Why Yosemite is ACTUALLY America's First National Park
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- čas přidán 27. 07. 2024
- On paper, of course Yellowstone is the first. But, let's look a little deeper. Let's look at the IDEA of National Parks themselves. This idea that we're going to take certain pieces of land, remove them from the normal economic pressures land is subjected to, and instead use them simply for the benefit and enjoyment of the public. That's the idea underpinning all National Parks today, and it was born in... Yosemite. Not Yellowstone. All about it in this latest video. Enjoy.
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Niagara Falls took a bullet of development that saved everything else protected by our national park system. Poor one out for Niagara 🍺
True, the park land surrounding the Falls is nice today (especially out on the islands) but it's a shame how it was originally developed, at least it served a purpose by motivating the country to prevent the same thing that happened to the Falls from happening to other natural wonders
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Don't tell those Canadians, they like casinos near their natural wonders. :/
Very true. It'd be nice to imagine what Niagara Falls would've looked like had it been a national park instead.
To add more context to your video, when Yosemite was set aside for protection, it existed in a state, so the govt figured that it’d be easier for them to protect the land and enforce the law, so they made the Mariposa Grove and the valley into the Yosemite State Preserve. When they were protecting Yellowstone, none of the states that the park currently exists in were states yet, only territories, so there was no legal authority to protect the area other than the federal govt. So Yellowstone became the first National Park, in name, on a technicality.
Also, the idea started with the Mariposa Grove specifically, and when the valley was later discovered, it was added to the suggested protected areas. As a symbol of the birthplace of the National Park idea, every Park Ranger in the US wears their hats with the leather band and gold pin, and their leather belts. In the leather, the images of Giant Sequoia pine needles and cones are embossed on the surface, and the gold pin is a Sequoia cone as well. So, whether you’re in the desert parks, rainforest parks, or rocky and mountainous parks, those symbols are ever a part of the Ranger uniform.
And small correction on the language of the Ahwahneechee people. They spoke a mashup of Miwuk and Paiute dialects. Kind of like Spanglish. If you only understand one of either language, you’ll only understand a portion of what they were saying. Which is why there were so many mistranslations of the meanings of the indigenous names of different sites. James Savage and Lafayette Bunnell only spoke Paiute. You had to understand both languages fluently to grasp a majority of what they were saying. Heck, they even mistranslated the word “Yosemite.” Granted, Yosemite is a completely made up word. A mashup of the words yohemete (originally yohometuk), and isimiti (originally uzumati).
Yohemete/Yohometuk was a slur created by the Miwuk people to refer to the Paiutes, meaning “they are killers,” in response to the many raids the Paiutes committed against the Miwuk people when first settling the modern Californian area. Thousands of years later, the warrior factions of both tribes split off to make their own group, the Ahwahneechee. The Miwuk saw them as traitors for mingling with Paiutes, so they’d call them that slur as well. Isimiti/Uzumati means “great bear/grizzly,” but was also a title given to warriors or people that had done great feats. Pioneers heard the people of valley being called both titles, and in their confusion, mixed up the words and started calling the people of the area the Yosemites. So the closest literal translation of Yosemite Valley is the Valley of Killers or Killer Warriors, even though the Ahwahneechee were a peaceful people.
Good info, thanks for sharing!
Thank god things worked out the way they did. A world without our beautiful national parks is not a world I’d want to live in. another banger as usual. Thanks for everything you do.
Neither would I! Thanks for watching and supporting the channel!
Another excellent video! I really enjoyed this, because a personal hero of mine is John Muir. Reading about his love of nature, and how many of the concepts of the National Park came from his time in Yosemite, I’ve always had a sense that Yosemite was the first national park in a philosophical/spiritual sense, if not officially. This just further strengthens that idea.
I too am a big John Muir fan. Another person inextricably linked with National Parks in America and a big factor in Yosemite's preservation throughout his time there. I find the whole Yosemite story just fascinating and a testament to the power of ideas when it came to National Parks. Thanks for watching!
A video about Niagara Falls would be super interesting. Great video as always!
I agree, would love to make a video about Niagara Falls. Thanks for the suggestion and thanks for watching!
@@NationalParkDiaries Does the NPS have anything to do w/ the USA side of the Falls?
@@thepretzel2 Not the NPS, but New York does operate a State Park there (the oldest one in the US, actually).
As always, awesome content. Thank you! My toddler and I listen to all your videos. Kisatchie National forest is a nice place to camp and ride dirt bikes. There are also parts of the old Army camp Claiborne that you can see hidden down along the trails.
