| Yosemite National Park was the first state and national park in the United States. The name Yosemite is after an Indian tribe that lived in the area, before being massacred by US soldiers.The entire park is 1,170 square miles (748,542 acres). It is
in northern California in the Sierra Nevada mountains. The appeal of the park was recognized a log time ago. By the middle of the 19th century, tourists were flocking to the park every year. As they traveled back home, stories spread about the park's many wonders. Soon, people began to call for the preservation of the awesome park.
Congress wrote a law saying that the Yosemite Valley would be held "inalienable for all time" and would be turned over to the state of California, to be turned into a state park. Eventually, President Lincoln signed the law, and on June 30, 1864, Yosemite became the United States's first state park. Later on, people became alarmed about excessive sheep grazing in Yosemite. The complaint traveled back to Washington, and Yosemite was converted into a national park in 1890.
In 1892, John Muir founded the Sierra Club. He had first visited Yosemite in 1868, and wanted to turn the Yosemite Valley into a national park. The interest shown by the famed philosopher and naturalist certainly boosted attention to Yosemite.Today, millions of people visit Yosemite every year. Many other national and
states parks would later spring up throughout the United States, preserving some patches of the world in their natural form. Panoramic images of YosemiteScenic views of the parkYosemite Web Cam |
