The area of Yosemite Valley has been inhabited for a few thousands of years by a number of Native American Tribes. In 1848 with the beginning of the California Gold Rush, with the massive migration of Americans to the West, tensions grew between them and the Native Americans which climaxed with the Mariposa War.
On this day June 30th, in 1864, Yosemite Valley is granted to California for public use. Sierra Nevada Mountains are a 400 mile long mountain range, which Yosemite Valley is just west of. Galen Clark would become the first guardian of Yosemite National Park this same year and serve for 24 years.
Yosemite Valley makes up only 1% of the entire Yosemite National Park, which is 761,268 acres. Most of the park is complete wilderness. It is for this reason that most of the 3.7 million annual visitors spend their time in Yosemite Valley, which is roughly 7 square miles. Yosemite Valley’s ecology is incredibly diverse, and many species of flowers, animals, plant, and birds can be seen on the numerous popular hiking trails.