This week marks the 122nd anniversary of the creation of Yosemite National Park. The park, which is the third oldest national park in the U.S., encompasses almost 1,200 square miles of soaring peaks, rock walls, and waterfalls in east-central California. Interest in the area was initially sparked by the photographs of Carleton E. Watkins in the 1860s, and naturalist John Muir (author of Britannica’s 10th edition article on Yosemite) spearheaded the effort to protect the area from further development and degradation. Muir’s campaign, which culminated in the designation of the site as a national park on October 1, 1890, ensured that Yosemite would remain unspoiled for generations to come. Indeed, the park drew an estimated four million visitors in 2010, providing more than $350 million in tourism revenue to the area.
An 1866 photograph of El Capitan by Carleton E. Watkins. Credit: © 2008 Dover Publications, Inc. All rights reserved.
Horsetail Falls in Yosemite National Park. Sunlight reflecting off the falls creates the illusion of a cascade of fire. Credit: © Joseph Fronteras
The interplay of shadows in Yosemite. Credit: © Index Open
Upper Yosemite Fall. Credit: Micah Bochart
El Capitan (left) and Bridalveil Fall (right) in Yosemite National Park. Credit: © Index Open
Mount Dana from Tioga Pass, Yosemite National Park. Credit: © Index Open