The building of hotels and other structures in Yosemite is another marker of changing values about our national parks. By the late 1800s, there were nine hotels built mostly in and around the Valley. Many of these hotels burned down or were closed, but some remained and became part of a thriving center of commercial activity called Yosemite Village (later known as "Old Village"). Located along the Merced River adjacent to Sentinel Meadow and Sentinel Bridge, by 1925 it consisted of at least two dozen primary buildings, including several photography studios, a general store, post office, church, park headquarters, hotels, saloons, residences, and even a dance/movie pavilion. By 1959, when a new grocery store and restaurant were built on the north side of the Valley in the "New Village," most of these structures had burned down or were demolished, and the meadow was left to return to its natural state. Only the Yosemite Chapel remains today.
 

USE OF MEADOWS

Another form of meadow degradation occurred after the first all-year highway was opened to Yosemite along the Merced River in 1927. The park was unprepared for the sizable increase in visitors, as crowds in Yosemite Valley drove their vehicles across meadows, camping wherever there was space. Finally in the late 20s and 30s, regulations were enacted to prevent cars and campers from using meadows.

At one time, restoration meant simply removing a structure or activity from a meadow and then passively letting nature take its course. Today, active restoration of meadows and other areas is regularly practiced in Yosemite Valley. Most recently, work has been underway in Cook's Meadow to remove an abandoned road which interfered with water flow through the meadow and adjacent riparian habitat.

Also, construction of boardwalks in Stoneman and Sentinel Meadows and construction of bike paths has helped ensure that fragile, wet meadow areas remain untrammeled and function in a natural way.