Yosemite at a Glance:
Park History

As a national park Yosemite needed protection. The first protectors were Army cavalry troops sent from the Presidio in San Francisco. Some 150 soldiers were responsible for enforcing regulations in Yosemite.

Geology
Waterfalls

First Park Protectors

Park rules prevented mining, grazing, and poaching, as well as development and homesteading. In 1914 the cavalry was replaced by 13 civilian park rangers.

Within two years the National Park Service was created to formally protect and administer federal park land, and Stephen T. Mather was appointed as first director.

The day of the stagecoach ended in 1907 with the construction of the Yosemite Valley Railroad from Merced to El Portal. Automobiles were legally allowed to enter Yosemite Valley in 1913. By 1925 the two major concessioners were consolidated into the Yosemite Park and Curry Company. Dirt roads were built, and traffic rapidly expanded.

Impacts from the increase in tourism in Yosemite Valley continued. In 1922 visitation was 100,000; by 1940 it was over 500,000. Visitation doubled by 1954 to over a million. The increases continued into the late 20th century.