Thanks so much for watching - I'm glad you both are enjoying them!
I'd love to see a video going over the Hoosier National forest. It boasts a particularly interesting, yet unfortunate story of how it came to be and how important it once was prior to it's establishment during the great depression. It breaks away from the flat farmland most people would associate Indiana with.
I've driven through there a couple of times and always wondered what it's story was. Really pretty place and now you've further piqued my curiosity. Adding it to the list!
U.s. forest service, dept of agriculture. Forests are to make money, how American is that
I didn't know that! Thank you for a great video
Thanks for watching!
And then there's the story of Hetch Hetchy. Well put. Our national parks kept Americans home traveling and brought international interest.
Hetch Hetchy still make me sad. But, we have this good Yosemite story to balance out that bad one lol and I'm grateful for that! Thanks for watching!
He actually has an awesome video on Hetch Hetchy not sure if that's what you were referring to. I visited last year, still very undeveloped and there's only one trail. Aside from the fact that you get charged for going there since you leave the park and reenter, the pass you thought you had purchased for the entire park, is not honored at Hetch Hetchy and an additional charge must be paid. I believe it was something like $28. Cheers 🍻
@@bajaboy27 thanks for referring me to that video. Sorry to hear about the extra charge.
This is so interesting and awesome. Never knew this. I love our National Parks and so thankful they exist. And your vids always further this belief for me. Awesome vid as always!
So glad I could help, thanks for watching!
Great video! It was especially interesting how you tied in Niagara Falls and how the development there impacted the creation of the national park system.
Thank you! Niagara Falls is a really interesting subject and probably deserves its own video
@@NationalParkDiaries Would love to see that video for sure.
Great video, thank you! I've spent a good amount of time in the park and it's an awe inspiring place.
Side, note....during one of my hikes up the Yosemite falls trail, happened to meet some young German hikers who constantly told me this place is nothing special. It's about the same as the Alps. I was polite and did not say much, but kept thinking the Alps must be very special as well. Nothing can beat peering over the valley rim from the top and look strait down one or two thousand feet or peering over the edge of half-dome.
Thanks for watching! I've never been to the Alps myself, but they certainly seem breathtaking and beautiful in their own way. I'm not sure how preservation/National Parks work in Europe as much, but if they're protected in a similar way as Yosemite, then the world is a better place for it!
@@NationalParkDiaries Lauterbrunnen in Switzerland definitely looks somewhat similar to Yosemite.
I grew up 70 miles south of Niagara Falls, but it's interesting to me how you reference it in this video. For one thing, it forms part of the border with the United States and Canada. So even if a move to preserve "The American side" of the Falls had been put forward and adopted, I'm not sure that the governments of Ontario or Canada would have passed on the opportunity to keep it more natural and not exploit it for tourism, commercial, and natural resources purposes. Even today, there is a stark difference between the American and Canadian sides of the Falls. From the Canadian side you get great views of all three Falls (Niagara, Bridal Veil, Horseshoe), plus it looks a lot like Gatlinburg right outside the Great Smoky Mountains. The American side on the other hand looks like any number of post-apocalyptic tv shows and movies could be filmed there. I don't mean this to sound disparaging of Niagara Falls at all, I just find it interesting that it became kind of the "we need to prevent this from happening again" scenario that helped lead us to the National Park Service. Still, tourist dollars are at the heart of both, but I guess that's to be expected.
Great video!! I have been repeating this for a long time and it always surprises people. While not national parks, it would be interesting to see you make a video or videos going over state park systems, which state has the largest number and acres of parks, etc.
Thank you! I've got a couple ideas for state park stories in the hopper at some point. There's some great state parks out there for sure!
@@NationalParkDiaries Awesome to hear! One of the parks it would be interesting to see is Redwoods because it is a combo state and national, and how come we don't see more of these combo parks.
@@plannerduck3136 Redwoods has such an interesting story. I definitely want to tell it here on the channel at some point!
Another tidbit of history about Yosemite National Park is that when it was established in 1890, Congress set aside 1,500 square miles. Within 15 years that was pared down by an act of Congress. There were already mining claims by then as well as privatized forest lands and the boundaries were totally redrawn. Even today, there are only 1,186 square miles in the park. This park went through some serious drama in its early days!
