Indians of the Yosemite Valley and Vicinity: Their History, Customs and Traditions (Forgotten Books)

This short little book was written by one of the pioneers of Yosemite National Park, Galen Clark. In 1857 Clark was the first white person to view the Mariposa Grove, a stand of old-growth redwoods which are some of the largest living organisms on the planet. Clark was one of the first full-time white residents of Yosemite and is considered the first ranger of that park. Although obviously Clark had no training in ethnography, he lived for many years with the last generation of pre-contact Native Americans of Yosemite. It is apparent that the Yosemite Miwok, who had a disasterous first contact, were extremely reluctant to open up about the details of their mythology and culture, even to comparatively benign individuals such as Clark. However, this is one of the few first-hand accounts from this period, and the information in this book has been rehashed in many others, such as The Lore and Lure of the Yosemite. (Quote from sacred-texts.com)

About the Author

Galen Clark (1814 - 1910)
Galen Clark (March 28, 1814, Dublin, New Hampshire - March 24, 1910, Oakland, California) is known for his discovery of the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoia trees and for his role as Guardian of Yosemite National Park for 21 years. In 1853, Clark had a severe lung infection that was diagnosed as consumption, as tuberculosis was called in Clark's time. Doctors gave him six months to live at most. He then moved to the Wawona area as a homesteader. "I went to the mountains to take my chances of dying or growing better, which I thought were about even." (Galen Clark, 1856) Upon his discovery of the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias, Galen Clark spent the majority of his time exploring the area and teaching others about the mysteries of the giant, cinnamon-colored trees. This passion led to him writing letters to