, cedar, fir, and California oak. There are small meadows brilliant with flowers in early summer. The Merced River enters the valley at its upper point. It pours over two successive precipices 600 and 400 feet high respectively. Some idea of these heights may be had by remembering that Niagara Falls are but 165 feet high. At various points snow-fed streams leap down into the valley to join the Merced. Bridal Veil, so-called from the breadth of the sheet in time of wind and melting snows, makes a leap of 630 feet and tumbles over 300 feet of additional cascade. Virgin's Tears fall 1,000 feet. Yosemite Creek, which gives its name to the valley, leaps 1,500 feet of sheer descent, descends 625 feet in a series of cascades, then passes over a second precipice 400 feet high. A half day's climb to Sentinel Dome or Glacier Point is rewarded by a magnificent panoramic view.
The Yosemite Valley and Falls were discovered in 1851 by a party of settlers and miners in pursuit of a band of marauding Indians. The latter took refuge here and were followed by the whites. In 1864 Congress granted the valley to California on condition that it be "held for public use, resort, and recreation," and that it be "inalienable for all time." The Yosemite may be reached most readily by a spur line of the Central Pacific terminating at Raymond. The rest of the trip is made by stage. For those who have time and who enjoy outdoor life, a more enjoyable method is that of traveling from Oakland by team with a camp outfit. The road leads through the famous Mariposa Grove of Big Trees. In 1890 the park was enlarged. The region is now known officially as Yosemite National Park.