Yosemite at a Glance:
Settlement

When gold was discovered in 1848, thousands of miners swarmed to the Sierra Nevada foothills. In 1849 gold was discovered on Agua Fria Creek just west of Yosemite, and miners came from all directions. By 1850, thousands of miners had established themselves in the foothills west of Yosemite.

Geology
Waterfalls

Discovery of Gold

Miwok people had to flee or risk being killed as their land was taken from them. Towns and roads were established. Mining operations destroyed local ecosystems that the Miwok relied on for survival. Streams and rivers were polluted, game animals were over-hunted to feed mining camps, and forests were clearcut. Conflict between miners and Indian people was inevitable, and armed warfare began.

The Mariposa Indian War officially began in December 1850 when James Savage’s trading post was attacked and his three employees were killed. California Governor McDougal authorized formation of the Mariposa Battalion, a state militia, to quell what was considered an Indian uprising. The intent was to prevent a group of Indians believed to be holed up in a mountain stronghold (Yosemite) from launching an all-out war against the whites.

The battalion of some 200 volunteers headed by James Savage was to bring these Indians to the Fresno River reservation. On March 7, 1851, members of the battalion became the first recorded non-Indian people to enter Yosemite Valley. Attempts by the battalion to relocate the Ahwahnichi ultimately failed.

The Indians eventually returned to their valley, but their lives had been forever changed. The Southern Sierra Miwok lost more than 90% of their population within 60 years. In 1850 they numbered some 3,000 people; 50 years later there were fewer than 200 survivors.