The administrative boundaries of Yosemite through the years have been fascinating - totally agree! I remember I was surfing Google Earth one day (as I do), and came across a pre-made map talking about how protected areas are shrinking in size all over the world. Yosemite was on there as an example. It worried me deeply, knowing how many threats these places are already facing, but I was at least hopeful of the fact that this was being documented in some way. Here's a link if you wanna check it out: earth.google.com/web/data=MkEKPwo9CiExXzhoTzJRQVFwNWNRRkY5ejZURVRqLVMxWkpFRVc4UmQSFgoUMDlBRTAwQzZDMzJCNTVBNUI2QTMgAQ
Thanks so much! Frightening to think that these downgrades, downsizing and "degazetting" of our protected areas are happening. Most news outlets never cover these stories.
5:11 - I think that Yosemite Valley's scenery is freakishly similar to that of the valley between Qinngua [Pangnirtung entry] and Panniqtuuruluk [Qikiqtarjuaq entry]. [Auyuittuq National Park in Nunavut Territory, Canada] Well, it's not forested, but the stone walls...
Great video
Thank you!!
1:58 Ayy, thanks for making this video fr 🙏
Been busy with sem ends again and now here to chill 🏞
Haha, thanks for the suggestion! Congrats on the end of the semester!
We visited Banff National Park and Jasper National Park Canada last year and they are much different since they were created after cities existed in them. They set in place rules for the cities such that their size was unchangeable and their growth was stopped. You could not live there as a new resident. We cannot retire there for instance. The existence of Banff predates our national parks which they are quite proud of but they viewed their parks as a source of income, they had a new country with a great deal of debt and no money. But they had beautiful places that people would pay to visit so fancy hotels served by railroads ferried wealthy residents to the parks where they spent large quantities of money. This changed when cars were invented and roads delivered cars to the parks. Our parks are usually created where there aren't already developments and people.
As a kid stories of John Muir inspired me and sparked my love for the national parks. Happily year later and multiple visits to them, that love remains strong as ever. Thanks for the great video!
John Muir has been a great inspiration to me as well. Thanks for watching!
Really interesting that Lincoln signed the law effectively creating the first large land conservation area. I don't normally think of him as a naturalist. Was he involved in other land conservation efforts?
To my knowledge, no. Admittedly, I'm no Lincoln scholar lol, but I certainly don't think he's remembered as a naturalist or one of the big figures of the early conservation movement. All the more interesting his involvement with Yosemite!
Thankyou John Muir.
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Thanks for teaching me about the Yosemite Act of 1864, Cameron.👩🎓I plan to visit Yosemite some day.
You're very welcome, thanks for watching! I hope you're able to make it out to Yosemite. I was very young when I visited, but still have fond memories of the incredible scenery. I'm hoping to make the return journey myself someday!
Interesting that Lincoln signed the Yosemite Grant Act while the Civil War raged on...
Great video, thanks. I see you have Collapse behind you, but not Guns, Germs, and Steel?
Thanks for watching! I have Guns, Germs, and Steel on another shelf lol. It goes on the special shelf with some of my all time favs.
So I always thought that Yosemite was the first even on paper. I want to say I saw an old movie about the Yosemite story.
Wow, interesting. Yosemite is one of the National parks I have not been to yet. I have been to Yellowstone 3 times and will be four times soon. I am spending a week there from Aug 19th to Aug 25th. This information makes me want to go to Yosemite as my next national park to visit.
I don't think you'll be disappointed! I haven't been since I was young, but I have fond memories and need to go back myself.
Best in the spring before tourists show up, unless there is heavy snowfall, or autumn.
If you are after an idea, I thought Hot Springs Arkansas is a slightly odd one.
I'm going to tell the story of Hot Springs one day on the channel. It's fascinating. Technically protected before any of these places, but just didn't match up with the cultural and political winds to be considered the first true "National" Park, at least not as an idea or philosophy.
Yosemite was a park set aside for conservation of nature run by the state of California, until the federal government realized the state could not keep up with it, by that time Yellowstone had been eyed by the federal government to also set aside as a park but run by them.
What I love about stories such as these is how it captures the many twists and turns in history that led to the status quo. Over here in Europe we never had a chance to establish National Parks on the scale as in North America, as the middle ages and subsequent centuries saw the large scale clear-cutting of its old-growth forests, along with other natural habitats including swamps, wild rivers and so on being 'tamed' and turned into farm land and waterways to carry goods.
If it wasn't for Yosemite and the court leaning towards it rather than the 'needs' of the people/economy, the US could have been a very different place today.
I find these through lines and diverging paths in history so fascinating. I often think about what might have happened, National Park-wise at least, had the US and Europe been in opposite positions. Like, what would Europe have looked like with USA-style preservation efforts and what would the USA have looked like with European-style development patterns? Just a really interesting thought exercise! Still some great nature over there in Europe though - gotta make my way over and do some stories one day!
