History & Culture

At first glance, Yosemite’s natural wonders are easy to observe. Sights around the park are iconic in the human experience of national parks. Beyond the rocks, plants, and animals, is a story about people in Yosemite written on that very same landscape. It tells a story of different cultures (sometimes working together, sometimes in violent clashes) creating the place we call Yosemite National Park and defining how we experience it. Yosemite’s rich human history tells a story of conflict, dreams, diversity, hardships, adventures, and preservation of one of the first national parks.

 

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  People

  Humans have existed on Yosemite’s landscape for thousands of years and have helped shape how we experience Yosemite today.

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  Places

  Historic buildings and cultural landscapes tell the story of human history.

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  Yosemite: Then and Now

  Yosemite: Then and Now is to tell the park’s story by matching beautiful and fascinating archival photographs with photos from today.

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  Archeology

  Archeology is the study of past ways of life through material remains. Learn why it matters.

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  Stories

  Moments in time that shaped Yosemite’s past.

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  Collections

  Yosemite’s museum collection contains more than 4 million items from Yosemite - natural and cultural.

 

I have seen persons of emotional temperament stand with tearful eyes, spellbound and dumb with awe, as they got their first view of the Valley from Inspiration Point, overwhelmed in the sudden presence of the unspeakable, stupendous grandeur.

—Galen Clark, guardian of the Yosemite Grant

Image credit: NPS Historic Photo Collection