ENTERTAINMENT

Over the years many entertainment-oriented events and attractions occurred in the park, most of which had little or nothing to do with Yosemite's natural wonders. The reasoning behind such activities was simply to attract more visitors to the Valley and encourage them to stay longer.
Of all these activities, Yosemite's Firefall is the best known. First begun in the 1870s by hotel proprietor James McCauley, the nighttime extravaganza was created by pushing a massive pile of glowing red fir bark embers over the cliff at Glacier Point. Seen from the Valley floor, the Firefall appeared as a sensational waterfall of color and sparks. The practice was later abandoned but revived in 1899 by David Curry, the proprietor of Camp Curry. The Firefall continued until 1968, when it was halted amid a growing trend to eliminate artificial, man-made attractions, and to end massive nightly traffic jams, crowding, and exodus that drew visitors from throughout the Valley to the best viewing sites in the east end.

One 4th of July in the early 1900s, Curry employees hauled 80 pounds of fireworks to the top of Half Dome and strung them across the face of the landmark. At other Independence Day celebrations, visitors were treated to the reverberations of dynamite bombs and the spectacle of flaming gunnysacks thrown off of Glacier Point along with the Firefall.

Other summer attractions once found in Yosemite Valley included the annual "Indian Field Days" rodeo in Leidig Meadow (the riding oval for this event can still be seen from some trails and is evident in aerial photos); a "zoo" for orphaned animals; a nine-hole pitch-and-putt miniature golf course at The Ahwahnee; a miniature train and kiddy camp at Camp Curry; a small bowling alley; and collegiate swimming and diving exhibitions, all of which have since been eliminated. Once the all-year highway was in place, winter sports activities were actively promoted in the Valley. One of the first projects was the 1927 construction of a four-track toboggan slide near Camp Curry. Other winter activities included dog-sledding, sleigh rides, and ski-joring (gliding on skis while being pulled by a horse). The Yosemite Winter Club established the largest outdoor ice skating rink in the West - 60,000 square feet - by flooding the Camp Curry parking lot.

Today the diminutive Curry Village ice rink operates for a few months during winter and affords visitors a memorable setting in the shadows of Half Dome and Glacier Point.
 

PRESERVING THE VALLEY

National parks, while revered for their preservation of scenic beauty and wildlife, also play another important role in America's history: they represent our changing values about wild places. Not surprisingly, Yosemite - often referred to as a "crown jewel" of the National Park System - is symbolic of humankind's changing relationship with nature. Yosemite National Park staff are currently developing a new plan for Yosemite Valley that will balance human presence while allowing natural processes to prevail. Perhaps like the Firefall and "bear dump" attractions, some current activities may move into the pages of Yosemite history books.