@@NationalParkDiaries Poland is the last part of Europe with significant old-growth forest, which makes it a fascinating location if you're into forests. Beyond that there are a few other locations like that for other ecosystem types, but none of it is sadly as celebrated as US National Parks, which is a real shame.
I'd love to see a series about Europe's best nature spots some day :)
Thanks!
Thank you so much!
I just learned this from Everything Everywhere Daily a week or so ago.
🙌
Does anyone know…is it pronounced:
Ah-waH-nee?
Like…with a big emphasis on the end of “waH”.
Or like the 2nd H isn’t even there: “Ahwanee”?
Around the park they province the 2nd H…but I was never sure.
Ah-wah-nee.
Though in some northern dialects, it’s pronounced Ah-woo-nee.
Meaning place of big/gaping mouth. The groups that settled there believed it looked like the open maw of a grizzly jutting up from the earth, with the granite domes being her teeth.
I've seen private residences in the Yosemite valley, so is it for park employees or do they allow homes in the valley to purchase?
To my knowledge, no homes are available in Yosemite Valley for purchase. I would imagine those are for park employees, yes.
Topic: funding. Congress controls the money and has under funded for decades yet it is pork for congressmen. Admission goes to treasury. Rangers are paid so little they qualify for public assistance etc
Which brings us to Hetch Hetchy, alas. Would love to see your treatment of this controversy.👍
Already covered it! You can check it out here if you're interested: czcams.com/video/pu2xZTCw7xw/video.html
Do one on the white mountains np in nh
Good suggestion, thanks!
Hu ! actually !
Hot Springs National park is !
In Arkansas
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You totally missed John Muir's influence on yosemite.
Didn't miss it, just not the focus for this story. Muir comes later in Yosemite's history.
Wasn't Hot Springs Arkansas the first National Park? 1832
In terms of federal protection, technically yes. I would argue the "National Park idea" wasn't born yet though. We just weren't there yet in our thinking as a country on conservation, which is why I didn't mention it in this video. But, it's a great story in its own right and I'll definitely be telling it one day!
Yes, Hot Springs have a very interesting story on staring the preservation of natural resources, something that in 1832 few people care about. And if it wasn't for the proclamation of what might become in national park preservation rules the Springs might be gone years ago. Thanks for reply to my post 👍🏼
How can you tell the history of Yosemite without mentioning Hetch Hetchy or Ansel Adams‽
I have an entire video on Hetch Hetchy, but that story doesn't start in earnest until the early twentieth century, and it doesn't play a big role in the park's initial creation, so it doesn't really fit with this story. You can watch it here if you'd like: czcams.com/video/pu2xZTCw7xw/video.html
Ansel Adams is the same way. He wasn't born or active in Yosemite until the twentieth century, so doesn't quite fit into this story about Yosemite's early beginnings.
Abuse of parks. How to get away with not following the rules or even acting civilized.
76th viewer uploaded 19min ago! :p dont mind me just being cringe
😂😂😂
So in short what you are saying is that Yellowstone is America's First National Park. Got it.
If we're going purely based on the "National Park" moniker, then yes. But I would argue the _idea_ for National Parks was actually created in Yosemite, as outlined in the video.
@@NationalParkDiaries So when you take a test in a REAL History class and the question is to name the First American National Park the correct answer is....?
It would be akin to when America declared itself independent which is July 1776. The fact that there had been talk for many many years does not mean America was formed in say 1763, which was when a major war ended.
History is supposed to be about stone cold facts .Yosemite might have spurred the creation of the National Parks System in America BUT at the end of day Yellowstone is still the First National Park.
irrelevant, it changes nothing and means nothing.
I mean yeah, calling yosemite the "first national park" is kinda semantic, but it is an important story for how the NPS system as we know it even has a legal basis. Yellowstone was never legally challenged for its right to exist the same way yosemite was (and in fact, yellowstone has a fair amount of controversy regarding the expulsion of native americans from the area when it was established)
The fact is that the establishment of yosemite and its further defense laid the baseline that all national parks are reserved for public enjoyment of nature instead of having a kitschy souvenir shop every 10 feet and being lined with hotels and resorts.
@@rbran like if Yosemite doesn't have a similar history of expelling natives? That's how the valley was discovered in the first place, the Mariposa battalion went deep into the mountains looking for the natives. But I'm sure you know the history. Cheers 🍻
@@bajaboy27 i mean yeah, anything out west has expelled natives. I’m not debating you about that.